alleryStart learning →A system is in unstable equilibrium when a displacement produces a force or torque directed:
ANowhere in particular
BAlong the displacement
COpposite the displacement
DAt right angles to it
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Along the displacement
1. Unstable equilibrium is the mirror image of stable equilibrium.
2. A system is in unstable equilibrium if, when displaced, it experiences a net force or torque.
3. That force or torque acts in the same direction as the displacement from equilibrium.
4. So the displacement grows instead of being undone.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics for AP Courses 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 9 'Statics and Torque', sections 9.1-9.5_
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