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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
According to the theory, there should be only a minuscule separation between an electron's center of mass and center of charge—in other words, its electric dipole moment.
—Luke Caldwell, Scientific American, 16 Jan. 2024
One example is an exotic property of electrons called the electric dipole moment, a small difference between the center of mass of an electron and its center of charge.
—Luke Caldwell, Scientific American, 16 Jan. 2024
The results: the best free-throw shooters had more control over the shooting motion, particularly over key variables like lower knee and center of mass peak and mean angular velocities, compared to less skilled shooters.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 1 Jan. 2024
This center of mass for both orbiting bodies is located over a thousand miles beneath the Earth’s surface.
—Matt Benoit, Discover Magazine, 1 Dec. 2023
How Does a Turkey Trot? To achieve movement, the turkey must first pitch itself forward, sending its center of mass in front of its feet.
—Paul M. Sutter, Discover Magazine, 21 Nov. 2023
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
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 13 Jun. 2024.
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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