Question

(1)please locate the CM of a right-angled triangle, WITHOUT the use of calculus. One good starting point would be to divide it into three pieces: two smaller right-angled triangle plus a rectangle. Must show your work.

(2) Cut a piece of cardboard paper into a right-angled triangle. Suspend it on a string at two different locations to pinpoint the center of mass experimentally. Does the result agree with part (a) above? Show some pictures or (better yet) a video of your experiment.

Answer 1

The center of mass of a triangle is it's centroid.

And easy way to find the centroid of a triangle is to find the mid point of each side of the triangle and extend a line from the mid point of each side to the opposite vertex. The point of intersection of these lines is the centroid and hence the center of mass of the triangle.

the experimental results match the theoretical calculations.