Introduction Lab Report On Static Equilibrium 1

INTRODUCTION LAB REPORT ON STATIC EQUILIBRIUM

By (Firstname Lastname)

Physics and Natural Sciences

Professor (Tutor)
The Name of the School (University)
The City and State where it is located
April 2, 2018
 Introduction Lab Report On Static Equilibrium 2

A state of equilibrium is can be achieved only when there is a balance o forces actin on an object.
The balancing is achieved by comparing the leftward and rightward forces also the downward
and upward forces. If the two pairs of forces balance, then the object is said to be in a state o
equilibrium. While comparing the directional forces, it cannot be concluded that the forces are
equal to each other in terms of magnitude but instead they balance each other. This brings in the
vector factor. Considering the concept above, a static equilibrium is a state in which an object is
at rest and is in in a state of equilibrium. The vector sum of resultant forces or an object in static
equilibrium is equal to zero. (Wilson & Hernández-Hall, 2014)

There are to conditions or static equilibrium in terms of forces and moments. The first condition
is that resultant external forces must be equal to zero, (Σ F) and secondly the summation of actin
moments must be equal to, (Σ τi). These to conditions are proved by conducting a lab experiment
to prove that resultant external force and moments are equal to zero. (Anon., 2000)

The moment of a force is the product of the force by the corresponding perpendicular distance;
the moment is measured in newton meters (Nm)𝑀𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 = 𝐹(𝑁) 𝑥 𝑑 (𝑚). Moment is the same
as the couple. The principle of moment, also known as Varignon Theorem states that hen an
object or a body is at equilibrium, the total sum of clockwise moments must be equal to the total
sum of anticlockwise moments. This can be illustrated using the following diagram below

∑ 𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 = ∑ 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠

𝐹1 𝑥 𝑑1 = 𝐹2 𝑥 𝑑2
 Introduction Lab Report On Static Equilibrium 3

Consider another scenario in the diagram below, the equation or principles of moments is stated
as F1 x d1 = (F2 x d2) + (F3 x d3). The most important concept is to identify the direction in which
the forces acts towards

Considering an isolated body, its static equilibrium is reached when the resultant moment and
forces are zero. Consider the diagram below
 Introduction Lab Report On Static Equilibrium 4

From the above figure, the moment of Ay actin the axis of AA’ is computed by summing up the
vectors of the moments Mx, My, and Mz. They can all be noted as vectors acting on a certain
axis. They can be expressed as

𝐌 = 𝐌𝐱 + 𝐌𝐲 + 𝐌𝐳 = 𝐌𝐱 ∙ 𝐢 + 𝐌𝐲 ∙ 𝐣 + 𝐌𝐳 ∙ 𝐤

In case more than one forces in a horizontal or vertical plane act upon a body, the equilibrium is
achieved by adding the vector forces actin on them. For to forces acting on the same direction,
the equilibrium is achieved by getting the sum of the magnitudes (Fearing, 2015). Two forces
moving in opposite direction, the equilibrium o the body acted upon are computed by subtracting
the values of their magnitude. The other class of forces is the forces, which are not parallel but
acts on the body as shown below. Consider F1, F2, and F3. The equilibrium of the two bodies is
determined by the use of trigonometric functions (Boothroyd, 2013). In this scenarios the total
sum of both y components and x components forces are determined and their magnitude
computed using the direction of the forces
 Introduction Lab Report On Static Equilibrium 5

References
Anon., 2000. Physics 201 Lab Manual Sixth Edition 2000 - 2007. s.l.:s.n.

Boothroyd, 2013. Applied Engineering Mechanics: Statics and Dynamics. s.l.:CRC Press.

Fearing, F., 2015. An Experimental Study of Certain Factors Influencing Static Equilibrium. s.l.:Leland

Stanford Junior University.

Wilson, J. D. & Hernández-Hall, C. A., 2014. Physics Laboratory Experiments. 8 ed. s.l.:Cengage

Learning.