What is Mechanics?
The science which considers the effects of forces on rigid body(ies)
RIGID BODY – a definite amount of matter the parts of which are fixed in position relative to each other.
- An idealized extended solid whose size and shape are definitely fixed and remain
unaltered when forces are applied. (Deformation is neglected).
Treatment of the motion of a rigid body in terms of Newton's laws of motion leads to an understanding
of certain important aspects of the translational and rotational motion of real bodies without the
necessity of considering the complications involved when changes in size and shape occur.
Translational motion is the motion by which a body shifts from one point in space to another.
Rotational motion takes place in such a way that all of its particles move in circles about an axis with a
common angular velocity; also, the rotation of a particle about a fixed point in space
Solid bodies are never rigid; they deform under the action of applied forces. In many cases, this
deformation is negligible compared to the size of the body and thus the body maybe assumed rigid.
(In other words, the distance between any two given points of a rigid body remains constant in time
regardless of external forces exerted on it.)
Or you may say the body which does not deform under the influence of forces is known as a rigid body.
But, in real life, there would be some force under which the body starts to deform.
A bridge does not deform under the weight of a single man but it may deform under the load of a truck
or ten trucks.
However, the deformation is small. Since, no object is rigid body in real life; we have to introduce
another concept that is concept of resistant body so that we would be able to use it in engineering
problems.
• A body is said to be a resistant body, if it does not deform for the purpose for which it is made.
The chair does not deform if a
person sits on it, but it will
break if you put a load of 1000
kg on it or loads more than its
capacity to carry.
Therefore, a resistant body is rigid for the
purpose for which it is used.
What is Mechanics?
* the science which describes and predicts the conditions of rest or motion of bodies under the action
of forces.
* an applied science, it is not an abstract or pure science but does not have the empiricism found in
other engineering sciences.
* the foundation of most engineering sciences and is an indispensable prerequisite to their study.
Categories of Mechanics:
- Rigid bodies
- Statics (Mech 313)
- Dynamics (Mech 322)
- Deformable bodies (Mech 323)
- Fluids (CE 413)
Statics – branch of Mechanics that consider the effects and distribution of Forces on Rigid bodies which
are and remain at rest.`
Deformable bodies- deals on any body that changes its shape and/or volume while being acted upon by
any kind of external force
Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics that studies fluids (liquids, gases, and plasmas) and the forces
on them
Fundamental Concepts:
Force - represents the action of one body on another.
- is a push or pull acting upon an object as a result of its interaction with another object
- is any external effort that causes an object to undergo a certain change, either concerning its
movement, direction, or geometrical construction.
- A force is a vector quantity and is represented by the symbol F
Three characteristics of a Force:
a) magnitude
b) its point of application or position of its line of action
c) and direction, i.e.,
Units of a Force, F:
lbs = pounds or N = Newtons
Kip = 1000 lbs = kg(m/sec2)
Ton = 2000 lbs N = 2200 lbs
types of forces:
1. Frictional Force
2. Tension Force
3. Normal Force
4. Air Resistance
5. Applied Force
6. Spring Force
7. Gravitational Force
8. Electrical Force
9. Magnetic force
Friction force is the force exerted by a surface as an object moves across it or makes an effort to move
across it. There are at least two types of friction force - sliding and static friction. Though it is not always
the case, the friction force often opposes the motion of an object.
Tension force is the force that is transmitted through a string, rope, cable or wire when it is pulled tight
by forces acting from opposite ends. The tension force is directed along the length of the wire and pulls
equally on the objects on the opposite ends of the wire.
F F
F F
Normal force is the support force exerted upon an object that is in contact with another stable object.
For example, if a bowl is resting upon a surface, then the surface is exerting an upward force upon the
bowl in order to support the weight of the bowl.
W
Normal force is
positioned perpendicular
to the surface of contact
between two objects
N
Air resistance is a special type of frictional force that acts upon objects as they travel through the air.
The force of air resistance is often observed to oppose the motion of an object.
This force will frequently be neglected due
to its negligible magnitude (and due to the
fact that it is mathematically difficult to
predict its value). It is most noticeable for
objects that travel at high speeds (e.g., a
skydiver or a downhill skier) or for objects
with large surface areas.
Applied force, P is a force that is applied to an object by a person or another object.
The applied force P is the force
exerted on the movable cabinet by
the person
P
Spring force is the force exerted by a compressed or stretched spring upon any object that is attached to
it. An object that compresses or stretches a spring is always acted upon by a force that restores the
object to its rest or equilibrium position
Spring force is the force
exerted by a compressed
or stretched spring upon
any object that is
attached to it. An object
that compresses or
stretches a spring is
always acted upon by a
force that restores the
object to its rest or
eqilibrium position
Gravitational force is the force with
which the earth, moon, or other
massively large object attracts
another object towards itself. By
definition, this is the weight of the
object. All objects upon earth
experience a force of gravity that is
directed "downward" towards the
center of the earth. The force of
gravity on earth is always equal to the
weight of the object
Electric force is the attractive or repulsive interaction between any two charged objects
Magnetic force- the force
that exists between two
magnets, caused by the
interaction of their
magnetic fields. This force
causes the magnets to
attract or repel one another.
Principle of Transmissibility of a Force
“The external effect of a force on a body is the same for all points of application along its line of action;
i.e., it is independent of the point of application.
“The internal effect of a force, however, is definitely dependent on its point of application”
• Principle of Transmissibility
Force Systems
- any arrangement where two or three forces act on a body or on a group of related bodies
F1
F3
F2
Coplanar – when the lines of action of all the forces in a force system lie in one plane
Concurrent Forces - an arrangement where lines of action of the forces pass through a common point.
F
1
F
4
A
F F
2 3
2. Parallel Forces - an arrangement where lines of actions of forces are parallel and forces don’t
intersect
F
1
F
F 3
2
P F
Q T
Q T
3. Non-Concurrent Forces - an arrangement where lines of action are neither parallel nor intersect in a
common point.
F1
P
F2
F4
F3
Axioms of Mechanics
1. Parallelogram Law The resultant of
two forces is the diagonal of the
parallelogram formed in the vectors of
these forces.
1. Parallelogram Law
2. Equilibrium Law
Two forces are in equilibrium only when
equal in magnitude, opposite in direction and
collinear in action.
F = 50 lbs
T = 50 lbs
3. Law on Superposition
A set of forces in equilibrium
may be added to any system of
forces without changing the
effect of the original system
4. Law of Action and Reaction
T= 100 lbs F = 100 lbs
T = action force
F = reaction force
ACTION and REACTION forces are equal but oppositely directed
Action Force – force acting on the free body. Also called applied force
Reaction Force – force exerted by the free body upon the other bodies.
Triangle Law
R T
T
T = 100 lbs; φ
β F F
φ F = 50 lbs
δ δ
β = 90ᵒ
F
R R
R = resultant
δ
T
= √ 100 2+ 502
β β F
T φ
φ
= √ 111.8
δ
Find the resultant of the forces using
a) Parallelogram Law & b) Triangle Law
1. 2.
F= 60 N
T = 80 lbs
60º
40º
25º
30º
T = 40 N
P = 120 lbs
3.
F=5 kN
10º
50º
T = 10kN
VECTOR ANALYSIS
1) Give three examples of a scalar quantity and a vector
quantity.
2) Which of the following are scalars and which are vectors?
a) time e) entropy
b) magnetic field intensity f) acceleration
c) force g) gravitational coefficient
d) volume
PROBLEM 01 – 0002: Determine the dimension of the following vectors:
a = (1, 2)
b = (0, 4)
c = (1, 5, – 6, √2, 4)
d = (3, 7, 4 + α)
PROBLEM 01 – 0003: Describe the relationship between the three-dimensional
Euclidean space (or one- or two-dimensional subspace) and
a coordinate system. How does one construct a rectangular
cartesian coordinate system?
PROBLEM 01 – 0004: Figure 1 shows four rectangular Cartesian coordinate
systems. Determine which ones are right – handed and
which are left – handed.
PROBLEM 01 – 0005: Represent graphically the following vectors
a = (2, 1)
b = (0, 6)
c = (– 2, – 4)
d = (3, 2, 7)
e = (2, – 4, 3)
PROBLEM 01 – 0006: Represent graphically
1) a car travelling 20 km/h in a direction 20° east of north
2) a speedboat moving 150 km/h in a direction 30° east of
South
3) a force of 15 kg in the west direction
4) a force of 25 kg in a direction 15° north of east.
PROBLEM 01 – 0007: A car travels 5 miles due north, then 7 miles due northwest.
Represent both displacements graphically. Determine the
final position of the car
1) graphically
2) analytically
Assume that the car starts its journey from the origin of the
system.
Graphical Operations And Scalar Multiplication
PROBLEM 01 – 0008: Add graphically the following vectors
PROBLEM 01 – 0009: Construct graphically the following Vectors:
1) a – b
2) d + e + f
where vectors a, b, d, e, f are
PROBLEM 01 – 0010: Prove the following laws of addition and subtraction of
vectors:
1) a + b = b + a commutative law
2) a + (b + c) = (a + b) + c associative law
3) a + b = c if and only if b = c – a
4) a + 0 = a, a – a = 0
PROBLEM 01 – 0011: Forces of 2 pounds and 4 pounds act at an angle of 135° on
an object. Determine graphically what force is necessary to
balance them.
PROBLEM 01 – 0012: Five forces F1, F2, F3, F4, F5 act on a point P, as shown in
Fig. 1. Find the force F6, that if applied to point P, would
prevent it from moving.
PROBLEM 01 – 0013: Points O, A, B, C, in the x1x2 plane, have the following
coordinates
O : (0, 0), A : (3, 2), B : (4, 5), C : (1 / 2, 8)
Let a = OA, b = OB, and c = BC,
construct graphically the vectors
a + c and a + b + c.
PROBLEM 01 – 0014: Vectors a and b are non-collinear (not parallel to the same
line). Let r be any vector lying in the plane determined by a
and b. Express r in terms of a and b.
PROBLEM 01 – 0015: Let a, b, c be three non-coplanar vectors; that is vectors
which are not located on one plane. Furthermore, let r be
any given vector. Express vector r in terms of vectors a, b,
and c.
PROBLEM 01 – 0016: Points A, B, C are given with position vectors a, b, c. Show
that if the vector equation
αa + βb + γc = 0 (1)
holds with respect to the origin 0, then it will hold with
respect to any other origin 0' if and only if
α+β+γ=0 (2)
Analytical Operation On Vectors
PROBLEM 01 – 0017: The following vectors are given
a = (2, 1) b = (– 3, 5)
c = (2, 4, 1) d = (1, – 2, 3).
Find analytically, (i.e. without graphical constructions) the
following vectors
1) a + b
2) 3a
3) 2a + (3 / 4)b
4) c + d
5) 2c – d
6) 3c – 3d
PROBLEM 01 – 0018: Using the component representation of vectors, prove the
following laws:
1) the commutative law
a+b=b+a
2) the associative law
a + (b + c) = (a + b) + c
3) a + b = c if and only if b = c – a
4) a + 0 = a; a – a = 0
PROBLEM 01 – 0019: Show that in two – and three-dimensional space the
graphical and analytical methods of
1) addition
2) subtraction
of vectors lead to the same results.
PROBLEM 01 – 0020: Let a and b be given vectors, such that
a = (a1, a2, a3)
b = (b1, b2, b3)
Find vectors x and y which satisfy the following equations
3x + y = 2a + b (1)
– 2x + 4y = a – 2b (2)
PROBLEM 01 – 0021: Let vectors a, b, c be given such that
a = (2, 4, 1)
b = (3, – 2, 1)
c = (– 1, – 1, 2)
Find the following vectors
1) d = a + 2b
2) e = 2a – b + 2c
3) f = 100a – b
4) g = a + b + αc where α is a scalar
5) h = a + 2b + 3c
Applications In Geometry And Physics
PROBLEM 01 – 0022: A river is flowing at a speed of 20 km/h. A boat is crossing
the river at a water speed of 20 km/h as shown in Fig. 1.
What is the direction and land speed of the boat? Is it
possible for this boat to cross the river in the shortest way,
i.e. from point A to point B?
PROBLEM 01 – 0023: An airplane moves in a northwesterly direction at a speed of
250 miles/ hr relative to the ground. The wind, at 80 miles/hr
relative to the ground, is blowing from west to east. At what
speed and in what direction would the plane have traveled if
there were no wind?
PROBLEM 01 – 0024: Prove the following theorems:
1) the line segment joining the mid-points of two sides of a
triangle is parallel to the third side and has half of its length.
2) the diagonals of a parallelogram bisect each other.
PROBLEM 01 – 0025: Prove that:
The medians of a triangle meet in a single point which
trisects each of these medians.
PROBLEM 01 – 0026: Find point C, which divides the line segment AB in the ratio
p : q.
PROBLEM 01 – 0027: Let ABCD be any quadrilateral and K, L, M, N be the
mid-points of its sides. Show that connecting the mid-points
of the consecutive sides forms a parallelogram.
PROBLEM 01 – 0028: Points A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H are the vertices of the
parallelepiped shown in the figure.
Express the vectors AC, AF, AG, AH, FG, EG in terms of b,
e, and d, where
AB = b, AE = e, AD = d.
