Try balancing your ruler on your finger At which mark on a ruler is this possible???

Any particular body, a stone, for example, may be regarded as being made up of a very large number of tiny equal particles, each of with is pulled towards the earth. The earths pull on the stone thus consists of a very large number of equal parallel forces. These will have a resultant which is equal to the total force of gravity on the stone, and it will act through a point G called the center of gravity.

The centre of gravity (CG) of a body is an imaginery point where the whole weight of the body seems to act in any orientation.

Every object has its mass and weight.

w
Its weight acts downward towards the ground. When the object is pivoted, at a corner, weight causes the turning effect about the pivot.

However if you place a pivot at a special position, its weight has no turning effect.

w
Since Moment = Force * distance Here the perpendicular distance between the pivot and the line of action of weight W is zero . So Moment = Force * 0 = 0 Nm Or we can say that the object is BALANCED

The CG of a regular object is at the centre.

The CG of an irregular object is determined using a plumb line.

If a body is hanging freely at rest, its CG is always vertically below the pivot, thus the plumb line method works. It can only be used for flat, irregular objects.

Stability
Stability is a measure of the body's ability to maintain its original position.

If we give a slight push, it will topple. We can say that the solid is UNSTABLE

On the other hand if we lay it flat on one of its broad faces we cannot topple it easily

If we lift the book from one edge , it will move back to its original position We can say that the book is STABLE

The ability of an object to return to its original position after it has been tilted slightly is referred to as STABILITY.

Types of stability:
1. Stable equilibrium Object will return to original position after slight disturbance. 2. Unstable equilibrium Object will fall after slight disturbance

3. Neutral equilibrium
Object remains in new position after slight disturbance.

To increase the stability of a body its base area should be increased. the height of its centre of gravity should be decreased.

A simple example!
Moment = Force x distance from pivot Moment = 50 N x 0.15 m Moment = 7.5 Nm 50 N 0.15 m nut

spanner (wrench)

A boy of weight 600N sits on the see-saw as shown at a distance of 1.5m from the pivot. What is the force F required at the other end to balance the see-saw?

The figure shows a uniform metre rule pivoted at the 50cm mark. 125g and 200g weights hang from the rule as shown.

a. Calculate where you would hang a 25g mass in order to balance the rule horizontally b. State, without calculation, how the rule with the two masses hanging as shown in the figure could be balanced without using any extra mass.

The diagram shows a wheelbarrow and its load, which have a total weight of 150 N. This is supported by a vertical force F at the ends of the handles.

 Test yourself 5.2 Question no 2

[2 marks]

ON pg 90 of physics matters Question no 7 Question 8 (a) Question no. 11 [2 maks] [6 marks] [4 marks]

On pg 88 of

The world of Physics by John Avison

Submission date : 31st Oct 12