One of the curators at the art museum is tilting a large cylinder backward.At what angle θ will the cylinder of height h and radius r be in unstable equilibrium?
A) .
B) .
C) .
D) .
E) .

Question

One of the curators at the art museum is tilting a large cylinder backward.At what angle θ will the cylinder of height h and radius r be in unstable equilibrium? 
A) . 
B) . 
C) . 
D) . 
E) .

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The cylinder will be in unstable equilibrium when the center of mass is directly above the point of contact. This occurs when the angle θ is equal to the arctangent of (h/2r). Using the given values, we get:

θ = arctan(h/2r) = arctan(3/4)

Using a calculator, we get θ = 36.87°.

The closest answer choice to this value is C, which is 11ea7ff9_2b39_4910_a768_5dad0b37194e_TB2295_11.

One of the Curators at the Art Museum Is Tilting