rigid body

(noun)

an idealized solid whose size and shape are fixed and remain unaltered when forces are applied; used in Newtonian mechanics to model real objects

Related Terms

  • centroid

Examples of rigid body in the following topics:

  • Center of Mass and Inertia

    • The center of mass for a rigid body can be expressed as a triple integral.
    • In the case of a single rigid body, the center of mass is fixed in relation to the body, and if the body has uniform density, it will be located at the centroid.
    • The center of mass may be located outside the physical body, as is sometimes the case for hollow or open-shaped objects, such as a horseshoe.
    • In the case of a distribution of separate bodies, such as the planets of the Solar System, the center of mass may not correspond to the position of any individual member of the system.
    • Two bodies orbiting around the center of mass inside one body
  • Differentiation and Rates of Change in the Natural and Social Sciences

    • For example, in physics, the derivative of the displacement of a moving body with respect to time is the velocity of the body, and the derivative of velocity with respect to time is acceleration.
    • Newton's second law of motion states that the derivative of the momentum of a body equals the force applied to the body.
  • Physics and Engeineering: Center of Mass

    • Two bodies orbiting the COM located inside one body.
  • Vector Fields

    • For example, the gravitational field vectors for a spherically symmetric body would all point towards the sphere's center, with the magnitude of the vectors reducing as radial distance from the body increases.
  • Applications to Economics and Biology

    • The human body is made up of several processes, all carrying out various functions, one of which is the continuous running of blood in the cardiovascular system.
  • Double Integrals Over Rectangles

    • The rectangular region at the bottom of the body is the domain of integration, while the surface is the graph of the two-variable function to be integrated.
  • Planetary Motion According to Kepler and Newton

    • where $T$ is the period, $G$ is the gravitational constant, and $R$ is the distance between the center of mass of the two bodies.
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