Equilibrium of Forces and Tor ques

Equilibrium of Forces Example 1: A bowling pin in stable equilibrium (Translational Equilibrium): Example 2: A mass is hung by two cables from the ceiling as shown. Calculate the force of tension in both cables.

Method 1: Solve for

and

using sine law.

 Method 2: Components

( (

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) )

( ) ( ) (

( ( ) ) ( ) ) )

) Equilibrium of Torques

( Example 1: Calculate a) .

( Note: coming out of the page is +

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To tell which direction is positive, grab the z axis with your right hand. The direction in which your fingers curl is positive, as shown below.

b) ( ( ) ( ) ( ( ) ) )

( c) since Example 2: Where does Big Brother sit to balance the seesaw? is line with the pivot (

).

For rotational equilibrium, ( )( ) ( )( )

Example 3: A diver stands on the diving board. Calculate the forces on supports A and B.

Solution

( ) Decide on the position of the pivot P first. (Hint: Placing it on one of the unknown forces eliminates that force) ( ( )( ) ( ( ) )( ) ( ) ( ) )( ) ( ( )( ) ( )

) ( )

Note: You could also solve this problem by putting the pivot at B instead of at A. Example 4: Arman places his lump of gold on the edge of the table as shown. Does the table flip over?

Table: 10 kg

Solution

( (

) )(

( )

)( (

( )( )

)(

Where should Arman place his gold so that the table does not tip over? Solution: At the point of tipping, . ( )( ( ( )( ) ) ) ( ) ( )( )

Example 5: The U-Hill Sign

a) Calculate the force of tension in the cable. b) Calculate and at the pivot, . c) Calculate the resultant force on the pin at pivot .

Solution a) The system is at equilibrium, so and

)( (

) ( )( )

)(

b) The forces pulling horizontally and vertically at the pivot are both caused by the beam, so we need to find and , respectively. Considering the entire system,

)(

Note: You could also solve for

using torque, with the pivot at the point where the cable attaches to

the beam, 0.70 m from the wall (this eliminates the tension force from our equation). where represents the distance from this new pivot point. ( c) We need to find the resultant force at ( Example 6: The Ladder Problem ) from )( and ( ) ) ( : ( ) ( ) )( )

a) How high up the 4.0 m ladder can the painter safely go? ( ( ) )( ) ( ( ( ) ( ( ) )( ) )( ) ( ) ( ( ) )( ) ( ( ) ) ) ( ( ) )( )

( ) ( )

b) Calculate the resultant force acting on the ladder at the pivot, . We can see from the diagram to the left that there are two forces acting at the pivot: and . ( ) ( )

( Example 7: Pushing Things Over

Calculate the minimum force which needs to be applied to the top edge of the box to tip it over. Assume the box is of uniform mass. If the ground has a coefficient of friction of 0.50, does the box tip over without slipping? We can extend the arrow for applied force and measure the perpendicular distance from the axis of rotation (ie. pivot) to the force arrow (refer to and in the freebody diagram to the right). At the point of tipping, ( ( )( )( ) )

The value we just calculated above is the limiting or maximum (static) friction force. As long as the applied force is less than this, which it is in this case, the box tips over without slipping Example 8: Determine the angle which the rectangular prism below can be tilted to before it reaches the point of instability. Assume it does not slide.

At the point of instability, the centre of mass is directly above the pivot: ( )

Example 9: Determine the tension in the cable.

)( )( )

)( )(

( )( )

*Here is a shortcut method to solve the problem. It does not require any trigonometry. As in Example 7, we can simply measure the perpendicular distance from the axis of rotation, or pivot, to the line or arrow along which the force acts (refer to , , and in the diagram to the left).

)( )

)( )

Centre of Mass

For the triangle, MB B

Centre of Mass of a Complex Shape

CM

Assume the shape has a uniform thickness of and a uniform density of . If [( ) ( )] ( )( ) ( )( )

, find .

Applications on Stability 1. How to pack a knap sack: Put heavier stuff near the top. This provides some forward torque to counteract the backward torque caused by the force of gravity pulling down on you and on the backpack. As a result, you do not need to lean as far forward to keep upright or strain your back as much as when the heavier stuff is near the bottom. 2. Getting up from a chair: What must you do to get up more easily? Lean forward so your centre of mass is closer to/over the pivot (ie. your heels).

3. Balances: How are the small masses on the bathroom scale able to balance off the persons weight? The pivot is close to you and far away from the small masses, so the torque is the same even though you weigh more than the masses. 4. Placing a heavy dish in the middle of a large circular dining table: How would you do it? How could you balance off the torque caused by the heavy dish? Stick one leg out behind you, like a ballerina; this causes torque in the opposite direction.

Fun Stuff: How fast must a car be going around a bend before theres a danger of it rolling over? What would be the centripetal force acting on the car? What is the coefficient of friction of the road?

At the point of rolling over, ( ( ( ( )( )( ) ) ( ) )

)(

)(