Consider a three-particle system. The center of mass of this system must lie on the plane that contains all three particles. Be prepared to explain why or why not. (Hint: A clever choice of reference frame makes answering this question easier.)

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The center of mass is defined as the average position of all the mass in the system, weighted by the mass of each particle. Since all three particles lie on the same plane, their weighted average position (center of mass) must also lie on this plane, as it is a linear combination of their positions.

Consider a Three-Particle System