Equilibrium position
Definition
The equilibrium position is the stable, balanced point where an object or system experiences no net force and remains at rest or in uniform motion.
Analogy
Think of a marble placed at the bottom of a bowl. When the marble is at rest at the center of the bowl, it is in its equilibrium position because there are no forces acting on it to make it move.
Related terms
Displacement: The distance and direction from the equilibrium position.
Restoring force: A force that acts on an object or system to bring it back towards its equilibrium position when displaced.
Stable equilibrium: An equilibrium position where any small disturbance causes a restoring force that brings the object back towards its original position.
"Equilibrium position" appears in:
Study guides (2)
Practice Questions (4)
- A 2.5kg block moving at 5.6 m/s hits a spring with a spring constant of 50N/m. How much is the spring compressed from its equilibrium position?
- If the kinetic energy of a spring at its equilibrium position preparing to move to its negative amplitude is 20J, what is its displacement as it moves to its negative amplitude position given a spring constant of 100N/m. Assume surface is frictionless.
- A mass m = 2.0 kg is attached to a spring having a force constant k = 290 N/m as in the figure. The mass is displaced from its equilibrium position and released. Its frequency of oscillation (in Hz) is approximately
- A block with a mass of 20 kg is attached to a spring with a force constant k = 50 N/m. What is the magnitude of the acceleration of the block when the spring is stretched 4 m from its equilibrium position?
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