center of mass
noun phrase
: the point in a body or system of bodies at which the whole mass may be considered as concentrated
Examples of center of mass in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Displace the center of mass too far toward one edge, and the plate would rapidly nosedive and crash.
—
Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 14 Nov. 2023
Los Angeles, where Ruscha made his career, is home to Hollywood, an inexhaustible American industry and the leading technological center of mass illusionism.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2023
Far from moving like a wheel, the crab's center of mass rose and fell, and the crab itself slowed down and sped up rhythmically.
—Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Pterosaurs could also have moved their head and neck in flight to quickly change the center of mass and thereby improve agility.
—Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2020
The density of these different temperatures of rock are different, and throw off the center of mass.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 23 Aug. 2023
Even after locating a glider’s center of mass, Wang cautions that this discovery won’t necessarily make solving future problems facing paper craft experts or engineers any easier.
—Sarah Wells, Popular Mechanics, 9 Aug. 2023
But an actual pendulum bob is a many-body system with many, many atoms and there’s a center of mass mode for the pendulum that can swing forever.
—Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 3 May 2023
Sizing a strut and positioning the center of mass can be done carefully in a computer, and the result in hardware is likely to match the intention.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Apr. 2023
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Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 14 Nov. 2023
Los Angeles, where Ruscha made his career, is home to Hollywood, an inexhaustible American industry and the leading technological center of mass illusionism.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2023
Far from moving like a wheel, the crab's center of mass rose and fell, and the crab itself slowed down and sped up rhythmically.
—Carl Zimmer, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019
Pterosaurs could also have moved their head and neck in flight to quickly change the center of mass and thereby improve agility.
—Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2020
The density of these different temperatures of rock are different, and throw off the center of mass.
—Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 23 Aug. 2023
Even after locating a glider’s center of mass, Wang cautions that this discovery won’t necessarily make solving future problems facing paper craft experts or engineers any easier.
—Sarah Wells, Popular Mechanics, 9 Aug. 2023
But an actual pendulum bob is a many-body system with many, many atoms and there’s a center of mass mode for the pendulum that can swing forever.
—Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 3 May 2023
Sizing a strut and positioning the center of mass can be done carefully in a computer, and the result in hardware is likely to match the intention.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 Apr. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'center of mass.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1862, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near center of mass
Cite this Entry
“Center of mass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/center%20of%20mass. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
center of mass
: the point in a body or system of bodies at which the whole mass can be thought of as concentrated
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