center of gravity
14
4.5
- noun
- /ˈsɛntər əv ˈɡrævɪti/
- Specialized
:
centro de gravedad
- We just got this new wheelchair, and it has too high of a center of gravity.
- wheelchair center of gravity
- patient wheelchair center of gravity
- center of gravity position
The problem was the center of gravity was too high.
- The problem was the center of gravity was too high.
- The moon and the Earth orbit their common center of gravity.
- Well, it automatically finds the centre of gravity.
- That's basically a wind tunnel, OK, centre of gravity.
Examples
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A low center of gravity helps vehicles maintain better balance on sharp turns.
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Women have a lower center of gravity.
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The problem was the center of gravity was too high.
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That combined with a low center of gravity, forget about it.
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I have a low center of gravity.
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Each time he moved, his center of gravity shifted, and he had to go back to a resting position.
Fiction book (1999) -
Positioning the center of gravity is an important factor in race chair design.
Academic text (1993) -
Experiment with raising and lowering your center of gravity - looking light and looking heavy.
Academic text (2008) -
Earth and the Moon orbit a common center of gravity, so Earth is kind of jiggling like this while the moon is going around like that.
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The balance platform technique was validated using an 80 lb mass with a known center of gravity position.
Academic text (1991)
Synonyms
5
5.7
Point in an object where we think its mass is concentrated for balance and movement
1
8.5
The point in a shape where it balances if made of the same material
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'center' (middle point) + 'of' (possessive/relational) + 'gravity' (force causing attraction), so a learner who knows the constituents can infer it denotes the point where gravity effectively acts or the mass is concentrated. This construction is cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish 'centro de gravedad') and although used in technical contexts, its meaning is transparently derived from the parts.
Etymology
Center of gravity comes from the simple image of balancing something on your finger: the center is the spot where the object's weight from gravity seems to pull, so the object stays level. That's why engineers check the center of gravity to know if something will 'balance' or be 'stable'.