Tightrope Trials
To learn about the concept of center of mass, students examine how objects balance. They make symmetrical cut-outs of different "creatures" and experiment with how they balance on a tightrope of string. Students see the concept of center of mass at work as the creatures balance.
Students explore the concept of center of mass by examining how objects balance on a tightropeCopyright Hauser, 1999.
Engineers are interested in how objects balance so that they can build safe structures (auditoriums, Ferris wheels, shopping malls) and crafts (airplanes, cruise ships, kayaks). This is especially important in cases in which a structure may be impacted by heavy human loads, or unpredictable natural phenomena such as hurricanes or earthquakes.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Relate static equilibrium and center of mass.
- Identify the movement of the center of mass of an object when weight is added to the object.
- Describe the influence of unequal forces on an object's balance.
- Recognize that engineers are interested in how objects balance so that they can build safe structures.