Further MathematicsCode 9231
Equilibrium of a rigid body
What this topic asks you to be able to do
- work out what the moment of a force is when taken about a point
- apply the fact that gravity's influence on a rigid body amounts to one force acting at its centre of mass, and identify where the centre of mass sits in a uniform body by reasoning from symmetry
- apply supplied data on where the centre of mass lies for a triangular lamina and for other basic shapes
- find where a composite body's centre of mass lies by treating the body as a set of particles that is equivalent to it
- use the principle that a rigid body acted on by coplanar forces is in equilibrium if and only if the forces have a zero vector sum and their moments about any point total zero
- solve questions that concern a single rigid body kept in equilibrium by coplanar forces, including those where toppling or sliding occurs