In high school we were taught if the center of mass wasn’t on any mass then the center of mass was “virtual”. But yes the center of mass doesn’t have to exist on the object.
Not saying you’re wrong - you’re probably right. But as an engineer, I’ve referred to or been asked about “the center of mass” thousands of times and not once have I ever heard “virtual” used. It’s just always the center of mass - wherever that point exists in all of spacetime.
It’s weird. Did something change over the years (like using the Oxford comma or double spacing after a period?). Or is that something that’s always been a thing that I’ve never run across? Strange ;)
In high school we were taught if the center of mass wasn’t on any mass then the center of mass was “virtual”. But yes the center of mass doesn’t have to exist on the object.
Not saying you’re wrong - you’re probably right. But as an engineer, I’ve referred to or been asked about “the center of mass” thousands of times and not once have I ever heard “virtual” used. It’s just always the center of mass - wherever that point exists in all of spacetime.
It’s weird. Did something change over the years (like using the Oxford comma or double spacing after a period?). Or is that something that’s always been a thing that I’ve never run across? Strange ;)