Center of gravity

[kelly7]

Main Question or Discussion Point

Hello I was wondering is it possible to figure out the center of gravity for a wheelchair through calculation alone and how is it done? Thanks!

 

[Eric McClean]

The center of mass is often called the center of gravity, but this is only true in a system where the gravitational forces are uniform.

 

[Doc Al]

Hello I was wondering is it possible to figure out the center of gravity for a wheelchair through calculation alone and how is it done? Thanks!

If you wanted, you could model the chair as a set of pieces. If you knew the mass (and center of mass) of each piece, you could then find the center of mass of all the pieces together (using the definition of center of mass). Good luck.