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Litcyb
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Homework Statement
Three uniform thin rods, each of length L = 22 cm, form an inverted U. The vertical cords each have a mass of 14 grams. The horizontal rod has a mass of 42 grams. What are the x coordinate and y coordinate of the system's center of mass?
Homework Equations
xcom= (x1m1+x2m2+x3m3)/M
ycom= (y1m1+y2m2+y3m3)/M
The Attempt at a Solution
I managed to solve this question, but I think I'm a bit confused on the way I solved it.
I set up a coordinate system in which the left top corner of the table is (0,0).
The way I managed to do this is by first finding the center of mass of each part of the table. For instance, the point of the center of mass of the left leg is (0,L/2); for the top of the table, it is (L/2,0); and for the right leg, it would be (L,L/2). And then I would apply it to the equation above.
Now, my question is, do we always have to find the center of mass of every side first in order to calculate the center of mass of the whole system?
Thank you in advance.
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