Why is the rim center directly above the contact point in a tilted hemispherical bowl?

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Start your own thread to ask a follow-up.
2 replies · 3K views
Helena54321
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
I know and understand why the c of m of a uniform hemispherical shell (i.e a hollow hemisphere) is r/2 on the axis of symmetry (where r=radius of shell). I looked at the solution of the following question and still don't understand.

Question:

A hemispherical bowl, which may be modeled as a uniform hemispherical shell, has mass 3kg. A mass of of 2kg is placed on the rim and the bowl rests in equilibrium on a smooth horizontal plane. The plane surface of the bowl makes an angle theta with the horizontal. Show that tan theta= 4/3.

Answer: Taking moments about S (the point of contact with the table) :

3g x (r/2)sintheta= 2g x rcostheta.

My problem is I don't understand/know the justification for 0 (the centre of the circular rim of the shell) being on the same vertical line that passes through the point of contact with the horizontal table S.

I first considered the two masses into a composite body and worked out the centre of mass (0.4r, 0.3r) where x-axis is the plane of the circular rim and the y-axis the axis of symmetry of the bowl. This obviously yields the correct answer. But in order to even get this you need to know/understand that 0 is directly above S. Why does this have to be the case?

Can anybody help me? :/ x pweese x

It's in the edexcel M3 book. Exercise 5C Qstn 12. baa humbug
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Helena54321 said:
My problem is I don't understand/know the justification for 0 (the centre of the circular rim of the shell) being on the same vertical line that passes through the point of contact with the horizontal table S.
Would you agree that the table is tangent to the surface of the hemisphere, regardless of where contact is made? And thus a line drawn between the center of the sphere and the point of contact must be perpendicular to table?
 
Man am I stupid. I never get difficult things misunderstood, it's always the easy obvious most important things that I don't see.

THANK YOU! merci! arrigato! xie xie! dou zie! mgoisi!