A body with little base of support that manages to maintain itself without falling is in balance.
From the Latin aequilibrĭum , the term equilibrium refers to the state of a body when the opposing forces acting on it compensate and destroy each other.
Balance, on the other hand, is known as the situation in which a body finds itself when, despite having little base of support, it manages to maintain itself without falling . For example: "I can't believe how the bottle was balanced and didn't fall despite being resting on such a flimsy table," "Peter was walking along the ledge, lost his balance and fell into the void."
In this sense, we have to emphasize that there is an artistic profession that revolves precisely around that. We are referring to the tightrope walker, who is an artist from the circus world who is dedicated to performing highly complex balance exercises on a wire that is placed several meters high.
Two weights that are equal and counteract each other or two counterbalanced bodies are also in balance: "Please try to carry the bags to the other side of the boat to distribute the weight and promote balance," "I have to place some stones." on the left side of the model so that things are balanced .
balance beam
In the same way, we must not forget that the term in question is also very important within the world of sports . Thus, there is what is known as a balance beam. This is a device that becomes a fundamental piece of artistic gymnastics.
Specifically, it is a wooden bar that is approximately one meter high, which measures about five meters long and is 1 decimeter wide, in the case of women's rhythmic gymnastics. In it, the athletes have to carry out a series of exercises for a maximum of 90 seconds to demonstrate their balance.
Flying elements, a jump, an acrobatic series, a turn and a mixed series are the exercises that are specifically asked to be undertaken on said apparatus in sports competitions.
A tightrope walker manages to maintain balance in complex conditions.
The term in a symbolic sense
In many areas of our current society the term balance is also used. Thus, for example, in politics we usually talk about what the balance of power would be, which is used to reflect that different countries try to maintain a good relationship with the rest of the states within the scope of international politics with the clear objective that none of them holds maximum power over the rest.
In a symbolic sense, balance refers to harmony between diverse things , moderation, equanimity, reasonableness in judgments and acts of temporization. The person who acts with balance manages to travel through various paths without falling, that is, without losing control or being harmed.
"Some nights I go out to have fun but on others I prefer to stay and rest: I need to balance so as not to neglect any aspect of my life" is a phrase that a young person may utter when commenting on how he manages to combine fun with responsibilities.
"He thinks I should never leave this job and I want to quit tomorrow: it would be best to find a balance between both positions" is another example of the use of this concept.