Caption: A rigid object supported by a free pivot ABOVE its center of mass will be stably balanced: i.e., in stable equilibrium.
Everyday life experience tells you this even if you don't know the expression center of mass.
Some objects, like the balancing bird in the figure, have unusual mass distributions, and so their centers of mass are NOT where you would guess. For balancing bird, the center of mass is under the beak which allows the balancing bird, to balance stably like a hanging object. See the video Balancing Bird | 0:28.
Credit/Permission: ©
APN MJM,
2012 /
Creative Commons
CC BY-SA 3.0.
Image link: Wikipedia:
File:Bird toy showing center of gravity.jpg.
Local file: local link: center_of_mass_balancing_bird.html.
File: Mechanics file:
center_of_mass_balancing_bird.html.