Question

Anu and Amy purchased ice creams in plastic balls and cones, respectively, during their outing at the science fair. After consuming their ice creams, Anu stated that regardless of whether they were filled with ice cream or empty, the centre of gravity of the objects would remain unchanged. Do you agree with Anu? Why?

Answer 1

No, I do not agree with Anu. The centre of gravity of a uniformly filled ball remains at its geometric centre because the ball is symmetrical. However, filling a cone changes its centre of gravity: for a uniform solid cone, it is one-fourth of the height above the base, while for a thin hollow cone, it is one-third of the height above the base. Therefore, the centre of gravity does not remain unchanged for both objects when they are filled or emptied.