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Types of Equilibrium Explained

This document discusses different types of equilibrium in 3 categories: 1) Static vs dynamic equilibrium - based on whether the body is at rest or in motion. Static equilibrium is when a body is at rest, like a box on a table. Dynamic equilibrium is when net forces are zero but there is motion, like a car moving at constant speed. 2) Stable, unstable, neutral, and metastable equilibrium - based on how the body responds to small disturbances. Stable equilibrium returns to original position, unstable equilibrium departs further, and neutral equilibrium remains in new position. Metastable equilibrium spontaneously changes to a higher energy state. 3) Notes that static/dynamic classification depends on motion

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Venkata Harsha Vardhan Kinjarapu
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18 views4 pages

Types of Equilibrium Explained

This document discusses different types of equilibrium in 3 categories: 1) Static vs dynamic equilibrium - based on whether the body is at rest or in motion. Static equilibrium is when a body is at rest, like a box on a table. Dynamic equilibrium is when net forces are zero but there is motion, like a car moving at constant speed. 2) Stable, unstable, neutral, and metastable equilibrium - based on how the body responds to small disturbances. Stable equilibrium returns to original position, unstable equilibrium departs further, and neutral equilibrium remains in new position. Metastable equilibrium spontaneously changes to a higher energy state. 3) Notes that static/dynamic classification depends on motion

Uploaded by

Venkata Harsha Vardhan Kinjarapu
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

CVL242

Structural Analysis – 1
Course Advisor: Prof. NM Anoop Krishnan
Assignment – 1

The whole assignment (including the diagrams) was made by


[Link] Vardhan, a student of civil engineering department, IIT
Delhi bearing entry number 2018CE10108. A little help from Google
has been taken to write this.

This paper clearly defines the various types of equilibrium (Static,


Dynamic; Stable, Unstable, Neutral and Metastable) using apt
examples.
Equilibrium and it’s types
Equilibrium is a state of body(system) in which all the forces acting on it
are balanced i.e., the vector sum of all the forces acting on it is zero.
(Let’s not consider any moment acting)
Example:
Let us consider the shown diagram in which a
body is under 4 forces, 2 horizontal and 2 vertical.
Here, both the vertical forces have same
magnitude but directed opposite, same is the case
with the horizontal forces. So, the vector sum of
both the vertical forces is zero, so is horizontal
forces.

A body in equilibrium neither changes it’s internal energy nor it’s state of
motion.
According the movement (whether moving or not) of the body the
equilibrium is classified into two types, they are:
➢ Static equilibrium: It is an equilibrium in which the body is in rest.
Example: A box kept on a table or a bob hanging from a roof.

➢ Dynamic equilibrium: It is an equilibrium in which at least one of the


translational or rotational velocities are non-zero, however the net force
acting on the body is zero.
Example: A car moving on a road at a constant speed or a freely falling
ball that have attained terminal velocity.
According the way a body (in equilibrium) behaves after a small
perturbation, the equilibrium can be further classified broadly into 4 types,
they are:
• Stable equilibrium
• Unstable equilibrium
• Neutral equilibrium
• Metastable equilibrium

Note: A body always tries to minimise it’s potential energy.


➢ Stable equilibrium: A body is said to be in stable equilibrium if it
reaches it’s original position on disturbing it slightly i.e., the body has
minimum potential energy at that position (in it’s neighbourhood).
Examples: A simple pendulum, a conical block with circular cross-
section facing the ground.

➢ Unstable equilibrium: A body is said to be in unstable equilibrium if it


departs further from original position on disturbing it slightly i.e., the
body has max. potential energy at that position (in it’s neighbourhood).
Examples: A Pencil balancing on it’s needle, a ball on the topmost point
of a hill.
➢ Neutral equilibrium: A body is said to be in neutral equilibrium if it
reaches a new position and remains there on disturbing it slightly i.e.,
the potential energy in the neighbourhood is uniform.
Examples: A ball placed on a plane surface, A needle in a gravity free
space.

➢ Metastable equilibrium: A body is said to be in metastable equilibrium


if it spontaneously goes to any other state of higher energy in order to
reach a lower energy state eventually.
Example: A ball placed on a hill of shown shape.

o It is to be noted that the static and dynamic equilibriums have nothing to


do with the position of the body whereas the other classification is
mainly dependant on the position of the body.

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