http://www.teachengineering.org/view_lesson.php?url=collection/cub_/lessons/cub_mechanics/cub_mechanics_lesson06.xmllessontext/xmlIntegrated Teaching and Learning Program, mechanicsbalancecenter of gravitycenter of massequilibriumstatic equilibriumsymmetryCenter of gravityCenter of massStatic equilibriumStable equilibriumUnstable equilibriumSymmetry

The concepts of stability and equilibrium are introduced while students learn how these ideas are related to the concept of center of mass. They gain further understanding when they see, first-hand, how equilibrium is closely related to an object's center of mass. In an associated literacy activity, students learn about motion capture technology, the importance of center of gravity in animation and how use the concept of center of gravity in writing an action scene.

Engineers are interested in how objects can stay in balance, and what makes them fall out of balance. Mechanical, aerospace and civil engineers incorporate an understanding of equilibrium when they design safe structures. Bridges, cranes, skyscrapers and space stations in stable equilibrium do not collapse, topple to the ground or implode. And, chemical engineers make sure the chemical reactions of the compounds they create remain in equilibrium. Understand the concepts of equilibrium and center of mass. Understand that an object's center of mass depends on the composition and structure of the object. Identify how equilibrium and the center of mass apply to engineering and everyday life. Identify the various ways equilibrium and the center of mass correlate to different fields of research and scientific disciplines. 50TeachEngineering.orgSabre DurenBen HeavnerMalinda Schaefer ZarskeDenise CarlsonGittewitt, Paul. Conceptual Physics. Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley, 1992.Hauser, Jill Frank. Gizmos and Gadgets: Creating Science Contraptions that Work (and Knowing Why). Charlotte, VT: Williamson Publishing, 1999. (Source for Seesaw Fun activity.)Kagan, Spencer. Cooperative Learning. San Juan Capistrano, CA: Kagan Cooperative Learning, 1994. (Flashcards assessment adapted from Kagan.)http://www.fearofphysics.com/Seesaw/seesaw.htmlWolfson, Richard and Jay M. Pasachoff. Physics: For Scientists and Engineers. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Longman Inc., 1999.S11416DDInternational_Technology_Education_Association-ITEA_STL_StandardsTechnologyF. Knowledge gained from other fields of study has a direct effect on the development of technological products and systems.68S11424D2ColoradoSciencea. Predict and evaluate the movement of an object by examining the forces applied to it 88S103C25EColoradoMath1. construct two- and three-dimensional models using a variety of materials and tools; 58United StatesCopyright 2012 - Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, College of Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulderhttp://www.teachengineering.org/policy_ipp.phphttp://www.teachengineering.org/2010-08-238Teacher