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Re: I did not know this: balancing experiment



At 8:25 AM -0500 2/24/99, Karl Trappe wrote:
There are some commonly recognized anatomical differences between male and
female bodies. Several parlor tricks involving center of mass take
advantage of this. (for example, lifting a chair while leaning over).

The rotational inertia of a body about its point of support depends on the
location (r^2) and the mass (m). Different body configurations should
affect the balance stability. So does an obese person have greater
stability? I'm not sure that the previously mentioned effects aren't more
dominant, eg, fatigue. Karl

But if I'm balancing a weighted broom stick in the palm of my hand, it is
MUCH easier to do if the weight is at the top rather than at the bottom of
the stick.

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