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Q:

How do you find the center of gravity on an aircraft?

A:

Finding the center of gravity, often referred to as the center of mass, can be accomplished by finding the balancing point of the object. Since planes tend to be symmetrical on the left and right, its center of mass will be somewhere along the center of the plane from nose to tail. To find where along the centerline, you can slowly move the plane back and forth across a rod until you find a point where it balances, this is the center of mass. From a more theoretical point of view, calculus is required.You find the center of mass by integrating the function that describes the mass of the object with respect to position, and then divide by the total mass of the function. 

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