Determining the centres of mass of a circular arc and a circular sector using the principle of virtual work

Abstract

Abstract In studying physics, it is important to solve problems with different methods and compare current and final results, which allows more comprehensive and deep analysis of the observed processes. In this paper, at a level of school physics course, the application of the principle of virtual work is presented as an alternative to the standard method for solving problems of statics. Two approaches are used to analyse two problems, as a result of which, without the use of integral calculus, formulas for the centres of mass of a circular arc and a circular sector are obtained.