Engineering Mechanics Viva Questions and Answers
1. State Newton's three laws of motion.
First Law: A body remains at rest or in motion unless acted upon by an external force.
Second Law: Force = mass × acceleration (F = ma).
Third Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
2. What is inertia?
The tendency of a body to resist a change in its state of rest or motion.
3. Define force and its unit.
Force is a push or pull on an object. SI unit is Newton (N).
4. What is the difference between mass and weight?
Mass is the amount of matter in a body (kg), weight is the force due to gravity (N).
5. What is momentum?
Momentum = mass × velocity. It is a measure of motion of a body.
6. What is a coplanar force system?
A system where all forces lie in the same plane.
7. Difference between concurrent and non-concurrent forces.
Concurrent: Forces meet at a single point. Non-concurrent: Forces do not meet at one point.
8. What is a resultant force?
A single force which represents the effect of multiple forces.
9. Define a couple.
Two equal and opposite forces acting on a body but not along the same line.
10. What is the parallelogram law of forces?
If two forces are represented by sides of a parallelogram, their resultant is along the diagonal.
11. What is equilibrium of a body?
When the net force and moment on a body are zero.
12. What are the conditions for equilibrium in 2D?
Sum of all horizontal forces = 0, vertical forces = 0, and moments = 0.
13. What is a free body diagram (FBD)?
A sketch showing all external forces acting on a body.
14. What is Lami's Theorem?
If a body is in equilibrium under 3 forces, each force is proportional to the sine of the angle between
the other two.
15. Method of joints and sections?
Used to find forces in truss members by solving equilibrium equations at joints or sections.
16. What is friction?
Resistance to motion between two surfaces in contact.
17. Define coefficient of friction.
Ratio of limiting friction to normal reaction.
18. Types of friction?
Static, dynamic (kinetic), and rolling friction.
19. Laws of friction?
Friction is proportional to normal force, independent of area, and opposes motion.
20. Example of useful friction?
Walking, brakes.
Example of problematic friction: Machine wear.
21. Define centre of gravity.
Point at which the entire weight of a body acts.
22. Finding CG of regular object?
Use geometric formulas for shapes or integration for irregular bodies.
23. What is moment of force?
Moment = Force × perpendicular distance from the pivot.
24. Varignon's Theorem?
Moment of a force about a point = sum of moments of its components.
25. What is torque?
Rotational equivalent of force. It causes rotation.
26. Types of beams?
Simply supported, cantilever, fixed, continuous.
27. Types of supports?
Roller, pinned (hinged), and fixed support.
28. Types of loads?
Point load, UDL (uniformly distributed load), UVL (uniformly varying load).
29. Define shear force and bending moment?
Shear force: force that tends to shear the section.
Bending moment: moment causing bending of beam.
30. Point of contraflexure?
Point where bending moment changes sign.
31. Scalar vs Vector?
Scalar: Only magnitude (e.g. time).
Vector: Magnitude and direction (e.g. force).
32. Difference between centroid and centre of gravity?
Centroid is geometric center.
Centre of gravity is the point where weight acts.
33. What is a truss?
A structure made of members joined at joints, used to support loads.
34. Define axial, shear, and bending stress?
Axial: Along length.
Shear: Parallel to surface.
Bending: Due to bending moment.
35. Applications of engineering mechanics?
Designing bridges, cranes, vehicles, machines, and buildings.
