Equilibrium and Elasticity

Module 7
Equilibrium
(Set A)

Equilibrium
- A condition or state in which there is no change in the motion of the body.

- When all the forces that act upon an object are balanced, then the object is said to be in a state of equilibrium. The
forces are considered to be balanced if the rightward forces are balanced by the leftward forces and the upward forces
are balanced by the downward forces.

Objects at equilibrium must have an acceleration of 0 m/s/s. But having an acceleration of 0 m/s/s does not
mean the object is at rest. An object at equilibrium is either ...
• at rest and staying at rest, or
• in motion and continuing in motion with the same speed and direction.

Types of Equilibrium
1. Translational Equilibrium – it is a condition when the body is at rest or is moving with constant or uniform velocity
in straight line.
2. Rotational Equilibrium – condition when the body is not rotating or rotating with constant angular speed.

Static Equilibrium
- the study of properties of body at rest.
- Static equilibrium is a term used in physics to describe a situation in which the total forces acting
on an object at rest add up to zero.

Conditions for Equilibrium of a Rigid Object

For a rigid object which is not moving at all we have the following conditions:
1. First Condition for Equilibrium
The (vector) sum of the external forces on the rigid object must equal zero:
∑ 𝐹 = 0 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑠 ∶ Σ 𝐹𝑥 = 0 , Σ 𝐹𝑦 = 0
When this condition is satisfied we say that the object is in translational
equilibrium.
Examples:
a) Stationary Person
Σ𝐹 =0
𝑁−𝐹 =0 ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒, 0 = 0
b) 50 N picture is hanging on a wall
Σ𝐹𝑥 = 0 Σ𝐹𝑦 = 0
+𝐹𝑥 − 𝐹𝑥 = 0 2𝑇𝑦 − 𝑤 = 0
50𝑁 cos 300 − 50𝑁 cos 300 = 0 2 (50𝑁 sin 300 ) − 50𝑁 = 0
0 =0 0=0
 Equilibrium and Elasticity

2. Second Condition for Equilibrium

The sum of the external torques on the rigid object must equal zero.
∑𝜏 = 0
When this condition is satisfied we say that the object is in rotational equilibrium.
When both 1st and 2nd conditions are satisfied we say that the object is in static equilibrium.

Torque (or moment)

- Torque is the tendency of a force to cause or change rotational motion of a body.
- is a measure of how much a force acting on an object causes that object to rotate.
Mathematically Expressed as Units:

𝜏=𝑑𝐹 Torque,  d, lever arm F, Force,

d = lever arm or moment arm Nm m N

- the perpendicular distance from the axis of rotation
(pivot point) to the line of action of the force. Dynecm cm Dyne

Direction of Torque:
clockwise rotations (cw) are labeled positive and counter clockwise (ccw) are negative

Σ𝜏 = 0
𝜏1 + 𝜏2 = 0
−𝑑1 𝑊1 + 𝑑2 𝑊2 = 0 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑑1 = 𝑑2 = 𝑑 , 𝑊1 = 𝑊2 = 𝑊
ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒, − 𝑑𝑊 + 𝑑𝑊 = 0
0=0

Examples:
1. The picture below is hanging on a wall. Determine the weight of the picture.
𝑇𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑄𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑦: 𝑊
𝑆𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛:
𝑈𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐸𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑚: Σ𝐹𝑦 = 0
𝑇𝑦1 + 𝑇𝑦2 − 𝑊 = 0 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑇𝑦1 = 𝑇𝑦2 = 𝑇𝑦
𝑇𝑦 + 𝑇𝑦 − 𝑊 = 0
𝑊 = 2𝑇𝑦
= 2 (30𝑁 sin 300 )
𝑊 = 42.4264 𝑁 𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑛𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑟: 𝑊 = 𝟒𝟐 𝑵

2. The two children shown in the Figure are balanced on a seesaw of negligible
mass. (This assumption is made to keep the example simple) The first child has a
mass of 26.0 kg and sits 1.60 m from the pivot.(a) If the second child has a mass
of 32.0 kg, how far is she from the pivot? (b) What is Fp, the supporting force
exerted by the pivot?
 Equilibrium and Elasticity
𝐾𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑄𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠: 𝑚1 = 26.0 𝑘𝑔 𝑟1 = 1.60 𝑚
𝑚2 = 32.0 𝑘𝑔
𝑇𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑄𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠: 𝑎) 𝑟2 𝑏) 𝐹𝑝
𝑆𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛:
a)𝑈𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 2𝑛𝑑 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐸𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑚: Σ𝜏 = 0
𝑟2 𝑊2 − 𝑟1 𝑊1 = 0
𝑟1 𝑊1 𝑟1 𝑚1 𝑔 1.60 𝑚 (26.0 𝑘𝑔)
𝑟2 = = = = 1.3 𝑚
𝑊2 𝑚2 𝑔 32.0 𝑘𝑔

b) 𝑈𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒 1𝑠𝑡 𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝐸𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑚 ∶ Σ𝐹 = 0

𝐹𝑝 − 𝑊1 − 𝑊2 = 0
𝐹𝑝 = 𝑊1 + 𝑊2 = 𝑚1 𝑔 + 𝑚2 𝑔 = 𝑔 (𝑚1 + 𝑚2 ) = 9.8 𝑚⁄ 2 (26.0 𝑘𝑔 + 32.0 𝑘𝑔)
𝑠
𝐹𝑝 = 568.4 𝑁
𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑛𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑟 ∶ 𝑎) 𝒓𝟐 = 𝟏. 𝟑𝟎 𝒎 𝒃) 𝑭𝒑 = 𝟓𝟔𝟖 𝑵

Module 7
Set A.
Problem Solving. Identify the unknown and known quantity/ties, show the solution and box the final answer.

1. The sign below hangs outside the physics classroom, advertising the most important truth to be found inside. The
sign is supported by a diagonal cable and a rigid horizontal bar. If the sign has a mass of 50 kg, then determine the
tension in the diagonal cable that supports its weight.

2. When opening a door, you push on it perpendicularly with a force of 55.0 N at a distance of 0.850m from the hinges.
What torque are you exerting relative to the hinges? (b) Does it matter if you push at the same height as the hinges?

3. When tightening a bolt, you push perpendicularly on a wrench with a force of 165 N at a distance of 0.140 m from the
center of the bolt. How much torque are you exerting in newton × meters (relative to the center of the bolt)?

4. Repeat the seesaw problem in Example 2 with the center of mass of the seesaw 0.160 m to the left of the pivot (on the
side of the lighter child) and assuming a mass of 12.0 kg for the seesaw. The other data given in the example remain
unchanged.
 Equilibrium and Elasticity
Elasticity
(Set B)

Concept of Elasticity
Elasticity is mechanical property of matter. It is the tendency of a substance to regain its original form or volume
when the external force that deformed it, it removed; or the property by virtue of which a body resists and recovers from
a deformation produced by an external force.

The property of elasticity however works only within certain limits. The smallest value of the stress required to
produce a permanent distortion in a body is called the elastic limit. When a stress in excess of this limit is applied, the
body will not return to its original state after the stress is removed.

Elastic property of solid matter is commonly discussed in terms of:

1. Stress – is a measure of the strength of the agent that is causing deformation. It is any force or set of forces that tends
to impose any deformation on a body. Precisely, it is mechanical property of a body and is related to the internal resistive
force F per unit area A, then
𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆 𝑭 𝑁𝑒𝑤𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑁 𝑵
𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 = = 𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑠: 2
= 2 𝟏 𝑷𝒂 = 𝟏 𝟐
𝑨𝒓𝒆𝒂 𝑨 𝑚𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑚 𝒎

2. Strain – the deformation produced by any stress on a body. It means strain is a measure of deformation.
𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏
𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏 =
𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏

Strain has no units because it is the ration of like quantities.

3 Types of Stress
1. Tensile Stress – stress applied to an object when equal and opposite forces act away from each other on its ends
𝐹
𝑇𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 = 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒: 𝐹 = 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒
𝐴
𝐴 = 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 − 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎

Δ𝐿 𝐿 − 𝐿𝑜
𝑇𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 = =
𝐿𝑜 𝐿𝑜

𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒: 𝐿 = 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ ; 𝐿𝑜 = 𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ

Δ𝐿 = 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ (𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛)

2. Compressive Stress – stress applied to an object when such forces act toward
each other. Stress that tends to decrease the size of the body.

𝐹
𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 = 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒: 𝐹 = 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒
𝐴
𝐴 = 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 − 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎

Δ𝐿 𝐿 − 𝐿𝑜
𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 = =
𝐿𝑜 𝐿𝑜

𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒: 𝐿 = 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ ; 𝐿𝑜 = 𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ

Δ𝐿 = 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ
 Equilibrium and Elasticity
3. Shear Stress – stress applied when the equal and opposite forces have different lines of action. Deformation is due to
an applied force that is tangential to the surface.

𝐹
𝑆ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 = 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒: 𝐹 = 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒
𝐴
𝐴 = 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 − 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎

Δ𝑥
𝑆ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 = ≅ 𝜃 ( 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝜃)
ℎ

𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒: ∆𝑥 = 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡
h =Length of the material perpendicular to the
displacement
θ = shear angle

Hooke’s Law and Modulus of Elasticity

Hooke’s Law states that within elastic limit the strain (deformation) produced on a body is proportional to the
stress applied to it. In this case, a proportionality constant was defined known as the Modulus of Elasticity
𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔
𝑴𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒍𝒖𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑬𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚 =
𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏

The modulus has the same units as stress

Hooke’s Law mathematically expressed as: 𝑖𝑓 𝐹 (𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠) & ∆𝐿 ( 𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛)
𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛, 𝑭 = 𝒌 ∆𝑳 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒: 𝐹 = 𝐹𝑜𝑟𝑐𝑒 (𝑁)
𝑘 = 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 = 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦

The proportionality constant is the same as the modulus of elasticity in which the value defends on the nature and
Dimensions of the object under stress.

Modulus of Elasticity
1. Young’s Modulus (Y). Young’s Modulus is a fundamental material property measuring stiffness, defining the
relationship between tensile/compressive stress and axial strain in the linear elastic region. It indicates a material's
resistance to deformation, with higher values representing stiffer materials and thus low flexibility while a low modulus
implies high flexibility (low stiffness).
𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑭⁄
𝒀= = 𝑨 = 𝑭 𝑳𝒐
𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏 ∆𝑳 ⁄𝑳 𝑨 ∆𝑳
𝒐

2. Bulk Modulus (B) . Measures a substance's resistance to uniform compression. It is particularly applied to liquids and
gases which can not be subjected to tensile stress. Since in liquids and gases the stress is numerically equal to the pressure.
It is also a measure of a substance’s resistance to changing volume under pressure, often termed incompressibility. A
higher bulk modulus indicates a material is less compressible and more rigid.
𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 ∆𝑷 ∆𝑷 𝑽𝟎
𝑩= =− =−
𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏 ∆𝑽⁄ ∆𝑽
𝑽𝟎
The negative sign ensures a positive modulus, as an increase in pressure ((∆𝑃 > 0 )causes a decrease in volume
∆𝑽 < 𝟎).
 Equilibrium and Elasticity
3. Shear Modulus: Modulus of Rigidity (S). Measures a solid material's stiffness against shape deformation (shear strain)
caused by parallel shear stress. It determines how much a material twists or
deforms. A high shear modulus indicates a rigid material (e.g., diamond), while
a low value indicates a flexible or soft material (e.g., rubber).
𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝐹⁄
𝑆= = 𝐴 = 𝐹𝑙
𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 ∆𝑥⁄ 𝐴 ∆𝑥
𝑙

Examples:
1. John Lesaca adjusts the string of his violin which produces strain of 2.5 𝑥 10−4. It its length is increased by
1.75 𝑥 10−4 𝑚 , what is the original length of the string.
𝐾𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑄𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠 ∶ 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 = 2.5 𝑥 10−4 ∆𝐿 = 1.75 𝑥 10−4 𝑚
𝑇𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑄𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑦: 𝐿𝑜
𝑆𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 ∶
∆𝐿 ∆𝐿 1.75 𝑥 10−4 𝑚
𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 = 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛, 𝐿𝑜 = = = 0.7 𝑚
𝐿𝑜 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 2.5 𝑥 10−4
𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑛𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑟: 𝐿𝑜 = 0.70 𝑚

2. A 1.60 𝑚 long steel piano wire has a diameter 0.20 𝑐𝑚. How great is the tension in the wire if it stretches 0.30 𝑐𝑚
when tightened?
𝐾𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑄𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠 ∶ 𝐿𝑜 = 1.60 𝑚 𝑑 = 0.20 𝑐𝑚 ≈ 2.0 𝑥 10−3 𝑚
∆𝐿 = 0.30 𝑐𝑚 ≈ 3.0 𝑥 10−3 𝑚 𝑌𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑙 = 20 𝑥 1010 𝑃𝑎
𝑇𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡 𝑄𝑢𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑦: 𝐹𝑇
𝑆𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛:
𝐹 𝐿𝑜 𝑌 𝐴 ∆𝐿
𝑌= 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑛, 𝐹𝑇 = 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
𝐴 ∆𝐿 𝐿𝑜
 Equilibrium and Elasticity
𝜋 𝑑2 𝜋 (2.0 𝑥 10−3 𝑚)2
𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐴= = = 3.14 𝑥 10−6 𝑚2
4 4

𝑌 𝐴 ∆𝐿 (20 𝑥 1010 𝑁⁄ 2 ) (3.14 𝑥 10−6 𝑚2 ) (3.0 𝑥 10−3 𝑚)

∴ 𝐹𝑇 = = 𝑚
𝐿𝑜 1.60 𝑚
𝐹𝑇 = 1,177.5 𝑁
𝐹𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝐴𝑛𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑟: 𝐹𝑇 = 1.2 𝑥 103 𝑁

Module 7
Set B.
Problem Solving. Identify the unknown and known quantity/ties, show the solution and box the final answer.

1. Calculate the change in length of a rubber rope which is used to support a tension of 6.0 𝑥 10−3 𝑁 . The radius of the
rope is 7.5 𝑚𝑚 and original length is 4.0 𝑚. (𝑌𝑟𝑢𝑏𝑏𝑒𝑟 = 1.0 𝑥 106 𝑃𝑎)

2. An Aluminum block 20 cm wide 50 cm long and 2.0 cm high is welded to a floor. Calculate the distance that the top
edge of the block is displaced by a shear force of 180,000 N applied to the top surface.

3. A nylon tennis string on a rocket is under tension of 250 N. If its diameter is 1.00 mm by how much is it lengthened from
its untensioned length of 30.0 cm? 𝑌𝑛𝑦𝑙𝑜𝑛 = 5.0 𝑥 109 𝑃𝑎

4. A marble column of cross-sectional area 2.0 m2 supports a mass of 25,000 kg. a) What is the stress within the column?
b) What is the strain?