PHYSICS 104

HEALTH TRACK
Equilibrium
Part II

Basic Sciences Department - Physics Section 1 Sunday, 06 October 2019

 Pre-lecture Material
Applying condition of Static Equilibrium

Joints and levers in the human body

Stability and Balance

At the end of this lecture, the students will be able to:

 Apply the conditions of rotational and

translational equilibrium.
 Explain Stability and balance of the human body.
2

Basic Sciences Department - Physics Section 2 Sunday, 06 October 2019

Section 8.1: Torque and Static Equilibrium / Page 260
The cyclist balances on his back tire.
Is he at STATIC EQUILIBRIUM?

YES
 There are two conditions for
static equilibrium on an extended object:
1) The net force on the object must be zero.
2) The net torque on the object must be zero.

Basic Sciences Department - Physics Section 3 Sunday, 06 October 2019

 Q 20, Q 21, and Q 22 / Page 276
Suppose you stand on one foot while holding your other
leg up behind you as shown. Assume that lower leg and
the foot together have a combined mass of 4.0 kg, and
that their combined center of gravity is at the center of
the lower leg
Q20: How much force must the tendon exert to keep the
leg in this stationary position?
𝑊 ∗ 𝑑2 − 𝑇 ∗ 𝑑1 = 0 T = 196 N
Q21: As you hold your leg in this position, the upper leg
exerts a force on the lower leg at the knee joint. What is
the direction of this force? DOWN WHY?

Q22: What is the magnitude of the force of the upper leg on the lower leg at the knee joint?
𝐹𝑦 = 0 → 𝑇 − 𝑚𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑒𝑔 ∗ 𝑔 − 𝐹𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑒𝑔 = 0
196 −4 ∗ 9.8 − 𝐹𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑒𝑔 = 0 𝑭𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒈 = 156.8 N, down
Basic Sciences Department - Physics Section 4 Sunday, 06 October 2019
Levers in the human body
 In the joints of the human body, muscles
usually attach quit near to the joint. This
means that the muscle and tendon force
are much larger than the applied force.
Example Students can check the solution
Calculate the magnitude of the force excreted by
the biceps muscle (𝐅𝐁𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐬 ) to the bone while a
4.0 kg physics book is held stationary in the
shown position? (forearm mass= 2.5 kg).

𝜏𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒 = 𝜏𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟−𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑒
𝑊𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 ∗ 𝑟3 + 𝑊𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑟𝑚 ∗ 𝑟2 = 𝐹𝐵𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑠 ∗ 𝑟1
 Joint = Pivot
4 ∗ 9.8 ∗ 0.38 + (2.5 ∗ 9.8 ∗ 0.16) = 𝐹𝐵𝑖𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑠 ∗ 0.04  Bone = Lever arm
 𝐅𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞 = 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞
𝐅𝐁𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐬 = 𝟒𝟕𝟎. 𝟒 𝐍
Basic Sciences Department - Physics Section 5 Sunday, 06 October 2019
CH.8/ 8.2: Stability and Balance / Page 264

 As a human moves, the body’s COG is constantly

changing.
 To maintain stability, people unconsciously adjust the
positions of their arms and legs to keep their COG over
their base of support.
 When the woman stands on her tiptoes, she leans forward,
readjusting her COG to be over the balls of her feet (her
base of support).

 An object is stable if its COG is over its base of

support

Basic Sciences Department - Physics Section 6 Sunday, 06 October 2019

 If the object is tipped, it will reach the
limit of its stability when its COG is
over the edge of the base

 Greater stability is possible with a lower

COG or a border base of support

Example: A car will fall over when titled too far

Basic Sciences Department - Physics Section 7 Sunday, 06 October 2019

Check Your Understanding
Q1: Which object is in static equilibrium?

Q2: An object will be stable if:

A. Its center of gravity is below its highest point.
B. Its center of gravity lies over its base of support.
C. Its center of gravity lies outside its base of support.
D. The height of its center of gravity is less than 1/2 its total height.
Q3: If you are performing the weightlifting exercise known as the strict curl, the
tension in your biceps tendon is:
A. Larger than the weight you are lifting.
B. Equal to the weight you are lifting.
C. Smaller than the weight you are lifting.
Basic Sciences Department - Physics Section 8 Sunday, 06 October 2019
 Post-Class Practice

Q1: Consider the three situations shown in the figure. Three forces act on the
triangular object in different ways. Two of the forces have magnitude F and one
of the forces has a magnitude 2F. In which case(s) will the object be in static
equilibrium:

Q2: A magazine rack has a center of gravity 16 cm above the floor, as shown in
the figure. Thought what maximum angle 𝜃𝑐 can the rack be tilted without falling
over?

Θ = arctan [2.5/16] = 8.88°

Basic Sciences Department - Physics Section 9 Sunday, 06 October 2019

 Q3: The drawing shows a person (W= 584 N) doing push-ups. Find the normal
force exerted by the floor on each hand, assuming that the person holds this
position.

Q4: A person exerts a horizontal force of 190 N in the test apparatus shown in
the drawing. Find the horizontal force M that his flexor muscle exerts on his
forearm.

Basic Sciences Department - Physics Section 10 Sunday, 06 October 2019

 11

CH.8: Questions / Page 275

2,5,15

CH.8: PROBLEMS: Pages 277-279

6,7,14,22,43

Basic Sciences Department - Physics Section 11 Sunday, 06 October 2019

Basic Sciences Department - Physics Section 12 Sunday, 06 October 2019