equilibrium
A condition in which all influences acting cancel each other, so that a static or balanced situation results. In physics , equilibrium results from the cancellation of forces acting on an object.
In physical sense: The condition of equal balance between opposing forces; that state of a material system in which the forces acting upon the system, or those of them which are taken into consideration, are so arranged that their resultant at every point is zero.
A body is said to be in stable equilibrium, when it returns to its original position after being disturbed; in unstable when it continues to move in the direction given to it by the disturbing force; in neutral, when it remains stationary in its new position.
If the equilibrium is stable , the potential energy of a system is a minimum , and the equilibrium is unstable if the potential energy is a maximum.
The condition of equilibrium has two requirements:
- All forces balance. This means that force vectors add to zero.
- All torques balance around any point. This means that the sum of all clockwise and counterclockwise torques is zero.
Hope this helps.
A condition in which all influences acting cancel each other, so that a static or balanced situation results. In physics, equilibrium results from the cancellation of forces acting on an object.
It refers to a point in space (or a value of a field) at which the potential energy is at a local maximum or minimum.
For the case of objects in space, this translates to a net force of zero, since force is proportional to the slope of the potential energy curve.
