LECTURE 19 DENSITY, MASS AND CENTRE OF MASS

Consider a lamina of varying composition (for example a thin sheet of metal) in the x y plane with density (x, y ) at the point (x, y ). Then

Mass() = M =

(x, y )dA.

If the centre of mass of is ( x, y ) then x (x, y )dA My = M M and y = My = Mx =

x =

y (x, y )dA Mx = M M

x (x, y )dA is called the rst moment of the lamina about the y axis. y (x, y )dA is called the rst moment of the lamina about the x axis.

If the density is uniform with (x, y ) = 1 then the centre of mass is referred to as a centroid. Note that the mass is then Mass() = M =

1dA = Area().

mass , however since the lamina is assumed to have negligible volume mass dm . Thus (x, y ) = implying that thickness we can say that density = area dA Generally density = dm = (x, y )dA. Integrating to obtain the total mass we have Mass() = M =

(x, y )dA. That is, mass is the integral of density.

When calculating x =

x (x, y )dA we are simply taking a weighted average of M

all the x s in with the values of x of higher density making a greater contribution to the x coordinate of the center of mass. Similarly for y .

Other formulae of interest are: Moments of Inertia The moments of inertia of the above lamina about the x and y axes are Ix = Iy = y 2 (x, y )dA x2 (x, y )dA.

The polar moment of inertia about the origin is dened by I0 = Ix + Iy =

(x2 + y 2 ) (x, y )dA.

Moments of inertia measure an objects resistance to spinning about a particular axis. A spinning ice skater with her arms out has a larger moment of inertia about the vertical axis than one with her arms tucked into her body. Example 1 A thin plate is the region in the rst quadrant bounded by the coordinate axes and x + y = 1. Find the mass M and centre of mass ( x, y ) of the plate assuming a) uniform density (x, y ) = 1. b) non uniform density given by (x, y ) = xy .

1 1 a) 2 , (1 , 1 ) b) 24 , (2 , 2) 3 3 5 5

Example 2 Find the mass, centre of mass and the moment of inertia about the y -axis of a thin plate bounded by the curves y = x2 and y = 2x x2 with variable density given by (x, y ) = x + 1.

1 M=2 , Mx =

4 , 15

My =

4 , 15

8 8 ( x, y ) = ( 15 ), Iy = 15

1 6

Example 3 Find the mass and the centre of mass of a lamina bounded by y = and the x axis assuming: a) uniform density (x, y ) = 1. b) variable density given by (x, y ) = y . c) variable density given by (x, y ) = r.

1 x2

a) , (0, 34 ) b) 2 , (0, 3 ) c) , (0, 23 ) 2 3 16 3

19

You can now do Q 72 to 76