alleryStart learning →Why is a chicken in very stable equilibrium compared with a standing adult human?
AIts cg is above the hips and its feet are narrow
BIts cg is at the hips and its feet are pointed
CIts cg is below the hips and its feet are broad
DIts cg is in the neck and its legs are jointed
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Its cg is below the hips and its feet are broad
1. A human center of gravity sits above the hip pivots, so the body behaves like a pencil balanced on end.
2. A chicken carries its center of gravity below the hip joints, so the body hangs like a pendulum.
3. A hanging body swings back on its own, which is a restoring effect rather than a runaway one.
4. Its widely separated broad feet also give a large base of support, so a big displacement is needed to tip it.
5. Placing the cg above the hips would reproduce the human problem, not solve it.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 9 "Statics and Torque", section 9.3 Stability_
Keep practising Statics and Torque
Browse all Statics and Torque questions for B.Tech Robotics, or explore more Mechanics topics.
Related questions
A biceps muscle exerts 470 N to hold a forearm and a book whose combined weight is 63.7 N.In the arm, what does the triceps muscle do?Why do skeletal muscles such as the biceps and the triceps occur in opposing pairs?What is the mechanical advantage of a single ordinary pulley used to lift a load?A wheelbarrow has its load at a perpendicular lever arm of 7.50 cm from the wheel axle andWhat is a lever?How is the mechanical advantage of a simple machine defined?What does a simple machine do for its operator?