Editing Statics (section)

===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]].