Center of Gravity, Stability, and Deformation

Flashcards based on lecture notes about center of gravity, stability, and deformation.

Resultant Force

The sum of all forces acting on an object.

Resultant Moment

The sum of all moments (torques) acting on an object.

Center of Gravity

The point at which the weight of an object is considered to act.

Stability

An object's ability to return to its original position after being disturbed.

Stable Object

An object that returns to its original position when released.

Unstable Object

An object that falls when released because its center of gravity is far from the ground and it has a small contact area.

More Stable Object

An object that stands because its center of gravity is close to the ground and has a wide contact area.

Irregular object center of gravity determination.

An object is hung freely from a point, a vertical line is drawn downwards, then hung from a different point and process repeated. The intersection of two lines indicates the centre of gravity

Elastic Deformation

A material's ability to return to its original shape when the stretching force is removed.

Plastic Deformation

A material's failure to return to its original shape when the stretching force is removed.

Hooke's Law

F = ke, where F is force, k is the spring constant, and e is the extension.

Elastic Limit

The point beyond which a material will no longer return to its original shape after deformation.

Plastic Limit

The point beyond which a material undergoes permanent deformation.