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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/comm-moment-weight-times-arm

In weight and balance, what is a moment?

Weight multiplied by its arm.

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  1. Weight multiplied by arm ✔
  2. Weight divided by arm
  3. Weight plus arm

Why: A moment is an item's weight times its arm, which is its distance from the datum. Add up all the weights and all the moments, then divide the total moment by the total weight to find the CG.

Huh, didn't know that: Gasoline weighs 6 pounds per gallon, so thirty gallons can weigh more than one passenger.

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Why did the weight and balance form get a gold star? It had perfect moments.
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References

Answer: Weight multiplied by arm. A moment is an item's weight times its arm, which is its distance from the datum. Add up all the weights and all the moments, then divide the total moment by the total weight to find the CG.

  1. PHAK ch 10, Weight and Balance (FAA-H-8083-25C) www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/12_phak_ch10.pdf
    the product of the weight of an item multiplied by its arm.
    Checked 2026-10-11.
  2. PHAK ch 10, Weight and Balance (FAA-H-8083-25C) www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/12_phak_ch10.pdf
    To determine the CG, divide the total moment by the total weight.
    Checked 2026-10-11.
  3. PHAK ch 10, Weight and Balance (FAA-H-8083-25C) www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/12_phak_ch10.pdf
    6 pounds per gallon. Thirty gallons of fuel may weigh more than one passenger.
    Checked 2026-10-11.

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