Equilibrium and Free-body Diagrams

Source: Ketron Mitchell-Wynne, PhD, Asantha Cooray, PhD, Department of Physics & Astronomy, School of Physical Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA

Equilibrium is a special case in mechanics that is very important in everyday life. It occurs when the net force and the net torque on an ob...

Equilibrium is a special case in classical mechanics but is ubiquitous in everyday life, while free-body diagrams help decipher the underlying forces present.

A system is in translational equilibrium if the forces acting on it are balanced, that is, the net force is zero. Equilibrium can also be established in a rotational system if the n...