Centre of Gravity of a Loaded Rod
An 8-pound rod carrying weights of 5 and 3 pounds; combined centre at b, total 16 pounds
A worked example on the centre of gravity of a rod that itself carries weights. The rod m n weighs 8 pounds and carries a further 8 pounds (5 and 3) whose centre falls at point a, while the rod's own centre of gravity lies at c; taking the midpoint b between the 8 pounds at a and the 8 at c gives the centre of the whole 16-pound assembly. A second diagram below repeats the arrangement, labelled only with the numbers 7, 3, 4, 2 and 1.
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Balancing an 8-pound rod carrying 5 and 3 pounds
The rod m n weighs 8 pounds and carries a suspended 8 pounds (5 and 3) centred at a; the rod's own centre of gravity is c. Finding 8 pounds at a and 8 at c, the midpoint b gives the centre of gravity of the whole, which weighs 16 pounds.
Second numbered example
A companion figure below repeats the balanced-rod arrangement. It carries only numerical labels — 7, and the values 3, 4, 2 and 1 — with no accompanying sentence.