Editing Statics (section)

==Applications==

===Solids===
Statics is used in the analysis of structures, for instance in [[architectural engineering|architectural]] and [[structural engineering]]. ''[[Strength of materials]]'' is a related field of mechanics that relies heavily on the application of static equilibrium. A key concept is the [[center of gravity]] of a body at rest: it represents an imaginary point at which all the [[mass]] of a body resides. The position of the point relative to the [[Foundation (engineering)|foundation]]s on which a body lies determines its [[Stability theory|stability]] in response to external forces. If the center of gravity exists outside the foundations, then the body is unstable because there is a torque acting: any small disturbance will cause the body to fall or topple. If the center of gravity exists within the foundations, the body is stable since no net torque acts on the body. If the center of gravity coincides with the foundations, then the body is said to be [[metastable]].

===Fluids===
''[[Hydrostatics]]'', also known as ''[[fluid statics]]'', is the study of fluids at rest (i.e. in static equilibrium). The characteristic of any fluid at rest is that the force exerted on any particle of the fluid is the same at all points at the same depth (or altitude) within the fluid. If the net force is greater than zero the fluid will move in the direction of the resulting force. This concept was first formulated in a slightly extended form by [[France|French]] [[mathematician]] and [[philosopher]] [[Blaise Pascal]] in 1647 and became known as [[Pascal's law]]. It has many important applications in [[hydraulics]]. [[Archimedes]], [[Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī]], [[Al-Khazini]]<ref name=Rozhanskaya-642>Mariam Rozhanskaya and I. S. Levinova (1996), "Statics", p. 642, in {{Harv|Morelon|Rashed|1996|pp=614–642}}: {{quote|"Using a whole body of mathematical methods (not only those inherited from the antique theory of ratios and infinitesimal techniques, but also the methods of the contemporary algebra and fine calculation techniques), Arabic scientists raised statics to a new, higher level. The classical results of Archimedes in the theory of the centre of gravity were generalized and applied to three-dimensional bodies, the theory of ponderable lever was founded and the 'science of gravity' was created and later further developed in medieval Europe. The phenomena of statics were studied by using the dynamic approach so that two trends - statics and dynamics - turned out to be inter-related within a single science, mechanics. The combination of the dynamic approach with Archimedean hydrostatics gave birth to a direction in science which may be called medieval hydrodynamics. [...] Numerous experimental methods were developed for determining the specific weight, which were based, in particular, on the theory of balances and weighing. The classical works of al-Biruni and al-Khazini may be considered the beginning of the application of experimental methods in [[medieval science]]."}}</ref> and [[Galileo Galilei]] were also major figures in the development of hydrostatics.