centroid

American  

[sen-troid] / ˈsɛn trɔɪd /

noun

1. Mechanics. the point that may be considered as the center of a one- or two-dimensional figure, the sum of the displacements of all points in the figure from such a point being zero.

2. Also called median point.  Geometry. that point where the medians of a triangle intersect.

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centroid British  

/ ˈsɛntrɔɪd /

noun

1. 1. the centre of mass of an object of uniform density, esp of a geometric figure

   2. (of a finite set) the point whose coordinates are the mean values of the coordinates of the points of the set

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Other Word Forms

• centroidal
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of centroid

First recorded in 1875–80; centr- + -oid

Explanation

The centroid is the point at which a shape or object would balance if made of a uniform material. It is the average position of all its points. In geometry, the centroid is where you'd expect it to be: It's the exact center of a circle; the point where two diagonals cross in a rectangle; and the point where three lines drawn from each corner of a triangle to the middle of the opposite side intersect. In physics, the word centroid is often used interchangeably with the phrase center of gravity. In geography and mathematics, the centroid refers to the "middle" of a region or a group of data points.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

centroid

Green asterisks indicate the centroid position of each cell on day 1.

From Nature ● Mar. 21, 2017

Blue asterisks mark the centroid positions on subsequent days.

From Nature ● Mar. 21, 2017

Figure 6.71 We can use the symmetry principle to help find the centroid of a symmetric region.

From Textbooks ● Mar. 30, 2016

Figure 6.70 Finding the centroid of a region between two curves.

From Textbooks ● Mar. 30, 2016

Some idea of the nature of the work may be obtained from a mention of a few propositions: The medians of a triangle are concurrent in the centroid, or center of gravity of the triangle.

From The Teaching of Geometry by David Eugene Smith