Calculating y-Coord of Center of Mass in Unique Shape

AI Thread Summary
To calculate the y-coordinate of the center of mass for a unique shape composed of squares, the area of each section and its respective coordinates must be considered. The user initially calculated the center of mass as 1.25a but found this to be incorrect. Other forum members suggested reviewing the calculations to identify errors in the area or coordinate contributions. Clarification on the shape's configuration, specifically the arrangement of squares, is essential for accurate computation. The discussion emphasizes the importance of proper area analysis in determining the center of mass.
phsyics_197
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Homework Statement


____
l _ l
l_l l_l

Find the y-coordinate of the center of mass. Each side l / _ is length a.
I got an answer of 1.25a, but that isn't right.

Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution



Area of each section * x-coordinate of center of mass. (the area missing is negative)
Then divided by the total area
 
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Welcome to PF!

Hi phsyics_197! Welcome to PF! :wink:
phsyics_197 said:
____
l _ l
l_l l_l

Find the y-coordinate of the center of mass. Each side l / _ is length a.
I got an answer of 1.25a, but that isn't right.

(hmm … I can see from the "QUOTE" box that that's supposed to be two squares on level 0, and three squares on level one)

Show us how you got 1.25, and then we can see what went wrong, and we'll know how to help! :smile:
 

Thread 'Errors and significant figures'

I multiplied the values first without the error limit. Got 19.38. rounded it off to 2 significant figures since the given data has 2 significant figures. So = 19. For error I used the above formula. It comes out about 1.48. Now my question is. Should I write the answer as 19±1.5 (rounding 1.48 to 2 significant figures) OR should I write it as 19±1. So in short, should the error have same number of significant figures as the mean value or should it have the same number of decimal places as...
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Thread 'A cylinder connected to a hanging mass'

Thread 'A cylinder connected to a hanging mass'

Let's declare that for the cylinder, mass = M = 10 kg Radius = R = 4 m For the wall and the floor, Friction coeff = ##\mu## = 0.5 For the hanging mass, mass = m = 11 kg First, we divide the force according to their respective plane (x and y thing, correct me if I'm wrong) and according to which, cylinder or the hanging mass, they're working on. Force on the hanging mass $$mg - T = ma$$ Force(Cylinder) on y $$N_f + f_w - Mg = 0$$ Force(Cylinder) on x $$T + f_f - N_w = Ma$$ There's also...
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