Demo 03-19 Stability

This demonstration illustrates the concepts of stable, neutral, and unstable equilibrium, using a cube, a sphere, and a cone, respectively, as illustrated in Figure 1. The cube is in stable equilibrium, and returns to its original position if it is lifted slightly along one edge. The sphere at rest is in neutral equilibrium, and will remain at rest if given a slight displacement. The cone is in unstable equilibrium if carefully balanced on its tip, and will fall over if displaced very slightly from that position