Static Equilibrium

and Elasticity

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The Conditions for Equilibrium

• Two necessary conditions for equilibrium of an object:

– The resultant external force must equal zero:

– The resultant external torque about any axis must be zero:

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 Quick Quiz
• Consider the object subject to the two (three) forces in figure.
Choose the correct statement with regard to this situation. (a) The
object is in force equilibrium but not torque equilibrium. (b) The object
is in torque equilibrium but not force equilibrium. (c) The object is in
both force and torque equilibrium. (d) The object is in neither force
nor torque equilibrium.

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 More on the Center of Gravity
• An object can be divided into many small particles each having a
specific mass and specific coordinates. These particles can be used
to locate the center of mass.

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• The center of gravity of an object is located at the center of mass if g
is constant over the object.

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 Example
A seesaw consisting of a uniform board of mass M and length l supports a
father and daughter with masses mf and md, respectively, as shown in
figure. The support (called the fulcrum) is under the center of gravity of the
board, the father is a distance d from the center, and the daughter is a
distance l/2 from the center. (367)
– Determine the magnitude of the upward force n exerted by the support on the board.
– Determine where the father should sit to balance the system.

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• A uniform horizontal beam with a length of 8.00 m and a weight of
200 N is attached to a wall by a pin connection. Its far end is
supported by a cable that makes an angle of 53.0° with the beam. If
a 600-N person stands 2.00 m from the wall, find the tension in the
cable as well as the magnitude and direction of the force exerted by
the wall on the beam. (368)

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• A uniform ladder of length l rests against a smooth, vertical wall. If
the mass of the ladder is m and the coefficient of static friction
between the ladder and the ground is μs = 0.40, find the minimum
angle θmin at which the ladder does not slip.

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 Elastic Properties of Solids

• Stress is a quantity that is proportional to the force causing a

deformation; more specifically, stress is the external force acting on
an object per unit cross-sectional area.
• The result of a stress is strain, which is a measure of the degree of
deformation. It is found that, for sufficiently small stresses, strain is
proportional to stress. We call this proportionality constant the elastic
modulus.
• The elastic modulus is therefore defined as the ratio of the stress to
the resulting strain:

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• three types of deformation and define an elastic modulus for each:

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 Young’s Modulus: Elasticity in Length
• A long bar clamped at one end is stretched by an amount ΔL under
the action of a force F.

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Shear Modulus: Elasticity of Shape

• A shear deformation in which a rectangular block is distorted by two

forces of equal magnitude but opposite directions applied to two
parallel faces.

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Bulk Modulus: Volume Elasticity

• When a solid is under uniform pressure, it undergoes a change in

volume but no change in shape. This cube is compressed on all
sides by forces normal to its six faces.

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 Prestressed Concrete

• (a) A concrete slab with no reinforcement tends to crack under a

heavy load.
• (b) The strength of the concrete is increased by using steel
reinforcement rods.
• (c) The concrete is further strengthened by prestressing it with steel
rods under tension.

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