Concept explainers
Describe several situations in which an object is not in equilibrium, even though the net force on it is zero.
The different situations in which an object is not in equilibrium even when there is zero net force.
Answer to Problem 1Q
A situation in which an object is not equilibrium even though the net force on it is zero is a meter stick with equal and opposite forces acting at opposite ends and the meter stick rotates about its center.
Explanation of Solution
Equilibrium of a system is defined as the state when neither its internal energy nor its state of motion change with respect to time. The condition for equilibrium is that the system must be experiencing zero acceleration. For the acceleration of the system to be zero, the net external forces as well as the net external torque on the system must be zero.
Even though the net force acting on the system is zero, if the net torque acting on it is non-zero, the system will not be in equilibrium. An example for this is a meter stick with equal and opposite forces acting at both ends. The net force acting on the meter stick is zero but the net torque on it is non-zero since the forces are not co-linear. This will make the meter stick to rotate about its center.
Conclusion:
Thus, the situation in which an object is not equilibrium even though the net force on it is zero is a meter stick with equal and opposite forces acting at opposite ends and the meter stick rotates about its center.
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