alleryStart learning →A ball balanced on top of a dome is displaced slightly. This equilibrium is:
AStable
BNeutral
CRestored
DUnstable
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Unstable
1. The dome is the opposite picture to the marble in a bowl.
2. In stable equilibrium the force after a nudge opposes the displacement.
3. A system is in unstable equilibrium if it experiences a net force or torque in the same direction as the displacement.
4. On a dome, gravity pulls the ball further from the top once nudged.
5. So the dome is a case of unstable equilibrium.
_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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