Your Center of Mass 

Material: 

1. A board long enough and wide enough for a student to lay down on it. (This could be a board one inch thick ten inch wide and four or more feet long.) (It also will helpful if you could place cupboard door openers on each end of the board so student helpers do not have to place their fingers under the board.)

2. A cylinder for the board to roll freely. (A 12 inch high propane torch can works fine. Heavy PVC of three to four inch diameter would also be fine.

3. Masking Tape 

  

 

Future Quicktime Movie and photos of the demo to go here!

Procedure:

Ask a student to lie down on the board and cylinder assembly. (This should be done on the floor so no-one rounds off a table top. Two student helpers assist the student onto the board and then move the board back and forth on the roller until it is balanced. (This is where handles on the top of each end of the board will help students from getting their fingers caught when the mass is moved too far one direction or the other.)

Next a third student is responsible for placing an X of masking tape directly above the balance cylinder. This then represents the student's Center of Mass.

Background:

In addition to learning about center of mass as a concept, this activity can, depending on the grade level and class goals, be used to discuss how after puberty a females center of mass moves higher

Grades 4 - 12

Content: 

form and function, concept of balance or equal mass & with care this can be used in physiology

 

Physical Menu

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