Equilibrium

The Equilibrium Video Tutorial explains what is meant by the term "equilibrium" and shows how to conduct a mathematical analysis of the force vectors to determine if an object is at equilibrium.

The video lesson answers the following questions:

1. What is meant by saying “an object is at equilibrium”?
2. How do you mathematically analyze the forces on an object that is at equilibrium?

Video

You can watch the video below, or click here to watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab).

To improve the effectiveness of the learning experience, The Physics Classroom has provided the following tools:

Additional and Related Learning Tools

Concept Builders: Equilibrium
Students love Concept Builders and this one is a perfect follow up to the video. There are three levels of difficulty, each having four questions. Tap the Help Me! button to get some help specific to the question.

Minds On Physics, Missions 2DF3 and 2DF4
Minds on Physics can provide a student a rigorous work-out on any topic. Give your brain some exercise and your conceptual understanind a test with a MOP mission. Each question comes with a thorough commentary of the Physics associated with that question. Give Missions 2DF3 and 2DF4 a try as a perfect follow-up to this video.

Tutorial Section, Motion and Vectors in Two Dimensions, Lesson 3
The go-to place at The Physics Classroom for a topic-specific and understandable discussion is the Tutorial section. The following page is a great complement to this video: Equilibrium and Statics

Teacher Resources

Curriculum Corner, Forces in Two Dimensions
Our Curriculum Corner provides teachers with a collection of Think Sheets on numerous topics. They make perfect in-class reviews and post-video follow-ups. In particular, the following would be a great complement to this video:
Using Vector Components to Analyze Equilibrium Situations

Concept Builders: Equilibrium
Students love Concept Builders and this one is a perfect follow up to the video. There are three levels of difficulty, each having four questions. Students can tap the Help Me! button to get some help specific to the problem. When combined with our Task Tracker system, student progress can be tracked for each of the difficulty levels.

Physics Interactives: Go For The Gold!
This activity challenges students abilities to think about equilibrium in terms of vector components. With 16 scaffolded difficulty levels and a game-like feel, you should be able to design an engaging lesson around this activity.

Minds On Physics, Missions 2DF3 and 2DF4
Minds on Physics can provide a student a rigorous work-out on any topic. Each question comes with a thorough commentary of the Physics associated with that question. Missions 2DF3 and 2DF4 are great follow-ups to this video.

Tutorial Section, Motion and Vectors in Two Dimensions, Lesson 3
The go-to place at The Physics Classroom for a topic-specific and understandable discussion is the Tutorial section. Many teachers create links to its pages from within their CMS. The following page is a perfect complement to this video:
Equilibrium and Statics

Teacher Toolkit - Forces in Two Dimensions
The Forces in Two Dimensions Toolkit provides teachers with standards-based resources for designing lesson plans and units that pertain to situations that involve forces acting at angles to the traditional horizontal and vertical axes. Find annotated links to resources on our website and throughout the web.

Lesson Notes

Download (opens in a new tab) or view below

Slides

Do you like the slides we used? They are available in our low cost Teacher Presentation Pack, along with other updated materials used in our presentation.