15 Neutral Equilibrium Examples: Detailed Explanations

When a body is disturbed from its original equilibrium position, if it tends to remain in its new position, it is said to be in neutral equilibrium.

This post gives you a list of such neutral equilibrium examples.

• Motion of sphere
• Ball moving on the ground
• A heavy object dropped to the surface
• Egg-laying on the horizontal surface
• Roller
• A car parked on the road without the handbrake
• Suspension of a charged particle in the sphere
• Sliding a book on the table
• Marbles laying on the horizontal surface
• Pushing a heavy box
• Pencil on the horizontal surface
• Applying cream to the skin
• Bottles laying on the horizontal surface
• Cone resting on its side
• Sliding door
• Floating of a cylindrical log

Detailed Explanation of Neutral equilibrium Examples

In general, the neutral equilibrium can also be stated as “On application of the external force to an object, the system’s equilibrium position is slightly disturbed. Object tends to move to another position, where the system again attains the same equilibrium by achieving a stationary state in the new position without the influence of external force.” In this section, you will learn a detailed explanation of the above-mentioned neutral equilibrium examples.

Motion of sphere

The motion of the sphere on the horizontal surface attains neutral equilibrium when it moves to a new position away from its original position. An external force is required to move the sphere away. When the force is exerted, the sphere begins to move, and after reaching some distance, the sphere retards its motion, and it will remain in its new position without causing further motion. Thus, the motion of the sphere in the horizontal plane is one of the neutral equilibrium examples.

Read more on Unstable equilibrium examples

Ball moving on the ground.

When an external force is applied to the ball, it begins to move, settling in the new position. The ball will remain in its new position until an external force triggers the ball to move. Thus ball acquires the equilibrium in its new position same as the previous position. The ball does not require any external agent to be stationary, so the equilibrium established is nothing but neutral equilibrium.

A heavy object dropped to the surface.

Dropping a heavy object from a certain height is one of the excellent neutral equilibrium examples because gravity influences the object to fall and to land on the surface. Due to the heavyweight, the object does not bounce back to its initial position, and it does not undergo further movement, so it will remain in a new position attaining the neutral equilibrium.

Egg-laying on the horizontal surface

The egg-laying on the surface has a neutral equilibrium because of its position. The egg remains in the same position without moving until any external force influences them to move. Even when the egg is made to move by applying force, it will again become stationary as soon as the external force is removed.

Roller

When the roller is disturbed from its previous position and made to move towards another position, the roller will remain in rest at its new position, neither returning to its previous position nor moving further; thus, neutral equilibrium is established.

A car parked on the road without the handbrake

If you park the car on the straight road without the handbrake, the car will be in a stationary state. Thus there is no external force acting on the car to hold it. So the neutral equilibrium comes into play when you park the car without applying the handbrake.

Suspension of a charged particle in the sphere

When the charged particle is suspended in the charged sphere, the charged particles never return to their previous position until an external force is exerted. The charged particles remain stationary without the influence of the external source; thus, the charged particle has neutral equilibrium inside the charged sphere.

Sliding a book on the table

To slide the book on the table of a horizontal surface, you exert some force. When you apply some force on the book to slide, it travels some distance and then becomes stationary and never returns to its previous position on its own; thus, neutral equilibrium is established.

Read more on Stable equilibrium examples

Marbles laying on the horizontal surface

Marbles will lay on the horizontal surface without any external force. When an external force acts on the marbles to move them to another position, it will remain in that position and do not move further on its own and never return to its previous position without external force; thus, they have neutral equilibrium.

Pushing a heavy box

If you push a heavy box, it will keep on moving until you keep on pushing. As soon as you stop pushing, the box stops its motion and becomes stationary. If the box is filled with objects, they also become stationary as you stop pushing; thus, neutral equilibrium is established. The box and the object inside the box do not require any external support to hold them stationary.

Pencil on the horizontal surface

The pencil easily rolls on the surface as soon as you touch it because of its shape. When the pencil rolls on the surface, it reaches another position where its motion is retarded. The pencil never returns back to its previous position on its own; thus, neutral equilibrium is set up.

Read more on Thermal equilibrium examples

Applying cream to the skin

Applying cream to the skin is one of the interesting neutral equilibrium examples because viscosity largely influences the cream. Creams such as sunscreen are vicious in nature; thus, the cream will spread over your skin until you spread them over. Viscosity restricts the cream from spreading over on its own. The cream will settle at the position and never movers forward if you stop spreading.

Bottles laying on the horizontal surface

A bottle requires an external force to move, but it does not require any external force to be at rest. The bottle laying on the horizontal surface possesses neutral equilibrium bearing potential energy.

Read more on Static equilibrium examples

Cone resting on its side

Cone resting on one side is balanced by all the forces acting on them as the resultant normal force is acting vertically upward, and the weight of the cone is acting vertically downward. Suppose the position of the cone is slightly displaced; all these forces balance and attain neutral equilibrium.

Sliding door

Sliding doors will be in neutral equilibrium before and after sliding. When you slide the door, it overcomes from the stationary state and moves to the other side. As soon as the door reaches the other side, it again acquires a stationary state until you exert some force on them to move.

Floating of a cylindrical log

A cylindrical log has a neutral equilibrium while floating because the log does not move further, and it does not return to its initial position until an external force triggers it.

Read more on Dynamic equilibrium Examples

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