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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
Suddenly, Butch was caught at the center of mass backlash.
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Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Aug. 2024
First, suppose there's a single force acting on the stick at its center of mass (so right in the middle).
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Rhett Allain, WIRED, 2 Aug. 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.
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Luke Caldwell, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2024
Athletes are most stable when their center of mass is as close to the ground as possible.
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Amy Pope, Discover Magazine, 17 June 2024
Downtown San Jose is not and will never be the center of mass transit needs in Silicon Valley.
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Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 19 June 2024
With an athlete’s center of mass closer to the ground, the athlete decreases the distance between the pivot point – the ground – and where the force of gravity is applied – the athlete’s center of mass.
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Amy Pope, Discover Magazine, 17 June 2024
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.
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Luke Caldwell, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 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.
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Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 1 Jan. 2024
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 19 Aug. 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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