Centroid | Triangle, Polygon & Circle | Britannica (original) (raw)

centroid, In geometry, the centre of mass of a two-dimensional figure or three-dimensional solid. Thus the centroid of a two-dimensional figure represents the point at which it could be balanced if it were cut out of, for example, sheet metal. The centroid of a circle or sphere is its centre. More generally, the centroid represents the point designated by the mean (see mean, median, and mode) of the coordinates of all the points in a set. If the boundary is irregular, finding the mean requires using calculus (the most general formula for the centroid involves an integral).

This article was most recently revised and updated by William L. Hosch.