(ELI5) What is the center of gravity?
In: 9
Cut an arbitrary shape out of thick card. Poke a hole in it near the edge and hang it from a piece of string through the hole. Draw a line vertically downwards from the hole to the other side of the shape. Now poke another hole elsewhere around the edge and repeat the process. After a few goes you should notice that all the lines you draw meet at one point. This is the centre of gravity of the shape.
The same idea applies to any 3D object; there will be some point which will always be under the suspension point. For an animal this is slightly complicated by the fact that they can change shape.
If you stick your arms out forward then you need to lean back slightly to keep your centre of gravity over your feet; otherwise you would fall over forwards.
Where the centre of gravity is will affect how stable something is, or where you should push the object to avoid tipping it over.
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