Mistake Master
Mistake Master · AP Physics 1 · Unit 5 · Step-Through Animation
Balance Is Two Promises, Not One
You'll learnthat full equilibrium needs zero net force and zero net torque, independently.
A seesaw that refuses to tip and a steering wheel that spins without going anywhere. Equilibrium keeps two books at once — a force ledger and a torque ledger — and passing one audit says nothing about the other.
STATICS LAB
Before you start
What you're looking at
A seesaw with a 400 N kid 1.5 m left of the pivot, a 600 N kid seeking a spot on the right, and a two-book scoreboard.
The question
Where must the heavier kid sit to balance, and can zero net force still leave a body spinning?
Watch for
Which scoreboard chip flips when; predict a case that passes the force audit but fails the torque one.
What the symbols mean
The force ledger tracks ΣF (newtons); the torque ledger tracks Στ about the pivot; both must read zero for equilibrium.
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