While you are beginning to learn about [[183_notes:torque|how objects rotate]], it's worth taking an aside to discuss how objects remain still. You have already begun this work, when you read about [[183_notes:freebodydiagrams|Free Body Diagrams]] and worked with [[183_notes:youngs_modulus|Young's Modulus]]. In both those cases, you read that an object at rest will remain at rest ([[183_notes:momentum_principle|it won't change its momentum]]) as long as the net force acting on the object is zero. It turns out that isn't the complete story. **In these notes, you will read about static equilibrium, how the concept of torque plays a key role in defining static equilibrium, and how we analyze static equilibrium situations.**
While you are beginning to learn about [[183_notes:torque|how objects rotate]], it's worth taking an aside to discuss how objects remain still. You have already begun this work, when you read about [[183_notes:freebodydiagrams|Free Body Diagrams]] and worked with [[183_notes:youngs_modulus|Young's Modulus]]. In both those cases, you read that an object at rest will remain at rest ([[183_notes:momentum_principle|it won't change its momentum]]) as long as the net force acting on the object is zero. It turns out that isn't the complete story. **In these notes, you will read about static equilibrium, how the concept of torque plays a key role in defining static equilibrium, and how we analyze static equilibrium situations.**