Lab Report

Finding the Equilibrium and Centroid of a

Body
 INTRODUCTION

As Sir Isaac Newton once said, “Every action there is always opposed and

equal reaction”, therefore when two equal forces are acting on a body in opposite
direction. The forces cancels out. Keeping the body stationary or in ‘Equilibrium’.
Centroid is the most important place of the body because this is place where all the
forces act from. This is the point where a cut shape could be balanced on the tip a pin.

Centroid

Centroid is the most important place of the body because this is the place where all the forces
act from. It is the average arithmetic position of all the points in the body. In formally, this is
the point where a cut shape could be perfectly balanced on the tip of a pin.

When we look at the properties of centroid;

• A centroid of a convex object always lies within the object.

• A non-convex object might have a centroid that is outside the figure itself.

• The centroid of a ring or a bowl lies in the object’s central void.

Normally the centroid of an asymmetrical section

can be found by talking moments of area. Soo using a
practical we found the centroid of such two
asymmetrical sections and compared those values
with normal calculated values.
Equilibrium

Physics is the science concerned with the discovery and

characterization of the universal laws. Sir Isaac Newton
is one of the greatest scientist who discovered such laws
to the world. According to the Newton’s third law; for
every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

This statement means that in every interaction, there is a

pair of forces acting on an object. A force is a push or a
pull that acts upon an object as a result of its interaction.
So when all these forces that act upon an object are
balanced, then the object is said to be in a state of equilibrium.

In the above diagram, object is at equilibrium position since the

reaction equals to the weight of the object. Soo by using three

weight we conducted a practical associated with the parallelogram

law.

By conducting the experiments, the main focus is to determine how forces acts object

suspended on a pulley system, to observe how equilibrium acts upon and to determine the

centroid of a compound shaped, to find the balancing point of the body

 Procedure of the Practical

Centroid

When conducting the practical two structures C and E are used to find their centroids
respectively.

As for measuring the centroid, fires of all paste a rough as sheet on to the above structures by

using the holes from the above structures, hand the structures from a nail but allowing the

structure to move freely. Place some weights on to a thread and tie in the nail infront of the

structure by using a pencil, draw the line on the A3 sheet where the thread touches the

structure. (Mark the center of line from that hanging point) Repeat the same steps to the other

hole and far both of structures.

Equilibrium
When conducting this practical below set up is used

First of all clamp the board in vertical position and pin the sheet of paper on it using drawing

pins. The short string in middle of first string to make a knot

at O. Tie the unknown weight at other end. Arrange them on

pulleys adjust the weights in the either sides of the unknown.

When the set up got balanced, mark a distance using a mirror

strip to construct the parallelogram on the sheet. After doing

that, take the sheet away and construct the parallelogram

with a suitable scale. Repeat the same method for two more

sets of weights and compare the angles and resultant force.

 Appendices
Structure C

A1 = 297 × 270 = 80190 mm2

A2 = ½ × 150 × 297 = 22275 mm2

A3 = 100 × 100 = 10000 mm2

A = A1 + A2 – A3

A = (80190 + 22275 – 10000) mm2

A = 92465 mm2

270
X1 = = 135 mm
2
1
X2 = 3 × 150 × 297 = 320 mm
100
X3 = 2
+ 100 = 150 mm
297
Y1 = 2
= 148.5 mm
2
Y2 = × 297 = 198 mm
3
100
Y3 = 2
+ 197 = 247 mm
𝐴1𝑋1 + 𝐴2𝑋2 – 𝐴3𝑋3
𝑋̅ = 𝐴

(80190 × 135) + (22275 × 320) – (10000 × 150)

𝑋̅ = 92465

𝑋̅ = 177.9 mm
 𝐴1𝑌 +𝐴2𝑌2 −𝐴3𝑌3
𝑌̅ = 1
𝐴

(80190 × 148.5) + (22275 × 198) – (10000 × 247)

𝑌̅ = 92465

𝑌̅ = 149.8 mm

Structure E

32000 mm2

A2 = 197 × 270 = 53190 mm2

A3 = 150 × 47 = 7050 mm2

1
A4 = × π × 1502 = 17671.5 mm2
4

A = A1 + A2 + A3 + A4

A = (32000 + 53190 + 7050 + 17671.5) mm2

A = 109911.5 mm2

320
X1 = 2
+ 100 = 260 mm
270
X2 = 2
= 135 mm
150
X3 = + 270 = 345 mm
2
4 × 150
X4 = 3π
+ 270 = 333.7 mm
100
Y1 = 2
+ 197 = 247 mm
197
Y2 = 2
= 98.5 mm
 47
Y3 = + 150 = 173.5 mm
2
4 × 150
Y4 = = 63.7 mm
3π
𝐴1𝑋1 + 𝐴2𝑋2 + 𝐴3𝑋3 + 𝐴4𝑋4
𝑋̅ = 𝐴

(32000 × 260) + (53190 × 135) + (7050 × 345) + (17671.5 × 333.7)

𝑋̅ = 109911.5

𝑋̅ = 216.8 mm

𝐴1𝑌 + 𝐴2𝑌2 + 𝐴3𝑌3 + 𝐴4𝑌4

𝑌̅ = 1 𝐴

(32000 × 247) + (53190 × 98.5) + (7050 × 173.5) + (17671.5 × 63.7)

𝑌̅ =
109911.5

𝑌̅ = 140.95 mm