EGN 3310 Statics

Handout 1

Chaps 1 & 2

Fall 2013

Chap. 1 General Principles

What is Mechanics?
What is Statics?

Mechanics

Rigid-body
M e c h a n ic s

Deformable-body
Mechanics

St a t i c s

Dynamics Deals

Deals with equilibrium of bodies

at rest or at constant velocity

with bodies under

accelerated motion

Fluid Mechanics

Design & Analysis of:

Structural systems
Mechanical systems
Electrical systems

Rigid-body mechanics is based on Newtons 3 Laws of Motion:

Law
st

2nd
3rd

Name

Description
A particle at rest or at constant velocity will remain so unless
Law of Equilibrium
subjected to an unbalanced force.
Law of Acceleration
A particle subjected to an unbalanced force accelerates.
Mutual action-reaction forces between two particles are equal,
Law of Mutual Attraction
opposite and collinear.

Steps to Effective Problem Solving:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Understand the problem

Tabulate the known data and draw a free-body diagram (FBD)
Apply mathematical principles
Solve the problem with units check
Evaluate your result (Make sense of your solution is it reasonable?)

Problem Formatting is an organizational skill!

On engineering paper
1. Define problem (in your own words is best)
2. Diagram (if appropriate) FBD
3. Analysis (step-by-step method)
4. Solution (report to 2-3 significant figures and underline or box)

DFiller

EGN 3310 Statics

Handout 1

Chaps 1 & 2

Fall 2013

DFiller

EGN 3310 Statics

Handout 1

Chaps 1 & 2

Fall 2013

Chap. 2 Force Vectors

Terminology - Learn the lingo! Stick with convention!
Scalar

(number)

Vector

( magnitude, direction, and sense)

Collinear (forces or vectors)

(sharing the same line, or alignment)

Orthogonal axes

(form right angles)

Parallelogram Law

(parallel sides of equal length, with equal opposite

angles; used with orthogonal and non-orthogonal axes)

Free Body Diagram (FBD)

Drawing/illustration

Resultant force (or vector)

(2 force vectors added together form a resultant

force vector)

Force triangle

(Triangle Rule, Law of Sines, Law of Cosines)

Rectangular components

(2D, rectify force as xy components using trig.)

Cartesian vector

(3D, xyz axes; rectify force as ijk components)

Unit vector (u)

(specifies direction)

Position vector (r)

(orients force between two points)

Coordinate direction angles

(, , orients force wrt xyz axes)

Concurrent force system

(multiple forces acting at/from the same point)

Dot product

Multiplication of two vectors together yields a scalar

Conventions:

z
+
+

DFiller

EGN 3310 Statics

Handout 1

Chaps 1 & 2

Fall 2013

Finding and resolving resultant forces.

2-4. Determine the magnitude of the resultant force FR = F1 + F2 and its direction, m easured
clockwise from the positive u axis.
2-5. Resolve the force F1 into components acting along the u and v axes and determine the
magnitudes of the components.

2-6. Resolve the force F2 into components acting along the u and v axes and determine the
magnitudes of th e components.

DFiller