# How would you determine whether an object is at equilibrium? [closed]

How would you determine whether an object is at equilibrium or not?

What is the definition of equilibrium?

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## closed as too localized by ja72, Waffle's Crazy Peanut, Brandon Enright, Emilio Pisanty, twistor59Jun 7 '13 at 16:13

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By comparing the object against the definition of equilibrium of course. Could you be more specific about what you're having trouble understanding? – David H May 1 '13 at 0:50
This question (v3) seems closable since a straightforward Google search would immediately provide the answer, cf. e.g. this and this meta post. – Qmechanic May 31 '13 at 7:55

Static equilibrium requires that the sum of all forces is 0,$$\sum F=0$$ and the sum of all torques is 0, $$\sum \tau =0$$ Be aware that force and torque is a vector; they have both magnitude and direction.