State the reason why a steel sphere resting on a horizontal surface is said to be in neutral equilibrium.
its center of gravity is directly above its contact point.
There are no unbalanced forces acting on it.
A steel sphere resting on a horizontal surface is said to be in neutral equilibrium because its center of gravity is aligned with the point of contact with the surface. This means that there are no net external forces or torques acting on the sphere, causing it to remain in a stable, balanced position without any tendency to move or rotate on its own.
A steel sphere resting on a horizontal surface is said to be in neutral equilibrium because its center of gravity is at the same height as the point of support. In other words, the sphere is perfectly balanced and any slight disturbance will not cause it to topple or roll.
To understand why this is the case, we need to consider the concept of the center of gravity. The center of gravity is the point at which the entire weight of an object can be considered to act. In the case of a sphere, the center of gravity is located at the exact center.
When the sphere is resting on a horizontal surface, the point of support is directly beneath the center of gravity. This means that the weight of the sphere is evenly distributed between the two points - the center of gravity and the point of support.
In neutral equilibrium, any disturbance or force applied to the sphere will create a moment (a turning effect) around its center of gravity. However, since the sphere is perfectly balanced, the moment will be equal and opposite on both sides. As a result, the sphere will remain in its original position without any tendency to move or rotate.
In summary, a steel sphere resting on a horizontal surface is said to be in neutral equilibrium because its center of gravity is directly above the point of support, resulting in perfect balance and no tendency to move or rotate when slightly disturbed.