I am looking for an equation for preventing an object from "Tipping"?

Question

We are looking at a 20' tall tower with three parallel sides. (perpendicular to the ground) The angled front face is @ 81 degrees. The upper portion of our tower is 5' x 3’ with its base measuring 2' x 3'. The center of gravity is out side of this base and it will tip over. How do I determine the amount of force required to prevent this. (Currently, two steel feet, connected to the towers base, are meant to prevent its tipping. I believe that due to the weight of each of the eight panels [50lbs each] and the degree to which the front face is angled, that the feet will not be sufficient to prevent its tipping unless additional weight is added to each footing) Please Advise

Answer 1

You calculate the effect of applied force by summing the moments acting on the tower. In a stable configuration, the net moment causes a reaction force, not a rotation... Or, if you're adding weight, you can just calculate the center of mass of the whole combined structure. Practically speaking, once you have the tower in static equilibrium, you also need to consider how much force it would take to disrupt that equilibrium, and insure that said force is comfortably larger than any anticipated external forces (wind, e.g.).