<< Chapter < Page Chapter >> Page >

Engineers and architects strive to achieve extremely stable equilibriums for buildings and other systems that must withstand wind, earthquakes, and other forces that displace them from equilibrium. Although the examples in this section emphasize gravitational forces, the basic conditions for equilibrium are the same for all types of forces. The net external force must be zero, and the net torque must also be zero.

Take-home experiment

Stand straight with your heels, back, and head against a wall. Bend forward from your waist, keeping your heels and bottom against the wall, to touch your toes. Can you do this without toppling over? Explain why and what you need to do to be able to touch your toes without losing your balance. Is it easier for a woman to do this?

Section summary

  • A system is said to be in stable equilibrium if, when displaced from equilibrium, it experiences a net force or torque in a direction opposite the direction of the displacement.
  • A system is in unstable equilibrium if, when displaced from equilibrium, it experiences a net force or torque in the same direction as the displacement from equilibrium.
  • A system is in neutral equilibrium if its equilibrium is independent of displacements from its original position.

Conceptual questions

A round pencil lying on its side as in [link] is in neutral equilibrium relative to displacements perpendicular to its length. What is its stability relative to displacements parallel to its length?

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Explain the need for tall towers on a suspension bridge to ensure stable equilibrium.

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Problems&Exercises

Suppose a horse leans against a wall as in [link] . Calculate the force exerted on the wall assuming that force is horizontal while using the data in the schematic representation of the situation. Note that the force exerted on the wall is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force exerted on the horse, keeping it in equilibrium. The total mass of the horse and rider is 500 kg. Take the data to be accurate to three digits.

In part a, a horse is standing next to a wall with its legs crossed. A sleepy-looking rider is leaning against the wall. Part b is a drawing of the same horse from a rear view, but this time with no rider.  The horse is crossing its rear legs, and its rump is leaning against the wall. The reaction of the wall F is acting on the horse at a height one point two meters above the ground. The weight of the horse is acting at its center of gravity near the base of the tail. The center of gravity is one point four meters above the ground. The line of action of weight is zero point three five meters away from the feet of the horse.

F wall = 1.43 × 10 3 N size 12{F rSub { size 8{"wall"} } =1 cdot "43"` times `"10" rSup { size 8{3} } `N} {}

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Two children of mass 20.0 kg and 30.0 kg sit balanced on a seesaw with the pivot point located at the center of the seesaw. If the children are separated by a distance of 3.00 m, at what distance from the pivot point is the small child sitting in order to maintain the balance?

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

(a) Calculate the magnitude and direction of the force on each foot of the horse in [link] (two are on the ground), assuming the center of mass of the horse is midway between the feet. The total mass of the horse and rider is 500kg. (b) What is the minimum coefficient of friction between the hooves and ground? Note that the force exerted by the wall is horizontal.

a) 2.55 ×10 3 N, 16.3º to the left of vertical (i.e., toward the wall) size 12{θ} {}

b) 0.292

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

A person carries a plank of wood 2.00 m long with one hand pushing down on it at one end with a force F 1 size 12{F rSub { size 8{1} } } {} and the other hand holding it up at .500 m from the end of the plank with force F 2 size 12{F rSub { size 8{2} } } {} . If the plank has a mass of 20.0 kg and its center of gravity is at the middle of the plank, what are the magnitudes of the forces F 1 and F 2 size 12{F rSub { size 8{2} } } {} ?

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

A 17.0-m-high and 11.0-m-long wall under construction and its bracing are shown in [link] . The wall is in stable equilibrium without the bracing but can pivot at its base. Calculate the force exerted by each of the 10 braces if a strong wind exerts a horizontal force of 650 N on each square meter of the wall. Assume that the net force from the wind acts at a height halfway up the wall and that all braces exert equal forces parallel to their lengths. Neglect the thickness of the wall.

A seventeen meter high wall is standing on the ground with ten braces to support it. At the base of the figure a brown colored ground is visible. Only one brace is visible from a side. A brace makes an angle of thirty five degree with the wall. The point of contact of the brace is eight point five meters high. You have to find the force exerted by this brace on the wall to support.

F B = 2.12 × 10 4 N size 12{F rSub { size 8{B} } =2 cdot "12" times "10" rSup { size 8{4} } `N} {}

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

(a) What force must be exerted by the wind to support a 2.50-kg chicken in the position shown in [link] ? (b) What is the ratio of this force to the chicken’s weight? (c) Does this support the contention that the chicken has a relatively stable construction?

A chicken is trying to balance on its left foot, which is 9 point zero centimeters to the right of the chicken. The force of the wind is blowing from the left toward the chicken’s center of gravity c g, which is 20 cm above the ground. The weight of the chicken w is acting at the center of gravity.
Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Suppose the weight of the drawbridge in [link] is supported entirely by its hinges and the opposite shore, so that its cables are slack. (a) What fraction of the weight is supported by the opposite shore if the point of support is directly beneath the cable attachments? (b) What is the direction and magnitude of the force the hinges exert on the bridge under these circumstances? The mass of the bridge is 2500 kg.

A small drawbridge is shown. There is one vertical and one horizontal wooden plank. The left end of the horizontal plank is attached to the vertical plank near its middle. At the point of contact, a hinge is shown. A wire is tied to the right end of the horizontal end, is passed over the top of the vertical plank and is connected to a pulley. The angle made by the wire with the horizontal plank is forty degrees. The reaction F at the hinge is inclined at an angle theta.
A small drawbridge, showing the forces on the hinges ( F size 12{F} {} ), its weight ( w size 12{w} {} ), and the tension in its wires ( T size 12{T} {} ).

a) 0.167, or about one-sixth of the weight is supported by the opposite shore.

b) F = 2 . 0 × 10 4 N size 12{F=2 "." 0 times "10" rSup { size 8{4} } N} {} , straight up.

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Suppose a 900-kg car is on the bridge in [link] with its center of mass halfway between the hinges and the cable attachments. (The bridge is supported by the cables and hinges only.) (a) Find the force in the cables. (b) Find the direction and magnitude of the force exerted by the hinges on the bridge.

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

A sandwich board advertising sign is constructed as shown in [link] . The sign’s mass is 8.00 kg. (a) Calculate the tension in the chain assuming no friction between the legs and the sidewalk. (b) What force is exerted by each side on the hinge?

A sandwich board advertising sign is in form of a triangle. The base of the triangle is one point one zero meters. The other two sides are connected with a hinge at the top. A horizontal chain is connected to the two legs at zero point five zero meters below the hinge. The height of the hinge above the base is one point three zero meters. The centers of the gravity of the two legs are shown at their midpoints. The figure is labeled at uniform board with c g at the center.
A sandwich board advertising sign demonstrates tension.

a) 21.6 N

b) 21.6 N

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

(a) What minimum coefficient of friction is needed between the legs and the ground to keep the sign in [link] in the position shown if the chain breaks? (b) What force is exerted by each side on the hinge?

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

A gymnast is attempting to perform splits. From the information given in [link] , calculate the magnitude and direction of the force exerted on each foot by the floor.

A gymnast with two pompoms in her hands is shown. One of the hand is horizontal toward left and the other is vertical. The gymnast is attempting to perform a full split. The span of her legs is one point eight meters, and the distance of one foot from the center of gravity is zero point nine meters. The weight of the girl is labeled as seven hundred newtons. The vertical distance of one foot from the center of gravity is zero point three zero meter.
A gymnast performs full split. The center of gravity and the various distances from it are shown.

350 N directly upwards

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Questions & Answers

what does preconceived mean
sammie Reply
physiological Psychology
Nwosu Reply
How can I develope my cognitive domain
Amanyire Reply
why is communication effective
Dakolo Reply
Communication is effective because it allows individuals to share ideas, thoughts, and information with others.
effective communication can lead to improved outcomes in various settings, including personal relationships, business environments, and educational settings. By communicating effectively, individuals can negotiate effectively, solve problems collaboratively, and work towards common goals.
it starts up serve and return practice/assessments.it helps find voice talking therapy also assessments through relaxed conversation.
miss
Every time someone flushes a toilet in the apartment building, the person begins to jumb back automatically after hearing the flush, before the water temperature changes. Identify the types of learning, if it is classical conditioning identify the NS, UCS, CS and CR. If it is operant conditioning, identify the type of consequence positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement or punishment
Wekolamo Reply
please i need answer
Wekolamo
because it helps many people around the world to understand how to interact with other people and understand them well, for example at work (job).
Manix Reply
Agreed 👍 There are many parts of our brains and behaviors, we really need to get to know. Blessings for everyone and happy Sunday!
ARC
A child is a member of community not society elucidate ?
JESSY Reply
Isn't practices worldwide, be it psychology, be it science. isn't much just a false belief of control over something the mind cannot truly comprehend?
Simon Reply
compare and contrast skinner's perspective on personality development on freud
namakula Reply
Skinner skipped the whole unconscious phenomenon and rather emphasized on classical conditioning
war
explain how nature and nurture affect the development and later the productivity of an individual.
Amesalu Reply
nature is an hereditary factor while nurture is an environmental factor which constitute an individual personality. so if an individual's parent has a deviant behavior and was also brought up in an deviant environment, observation of the behavior and the inborn trait we make the individual deviant.
Samuel
I am taking this course because I am hoping that I could somehow learn more about my chosen field of interest and due to the fact that being a PsyD really ignites my passion as an individual the more I hope to learn about developing and literally explore the complexity of my critical thinking skills
Zyryn Reply
good👍
Jonathan
and having a good philosophy of the world is like a sandwich and a peanut butter 👍
Jonathan
generally amnesi how long yrs memory loss
Kelu Reply
interpersonal relationships
Abdulfatai Reply
What would be the best educational aid(s) for gifted kids/savants?
Heidi Reply
treat them normal, if they want help then give them. that will make everyone happy
Saurabh
What are the treatment for autism?
Magret Reply
hello. autism is a umbrella term. autistic kids have different disorder overlapping. for example. a kid may show symptoms of ADHD and also learning disabilities. before treatment please make sure the kid doesn't have physical disabilities like hearing..vision..speech problem. sometimes these
Jharna
continue.. sometimes due to these physical problems..the diagnosis may be misdiagnosed. treatment for autism. well it depends on the severity. since autistic kids have problems in communicating and adopting to the environment.. it's best to expose the child in situations where the child
Jharna
child interact with other kids under doc supervision. play therapy. speech therapy. Engaging in different activities that activate most parts of the brain.. like drawing..painting. matching color board game. string and beads game. the more you interact with the child the more effective
Jharna
results you'll get.. please consult a therapist to know what suits best on your child. and last as a parent. I know sometimes it's overwhelming to guide a special kid. but trust the process and be strong and patient as a parent.
Jharna
Got questions? Join the online conversation and get instant answers!
Jobilize.com Reply
Practice Key Terms 3

Get Jobilize Job Search Mobile App in your pocket Now!

Get it on Google Play Download on the App Store Now




Source:  OpenStax, College physics. OpenStax CNX. Jul 27, 2015 Download for free at http://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11406/1.9
Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc.

Notification Switch

Would you like to follow the 'College physics' conversation and receive update notifications?

Ask