Centre of Gravity and Centroids

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on understanding the relationship between moments and weights in rigid body mechanics, specifically how the sum of moments in the x and y directions is represented. The user is confused about the notation, particularly why "Delta W" is used instead of the total weight "W." It is clarified that "Delta W" refers to the weight of individual particles that make up the rigid body, which are summed to find the total weight. The concept of integrating these small weights is introduced, emphasizing that the total weight can be expressed as an integral of the individual weights. This foundational understanding is crucial for grasping the principles of center of gravity and centroids in physics.
DiamondV
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Homework Statement


http://puu.sh/lJgzB/5b877de108.jpg

http://puu.sh/lJgAR/c28393f051.jpg

Can someone please explain these two slides to me? Especially the first one, It seems to be summing the Moments in y and Moments in x. The sum of the moments in y is xW. I understand that but then it says that xW is equal to Sum of X times Change in W. Thats what I don't get. This is like the first page of the notes, there's no other info given. This is all.
EDIT: I've realized that we are assuming that the rigid body is made up of millions of tiny particles each at different distances(x) and different weights(W). So we sum it. But I still don't get why we use Delta W instead of W itself?

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

 
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DiamondV said:

Homework Statement


http://puu.sh/lJgzB/5b877de108.jpg

http://puu.sh/lJgAR/c28393f051.jpg

Can someone please explain these two slides to me? Especially the first one, It seems to be summing the Moments in y and Moments in x. The sum of the moments in y is xW. I understand that but then it says that xW is equal to Sum of X times Change in W. Thats what I don't get. This is like the first page of the notes, there's no other info given. This is all.
EDIT: I've realized that we are assuming that the rigid body is made up of millions of tiny particles each at different distances(x) and different weights(W). So we sum it. But I still don't get why we use Delta W instead of W itself?
Because W is the weight of the entire plate or piece of wire.
 
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SteamKing said:
Because W is the weight of the entire plate or piece of wire.
Why is Change in W used then?(delta W)
 
Or is the Delta W just signifying the weight of the individual tiny particle that when summed together(sigma) results in the weight of the the rigid body?
 
DiamondV said:
Or is the Delta W just signifying the weight of the individual tiny particle that when summed together(sigma) results in the weight of the the rigid body?
Right. ##W = \int dW ##
 
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