Center of mass and center of gravity don´t match, why?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between the center of mass and the center of gravity for a tapered beam of constant density. Participants explore the calculations and conditions under which these two points may differ, as well as the implications of such differences.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant calculates the center of mass as the mean of the mass distribution along the central axis and the center of gravity through equilibrium of angular moments, noting a discrepancy of about 5 percent.
  • Another participant asserts that there is no difference between the center of mass and center of gravity, attributing any discrepancies to computational errors.
  • A third participant references specific conditions involving sums of moments and suggests that participants should consider what might cause differences in their calculations.
  • Another participant proposes that the term "center of mass" may have been misused, suggesting it could refer to the halfway mass point rather than the true center of mass, which may not align with the balancing point on a fulcrum due to the tapered beam's mass distribution.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on whether the center of mass and center of gravity are equivalent, with some asserting they are the same while others maintain that discrepancies exist. The discussion remains unresolved.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various computational methods and conditions that could affect the results, but do not resolve the underlying assumptions or definitions that may lead to differing interpretations.

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For a tapered beam of constant density the center of mass is calculated as the mean of the mass distribution along the central axis, the center of gravity is calculated by getting the equilibrium of the angular moments to the left and right of a fulcrum moving along the horizontal beam.
The resulting positions of those points don´t match. The difference is about 5 percent, hence not trivial.
Its not a problem of the computation, several different approaches give the same result (Integrals, sums, one or three spatial dimensions, high working precision).

I had assumed those points to match and in the literature I found no obvious reason why they should not.

Why this difference?

A Mathematica program of a sample calculation can be given.
 
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There is no difference, the positions are equivalent. If you get different results it is a problem of computation.
 
The conditions are: ## \sum_i m_ir_i = 0 ## and ## \sum_i gm_ir_i = 0 ##.
Think about what can make this differnance on your calculations.
 
As other posters have said, the center of mass and the center of gravity are the same point.

However, I suspect that when you said the center of mass, you really meant to say the half-way mass point. That is the point where, if you cut the beam, both sections would weigh exactly the same. But that is not the point where the beam would balance on a fulcrum because the mass of the two sections in a tapered beam is not distributed the same way.
 
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