Physics Help:
For the system of particles described in Part B, find the x coordinate (xcm) of the center of mass. Assume that the particle of mass M is at the origin and the positive x axis is directed to the right.
Express your answer in terms of L.
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Question

autogenius · Answer

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irishboy123 · Answer

what is your answer?

autogenius · Answer

I just do not know how to approach the problem.  What I did was use the general equation xcm=(m1x1+m2x2+m3x3+⋯)/(m1+m2+m3+⋯); so therefore I got xcm=(2ML+3M2L)/(M+2M+3M)

michele_laino · Answer

hint:
by definition, the x-coordinate of the center of mass of a particles system is given by the subsequent formula:
$${x_{CM}} = \frac{{\sum\limits_{i = 1}^N {{m_i}{x_i}} }}{{\sum\limits_{i = 1}^N {{m_i}} }}$$
where m_i are the masses of our particles, and x_i are the respective distance from the origin of the coordinate system

michele_laino · Answer

and N is the number of particles.

michele_laino · Answer

oops... x_i are the x-coordinates, not distances, of our points.

irishboy123 · Answer

@autogenius
yr approach looks good.

autogenius · Answer

Thank you everyone for all your help.  I actually was on the right track but I was calculating my formula wrong.