Many persons get confused when they hear about center of mass and center of gravity because they both sound the same. However the truth is they may or may not coincide depending on certain conditions. These conditions include whether or not they are in a uniform or non-uniform gravitational field. When in a uniform gravitational field they do coincide but when they are not in a uniform gravitational field they are treated differently. You can click here to see a complete explanation of the differences between these two.
Center of Mass:
The center of mass is that point of an object where all its mass appears to be located.
Center of Gravity:
The center of gravity of an object is that point at which all the gravity force appears to be acting, but in reality gravity acts on all points of the object.
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| Center of Mass Center of Gravity |
The video below shows an animation outlining the center of mass of different objects.
I remember that when I was at school this topic was terribly difficult for me to understand. If I had known you then!
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