Equilibrium

What is Centre of Gravity?
Centre of Gravity Definition

 The centre of gravity of an object is the point at which the weight of the
object may be considered to act
 For example, for a person standing upright, their centre of gravity is roughly
in the middle of the body behind the navel, and for a sphere, it is at the
centre
 For symmetrical objects with uniform density, the centre of gravity is located
at the point of symmetry
The centre of gravity of a shape can be found by symmetry
Stability
 The position of the centre of gravity of an object affects its stability
 An object is stable when its centre of gravity lies above its base
The object on the right will topple, as its centre of gravity is no longer
over its base
 The wider base an object has, the lower its centre of gravity and it is
more stable
 The narrower base an object has, the higher its centre of gravity and the
object is more likely to topple over if pushed
The most stable objects have wide bases and low centres of gravity
Centre of gravity v centre of mass

 In a uniform gravitational field, the centre of gravity is identical to the centre
of mass
 The centre of mass does not depend on the gravitational field
 Since weight = mass ✕ acceleration due to gravity, the centre of
gravity does depend on the gravitational field
 When an object is in space, its centre of gravity will be more towards the
object with larger gravitational field for example, the Earth’s gravitational
field on the Moon
The Earth’s stronger gravitational field pushes the Moons centre of
gravity closer to Earth
Exam Tip
Since the centre of gravity is a hypothetical point, it can lie inside or outside of a
body. The centre of gravity can also move, depending on the shape or the
orientation of the object being considered.
For example, a human body’s centre of gravity is lower when leaning forwards than
when standing upright. And you must notice your own centre of gravity shift
backwards when you pick up your heavy school bag and put it on your back. This is
why you instinctively lean forwards to carry it.
What is a Moment?
 A moment is the turning effect of a force
 Moments occur when forces cause objects to rotate about some pivot
 The moment of a force is given by
Moment (N m) = Force (N) × perpendicular distance from the pivot (m)
 The SI unit for the moment is Newton metres (N m). This may also be Newton
centimetres (N cm) depending on the units given for the distance
The force might not always be perpendicular to the distance
 An example of moments in everyday life is opening a door

 The door handle is placed on the other side of the door to the hinge (the pivot)
to maximise the distance for a given force and therefore provide a greater moment
(turning force)
o This makes it easier to push or pull it
Worked example
A uniform metre rule is pivoted at the 50 cm mark.
A 0.5 kg weight is suspended at the 80 cm mark, causing the rule to rotate about the pivot.
Assuming the weight of the rule is negligible, what is the turning moment about the pivot?
Exam Tip
If not already given, drawing all the forces on an object in the diagram will help you see which
ones are perpendicular to the distance from the pivot. Not all the forces will provide a turning
effect and it is not unusual for a question to provide more forces than required to throw you off!
The Principle of Moments
 The principle of moments states:
For a system to be in equilibrium, the sum of clockwise moments about a point must be
equal to the sum of the anticlockwise moments (about the same point)
Diagram showing the moments acting on a balanced beam
 In the above diagram:

o Force F2 is supplying a clockwise moment;
o Forces F1 and F3 are supplying anticlockwise moments
 Hence: F2 × d2 = (F1 × d1) + (F3 × d3)
Worked example
A uniform beam of weight 40 N is 5 m long and is supported by a pivot situated 2 m from one
end. When a load of weight W is hung from that end, the beam is in equilibrium as shown in the
diagram.
What is the value of W?
A 10 N B 50 N C 25 N D 30 N
Exam Tip
Make sure that all the distances are in the same units and you’re considering the correct forces as
clockwise or anticlockwise, as seen in the diagram below
Couples
 A couple is a pair of forces that acts to produce rotation only
 Unlike moments of a single force, the moment of a couple doesn’t depend on a pivot,
only on the perpendicular distance between the two forces
 A couple consists of a pair of forces that are:
o Equal in magnitude
o Opposite in direction
o Perpendicular to the distance between them
Diagram of a couple
 Couples produce a resultant force of zero, so, due to Newton’s Second law (F = ma), the
object does not accelerate
 The size of this turning effect is given by its torque
Worked example
Which pair of forces act as a couple on the circular object?
ANSWER: A
 In diagram A, the forces are:

o Equal in size
o In opposite directions
o Perpendicular to the distance between them
 B is incorrect as the forces are in the same direction
 C is incorrect as the forces are different in size
 D is incorrect as the distance between the forces is not perpendicular
Exam Tip
The forces that make up a couple cannot share the same line of action which is the line through
the point at which the force is applied. An example of this is shown in the diagram below
Torque
 The moment of a couple is known as a torque
 You can calculate the torque of a couple with the following equation
Torque τ (N m) = one of the forces (N) × perpendicular distance between the forces (m)
Worked example
A steering wheel of diameter 40 cm and the force of the couple needed to turn it is 10 N.
Calculate the torque on the steering wheel.
Worked example
A rule of length 0.3 m is pivoted at its centre.Equal and opposite forces of magnitude 4.0 N are
applied to the ends of the ruler, created a couple as shown below.
What is the magnitude of the torque of the couple on the ruler when it is at the position shown?
Exam Tip
The forces given might not always be perpendicular to the distance between them. In this case,
remember to find the component of the force vector that is perpendicular. You can learn more on
how to do this in the ‘Resolving Vectors’ section of ‘Scalars & Vectors’
Equilibrium
 A system is in equilibrium when all the forces are balanced. This means:
o There is no resultant force
o There is no resultant torque
 An object in equilibrium will therefore remain at rest, or at a constant velocity, and not
rotate
 The system is in an equilibrium state when applying the principle of moments (see The
Principle of Moments)
Worked example
Four beams of the same length each have three forces acting on them.Which beam has both zero
resultant force and zero resultant torque acting?
Coplanar Forces in Equilibrium
 Coplanar forces can be represented by vector triangles
 Forces are in equilibrium if an object is either
o At rest
o Moving at constant velocity
 In equilibrium, coplanar forces are represented by closed vector triangles
o The vectors, when joined together, form a closed path
 The most common forces on objects are
o Weight
o Normal reaction force
o Tension (from cords and strings)
o Friction
 The forces on a body in equilibrium are demonstrated below:
Three forces on an object in equilibrium form a closed vector triangle
Worked example
A weight hangs in equilibrium from a cable at point X. The tensions in the cables are T1 and T2 as
shown.
Which diagram correctly represents the forces acting at point X?
Exam Tip
The diagrams in exam questions about this topic tend to be drawn to scale, so make sure you
have a ruler handy!

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What is Centre of Gravity?

Centre of Gravity Definition

The centre of gravity of a shape can be found by symmetry

Centre of gravity v centre of mass

Moment (N m) = Force (N) × perpendicular distance from the pivot (m)

 An example of moments in everyday life is opening a door

A uniform metre rule is pivoted at the 50 cm mark.

Diagram showing the moments acting on a balanced beam

 In the above diagram:

What is the value of W?

 In diagram A, the forces are:

Calculate the torque on the steering wheel.

Three forces on an object in equilibrium form a closed vector triangle

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