Equilibrium Of Bodies And Examples

Description
For stability not only total force but net torque acting should also be zero. Using this fact along with frictional force the critical angle for a ladder to rest against a wall is calculated.A ladder is placed at critical angle and a man walks up from base to center of mass and the motion analysed using frictional force and all other forces. In a simple experiment it is shown that when a body is in equilibrium the center of mass aligns itself with the point of suspension. The effect changing the distribution of mass is also shown effectively. Stable Equilibrium as an consequence of First Law is demonstrated by an experiment with a rope walker. A simple but very elegant experiment.

Prof. Walter Lewin, 8.01 Physics I: Classical Mechanics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare), http://ocw.mit.edu (Accessed June 14, 2011). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA: http://ocw.mit.edu/terms/#cc