Question

Does the centre of mass always lie within the body?

Answer 1

Explanation:

1. No, it's not necessary that a body's centre of mass should lie inside it.
2. The centre of mass of a system is defined as the point at which the whole mass of the system appears to be concentrated.
3. Any external force applied acts on this point. In the case of a rigid body, the centre of mass is fixed in relation to the body, and if the body has a uniform density, it will be located at the centroid.
4. Let's consider a circular ring, its centre of mass lies at the centre of the ring where there is no content of the body.

Therefore it can also lie outside the body.

Hence, the centre of mass does not always lie within the body.