1. Centre of gravity

2. Centre of gravity is important for balancing

3. You have to keep the centre of gravity above the base if you want to balance.

7. Stability I’m instable.

8. August 19 th 1859. French tightrope walker “Blondin” crosses the Niagara Falls with his manager on his back. The lower the centre of mass the better the stability. The tightrope walker’s pole helps.

9. The hare and the tortoise Slow, steady and stable

10. My head is big for my body compared to an adult’s head. That’s why I find it harder to balance.

11. Why are you not allowed to stand on the top of a double decker?

12. This lamp has a very heavy base. It will right itself if it is knocked over.

13. Producing an anti-capsize yacht.

14. Poor balance produces an overall turning force. This requires a turning force in the opposite direction to counteract it.

15. Centre of gravity is well behind the heel of the leading leg. This allows progressive loading of the leading leg. Centre of gravity much closer to heel. This means that the loads on the heel, ankle, knee and pelvis rise sharply.

17. The centre of gravity of an aeroplane is affected by the way it is loaded. If the centre of gravity is in front of the centre of lift, the aircraft will want to nose down. The pilot will counterbalance this tendency by “trimming” the elevators to push the tail down. The opposite applies when the centre of gravity is behind the centre of lift.

18. Strange situations

19. Centre of gravity located outside body