Equilibrium and Centre of Gravity

Syllabus tag: KCSE | Physics | Form 2 | Topic 14 Equilibrium and Centre of Gravity

Lesson objectives

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

• Define centre of gravity and determine it for regular and irregular bodies.
• State the conditions for equilibrium.
• Describe stable, unstable and neutral equilibrium.
• Explain the factors affecting stability and their applications.

Summary

The centre of gravity is the point at which the whole weight of a body appears to act. A body is in equilibrium when the resultant force is zero and the resultant moment is zero. Stability depends on the height of the centre of gravity and the width of the base: low and wide is stable.