Engineering Mechanics – “Statics”
Lecturer: Engr. Shad Muhammad
Department of Civil Engineering Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Statics
Qurtuba University of Science & Information Technology, Dera Ismail Khan, KPK, Pakistan.
2nd Semester (2019) : Version 1.0
Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Statics
• Mechanics
• Basic Concepts
• Scalars and Vectors
• Newton’s Laws
• Units
• Law of Gravitation
• Accuracy, Limit and Approximations
• Problem Solving in Statics
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Mechanics
• Mechanics is the physical science which deals with the effects of forces on objects.
• The principles of mechanics are central to research and development in the fields of vibrations, stability and strength of structures and
machines, robotics, rocket and spacecraft design, automatic control, engine performance, fluid flow, electrical machines and apparatus,
and molecular, atomic, and subatomic behavior.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Categorization of Mechanics
Mechanics
Classical / Newtonian
Mechanics
Relativistic Mechanics Quantum Mechanics
(Engineering
Mechanics)
Mechanics of Solid Mechanics of Fluids
Mechanics of Rigid Mechanics of
Ideal Fluids Viscous Fluids Incompressible Fluids
Bodies Deformable Bodies
Statics Dynamics Strength of Materials Theory of Elasticity Theory of Plasticity
Kinetics Kinematics
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Categorization of Mechanics
• The subject of mechanics is logically divided into two parts:
• Statics, which concerns the equilibrium of bodies under action of forces, and
• Dynamics, which concerns the motion of bodies.
Engineering Mechanics is divided into these two parts,
Vol. 1 Statics
Vol. 2 Dynamics
Statics deals primarily with the calculation of external forces which
act on rigid bodies in equilibrium.
Determination of the internal deformations belongs to the study of
the mechanics of deformable bodies, which normally follows
statics in the curriculum.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
History of Mechanics
• Mechanics is the oldest of the physical sciences.
• The earliest recorded writings in mechanics are those of Archimedes (287–212 B.C.) on the principle of the lever and the principle of
buoyancy.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
History of Mechanics
• The earliest recorded writings in mechanics are those of Archimedes (287–212 B.C.) on the principle of the lever and the principle of
buoyancy.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
History of Mechanics
• The earliest recorded writings in mechanics are those of Archimedes (287–212 B.C.) on the principle of the lever and the principle of
buoyancy.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
History of Mechanics
• Formulation of the laws of vector combination of forces by Stevinus (1548–1620), who also formulated most of the principles of statics.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
History of Mechanics
• The first investigation of a dynamics problem is credited to Galileo (1564–1642) for his experiments with falling stones.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRhkQTQxm4w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_sJ15feNGw
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
History of Mechanics
• The accurate formulation of the laws of motion, as well as the law of gravitation, was made by Newton (1642–1727), who also
conceived the idea of the infinitesimal in mathematical analysis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRhkQTQxm4w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_sJ15feNGw
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
History of Mechanics
• Substantial contributions to the development of mechanics were also made by da Vinci, Varignon, Euler, D’Alembert, Lagrange, Laplace,
and others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRhkQTQxm4w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_sJ15feNGw
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Some Basic Concepts
• Space is the geometric region occupied by bodies whose positions are described by linear and angular measurements relative to a
coordinate system. For three-dimensional problems, three independent coordinates are needed. For two-dimensional problems, only
two coordinates are required.
• Time is the measure of the succession of events and is a basic quantity in dynamics. Time is not directly involved in the analysis of statics
problems.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Some Basic Concepts
• Mass is a measure of the inertia of a body, which is its resistance to a change of velocity. Mass can also be thought of as the
quantity of matter in a body. The mass of a body affects the gravitational attraction force between it and other bodies. This force
appears in many applications in statics.
• Force is the action of one body on another. A force tends to move a body in the direction of its action. The action of a force is
characterized by its magnitude, by the direction of its action, and by its point of application. Thus force is a vector quantity, and
its properties are discussed in detail in Chapter 2.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Some Basic Concepts
• A particle is a body of negligible dimensions. In the mathematical sense, a particle is a body whose dimensions are considered to be near
zero so that we may analyze it as a mass concentrated at a point. We often choose a particle as a differential element of a body. We may
treat a body as a particle when its dimensions are irrelevant to the description of its position or the action of forces applied to it.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Some Basic Concepts
• Rigid body. A body is considered rigid when the change in distance between any two of its points is negligible for the purpose at hand.
For instance, the calculation of the tension in the cable which supports the boom of a mobile crane under load is essentially unaffected
by the small internal deformations in the structural members of the boom.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Scalars and Vectors
• Scalar quantities are those with which only a magnitude is associated.
• Examples: time, volume, density, speed, energy, and mass.
• Vector quantities, on the other hand, possess direction as well as magnitude, and must obey the parallelogram law of addition as
described later in this article.
• Examples: displacement, velocity, acceleration, force, moment, and momentum.
Speed is a scalar. It is the magnitude of velocity, which is a vector. Thus velocity is specified by a direction as well as a speed.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Scalars and Vectors
Vectors representing physical quantities can be classified as free, sliding, or fixed.
• A free vector is one whose action is not confined to or associated with a unique line in space. For example, if a body moves without
rotation, then the movement or displacement of any point in the body may be taken as a vector. This vector describes equally well the
direction and magnitude of the displacement of every point in the body. Thus, we may represent the displacement of such a body by a
free vector.
• A sliding vector has a unique line of action in space but not a unique point of application. For example, when an external force acts on a
rigid body, the force can be applied at any point along its line of action without changing its effect on the body as a whole, and thus it is a
sliding vector.
• A fixed vector is one for which a unique point of application is specified. The action of a force on a deformable or non-rigid body must be
specified by a fixed vector at the point of application of the force. In this instance the forces and deformations within the body depend
on the point of application of the force, as well as on its magnitude and line of action.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Working with Vectors
Vector Sum
V = V1 + V2
• Law of Parallelogram: Vectors must obey the parallelogram law of combination
• Law of Triangles: The two vectors V1 and V2, again treated as free vectors, may also be added head-to-tail by the triangle law, as shown
in Fig. 1/2c,
Law of Parallelogram Law of Triangle
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Working with Vectors
Vector Subtraction
V = V1 - V2
• The difference V1 - V2 between the two vectors is easily obtained by adding -V2 to V1.
• Vector subtraction is a special type of vector addition.
Vector Addition Vector Subtraction
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Working with Vectors
Rectangular Components
• Thus, the vectors V1 and V2 are the components of V in the directions 1 and 2, respectively.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Working with Vectors
Unit Vector
• A vector V may be expressed mathematically by multiplying its magnitude V by a vector n whose magnitude is one and whose direction
coincides with that of V. The vector n is called a unit vector.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Newton Laws
Law 1:
• A particle remains at rest or continues to move with uniform velocity (in a straight line with a constant speed) if there is no unbalanced
force acting on it.
• Newton’s first law contains the principle of the equilibrium of forces, which is the main topic of concern in statics. This law is actually a
consequence of the second law, since there is no acceleration when the force is zero, and the particle either is at rest or is moving with a
uniform velocity. The first law adds nothing new to the description of motion but is included here because it was part of Newton’s
classical statements.
*Newton’s original formulations may be found in the translation of his Principia (1687) revised
by F. Cajori, University of California Press, 1934.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Newton Laws
Law 2:
• The acceleration of a particle is proportional to the vector sum of forces acting on it, and is in the direction of this vector sum.
• Newton’s second law forms the basis for most of the analysis in dynamics.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Newton Laws
Law 3:
• The forces of action and reaction between interacting bodies are equal in magnitude, opposite in direction, and collinear (they lie on the
same line).
• The third law is basic to our understanding of force. It states that forces always occur in pairs of equal and opposite forces.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Units
Units
FPS
SI CGS MKS
(U.S Customary Units)
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Units
SI Units:
• The International System of Units, abbreviated SI (from the French, Système International d’Unités), is accepted in the United States and
throughout the world, and is a modern version of the metric system.
• Force (N) = mass (kg) * acceleration (m/s2)
• N = kg * m/s2
• W (N) = m (kg) * g (m/s2)
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Units
US Customary Units:
• The U.S. customary, or British system of units, also called the foot-pound-second (FPS) system, has been the common system in business
and industry in English-speaking countries. Although this system will in time be replaced by SI units, for many more years engineers must
be able to work with both SI units and FPS.
• force (lb) = mass (slugs) * acceleration (ft/sec2)
Note that seconds is abbreviated as s in SI units, and as sec in FPS units.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Units
Absolute vs Gravitational System:
• The International System of Units (SI) is termed an absolute system because the measurement of the base quantity mass is independent
of its environment. On the other hand, the U.S. system (FPS) is termed a gravitational system because its base quantity force is defined
as the gravitational attraction (weight) acting on a standard mass under specified conditions (sea level and 45 latitude).
• In SI units the kilogram is used exclusively as a unit of mass—never force. In the MKS (meter, kilogram, second) gravitational system,
which has been used for many years in non-English-speaking countries, the kilogram, like the pound, has been used both as a unit of
force and as a unit of mass.
Note that seconds is abbreviated as s in SI units, and as sec in FPS units.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Unit Conversion
Absolute vs Gravitational System:
• The International System of Units (SI) is termed an absolute system because the measurement of the base quantity mass is independent
of its environment. On the other hand, the U.S. system (FPS) is termed a gravitational system because its base quantity force is defined
as the gravitational attraction (weight) acting on a standard mass under specified conditions (sea level and 45 latitude).
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Unit Conversion
Absolute vs Gravitational System:
• The International System of Units (SI) is termed an absolute system because the measurement of the base quantity mass is independent
of its environment. On the other hand, the U.S. system (FPS) is termed a gravitational system because its base quantity force is defined
as the gravitational attraction (weight) acting on a standard mass under specified conditions (sea level and 45 latitude).
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Law of Gravitation
Absolute vs Gravitational System:
• The true weight (gravitational attraction) and the apparent weight (as measured by a spring scale) are slightly different. The difference,
which is due to the rotation of the earth, is quite small and will be neglected.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Accuracy, Limits and Approximations
Significant Figures:
• The true weight (gravitational attraction) and the apparent weight (as measured by a spring scale) are slightly different. The difference,
which is due to the rotation of the earth, is quite small and will be neglected.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Accuracy, Limits and Approximations
Precision:
• The true weight (gravitational attraction) and the apparent weight (as measured by a spring scale) are slightly different. The difference,
which is due to the rotation of the earth, is quite small and will be neglected.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Accuracy, Limits and Approximations
Differentials:
• The true weight (gravitational attraction) and the apparent weight (as measured by a spring scale) are slightly different. The difference,
which is due to the rotation of the earth, is quite small and will be neglected.
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Lecture # 1 : Introduction to Engineering Mechanics
Accuracy, Limits and Approximations
Small Angle Approximations:
• The true weight (gravitational attraction) and the apparent weight (as measured by a spring scale) are slightly different. The difference,
which is due to the rotation of the earth, is quite small and will be neglected.
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