Finding the Center of Mass of a Semicircle

In summary: You wrote |x|, not y. And your limits of integration were wrong. You should have y going from 0 to r, not -r to +r.From the previous conversation, we can conclude that to find the centroid of a semicircle using the formula ∫rdm/∫dm, we first need to find the mass of the semicircle using the formula ∫dm = ρ∫dxdy, and then use the formula ∫rdm to find the moment of inertia. We also learned that the distance from the origin to the centroid of the semicircle can be found by dividing the moment of inertia by the mass of the semicircle. However, if
  • #1
Panphobia
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Ok so when I try to get the centroid of a semicircle using ∫rdm/∫dm, ∫dm = ρ∫dxdy for x^2, but now that the area is (0.5)∏(x^2 + y^2) what would ∫dm be? If I did use ρ∫dxdy I have to do some weird integration of sqrt(30^2 - x^2) which we haven't learned yet. If I do have to ρ∫dxdy how would I go about integrating sqrt(30^2 - x^2)?
 
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  • #2
Panphobia said:
Ok so when I try to get the centroid of a semicircle using ∫rdm/∫dm, ∫dm = ρ∫dxdy for x^2, but now that the area is (0.5)∏(x^2 + y^2) what would ∫dm be? If I did use ρ∫dxdy I have to do some weird integration of sqrt(30^2 - x^2) which we haven't learned yet. If I do have to ρ∫dxdy how would I go about integrating sqrt(30^2 - x^2)?

∫2*Pi*r/4 dr = ∫Pi*r/2 dr= area of semi circle = Pi*r^2 /4
∫Pi*r/2*ρ(r) dr = mass of semi circle
∫Pi*r/2*ρ(r)*r dr = moment of inertia of semicircle
Distantce from origin to Centre of mass of semi circle = moment of inertia / mass of semi circle
 
  • #3
Panphobia said:
Ok so when I try to get the centroid of a semicircle using ∫rdm/∫dm,
What makes you think that will give you the location of the CoM? If the semicircle lies in the first two quadrants, centre of curvature at the origin, you just need to compute the y coordinate of the CoM. That's ∫ρydxdy/∫ρdxdy. For the mass, isn't that obvious? What's the mass of a circle radius r?
Twich said:
∫2*Pi*r/4 dr = ∫Pi*r/2 dr= area of semi circle = Pi*r^2 /4
Wrong by a factor of 2 throughout.
Twich said:
∫Pi*r/2*ρ(r)*r dr = moment of inertia of semicircle
Don't confuse moment (1st moment) with moment of inertia (2nd moment). Moment of inertia (about an axis perpendicular to the semicircle and through the centre of arc) would have r2 in there.
Neither is ∫Pi*r/2*ρ(r)*r dr the first moment. See my response to the OP.
 
  • #4
By the way I think I figured out the centre of mass of the semicircle with ∫rdm/∫dm and I used ρ∫dxdy, the integration got a little tricky but I did it, the centre of mass I calculated was (0, 40/∏), is that right?(if the axis of symmetry is on the y axis)
 
  • #5
haruspex said:
What makes you think that will give you the location of the CoM? If the semicircle lies in the first two quadrants, centre of curvature at the origin, you just need to compute the y coordinate of the CoM. That's ∫ρydxdy/∫ρdxdy. For the mass, isn't that obvious? What's the mass of a circle radius r?

Wrong by a factor of 2 throughout.

Don't confuse moment (1st moment) with moment of inertia (2nd moment). Moment of inertia (about an axis perpendicular to the semicircle and through the centre of arc) would have r2 in there.
Neither is ∫Pi*r/2*ρ(r)*r dr the first moment. See my response to the OP.

Sorry for using wrong words.

It give the distance from origin to COM.

if semi circle lie in Q1 and k is the distance from origin to COM then you could find COM at (kcos45°, ksin45°)

if Y-axis is the axis of semretical then COM is (0,√2 /3) since k = √2 /3
 
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  • #6
Panphobia said:
By the way I think I figured out the centre of mass of the semicircle with ∫rdm/∫dm and I used ρ∫dxdy, the integration got a little tricky but I did it, the centre of mass I calculated was (0, 40/∏), is that right?(if the axis of symmetry is on the y axis)
Yes, that sounds right.
 
  • #7
Twich said:
It give the distance from origin to COM.
Wrong. It would give the CoM of a triangle with one corner at the origin and its base along y = r. Try it, you'll get 2r/3. The correct answer is 4r/3π. It must obviously be < r/2.
 
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  • #8
Area of the semi circle is (0.5)∏(x^2 + y^2)
The circle equation should be x^2+y^2 = r^2
So the semi circle equation in Q1Q2 should be y = √(r^2-x^2 )
|x|=√(r^2-y^2 )
Distance from origin to COM is ∫y dm/ ∫dm
dm = ρ 2|x|dy = 2 ρ|x|dy = 2ρ√(r^2-y^2 ) dy ;from y= 0 to r
∫dm = 2 ρ ∫√(r^2-y^2 ) dy

∫dm = ρ(y√(r^2-y^2) + r^2 arctan (y/√(r^2-y^2))) = ρ r^2*π/2

∫y dm = -(2/3) ρ (r^2-y^2)^(3/2) = (2/3) ρ r^3

∫y dm/ ∫dm = 4r/(3π)

COM of semi circle is (0, 4r/(3π)) ...#
 
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  • #9
Twich said:
Area of the semi circle is (0.5)∏(x^2 + y^2)
The circle equation should be x^2+y^2 = r^2
So the semi circle equation in Q1Q2 should be y = √(r^2-x^2 )
|x|=√(r^2-y^2 )
Distance from origin to COM is ∫y dm/ ∫dm
dm = ρ 2|x|dy = 2 ρ|x|dy = 2ρ√(r^2-y^2 ) dy ;from y= 0 to r
∫dm = 2 ρ ∫√(r^2-y^2 ) dy

∫dm = ρ(y√(r^2-y^2) + r^2 arctan (y/√(r^2-y^2))) = ρ r^2*π/2

∫y dm = -(2/3) ρ (r^2-y^2)^(3/2) = (2/3) ρ r^3

∫y dm/ ∫dm = 4r/(3π)

COM of semi circle is (0, 4r/(3π)) ...#
Correct, but that is not what you previously posted. You wrote r, not y.
 
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Related to Finding the Center of Mass of a Semicircle

What is the formula for calculating the center of mass of a semi-circle?

The formula for calculating the center of mass of a semi-circle is (4R)/(3π) from the base of the diameter, where R is the radius of the semi-circle.

How is the center of mass of a semi-circle different from that of a full circle?

The center of mass of a semi-circle is located at a distance of (4R)/(3π) from the base of the diameter, while the center of mass of a full circle is located at the exact center.

Can the center of mass of a semi-circle be located outside of the shape?

No, the center of mass of a semi-circle will always be located within the boundaries of the shape.

What factors affect the center of mass of a semi-circle?

The radius of the semi-circle and the density of the material used to make it are the main factors that affect the center of mass. The larger the radius and the higher the density, the closer the center of mass will be to the base of the diameter.

Why is the center of mass of a semi-circle important in physics?

The center of mass is important in physics because it is the point at which the entire mass of an object can be considered to be concentrated. This concept is used in various calculations and equations to understand the motion and stability of objects.

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