(ELI5) What is the center of gravity?
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Centre of gravity and centre of mass are essentially equivalent in most practical circumstances.
Centre of mass is an an imaginary point where an objects’s inertia acts. The position is determined by the location and density of all of the object’s connected masses. Applying a force to the object’s centre of mass moves it without inducing rotation.
Centre of gravity is an imaginary point through which the collective gravitational force of an object’s mass acts. Here on earth, the top of an object experiences less gravitational force than the bottom, meaning it’s centre of gravity is below its centre of mass.
The distinction is meaningless for small objects here on Earth. However, large objects space will rotate if their centre of mass and centre of gravity do not align along the axis of gravitational force acting through the centre of gravity.
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