Enter the mass, the angle of the lever, the length of the lever above the center of mass and below the center of mass into the calculator to determine the tipping force of the object.

Tipping Force Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the tipping force of an object.

TF = m*g*cos(x)*b / (a+b)
  • Where TF is the tipping force (N)
  • m is the mass of the obejct (kg)
  • x is the angle of the lever being applied to the object (deg)
  • b is the length of the lever arm below the center of mass (m)
  • a is the length of the lever arm above the center of mass (m)

Tipping Force Definition

What is a tipping force?

A tipping force is a measure of the total amount of force it would require if when applied to a lever, it would cause an object to tip over, i.e. become unstable.

Example Problem

How to calculate a tipping force?

First, determine the mass of the object. In this example, we are looking at a cow with a mass of 680 kg.

Next, determine the angle of the level pushing the object. For this problem, the angle is applied at 65 degrees.

Next, determine the length of the lever above the center of mass. In this case, the lever is of equal lengths above and below the center of mass at .5 meters.

Next, determine the length of the lever below the center of mass. As mentioned previously, this is .5 meters.

Finally, calculate the tipping force using the formula above:

TF = m*g*cos(x)*b / (a+b)

TF = 680*9.81*cos(65)*.5 / (.5+.5)

TF = 1409.60 N