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 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

Time Traveler
The first known use of center of mass was in 1862

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.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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