CHAPTER ONE & CHAPTER TWO LECTURE ONE DR. SHAYMAA A. M.

Mechanics is a branch of the physical sciences that are concerned with the state of
rest or motion of bodies that are subjected to the action of forces.

In general, this subject can be subdivided into three branches: rigid-body mechanics,
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deformable-body mechanics, and fluid mechanics. In this book, we will study rigid-
body mechanics since it is a basic requirement for the study of the mechanics of
deformable bodies and the mechanics of fluids. Furthermore, rigid-body mechanics
is essential for the design and analysis of many types of structural members,
mechanical components, or electrical devices encountered in engineering.

• Rigid body mechanics

A rigid body can be considered as a combination of a large number of
particles in which all the particles remain at a fixed distance from one another,
both before and after applying a load. This model is important because the
body’s shape does not change when a load is applied, so we do not have to
consider the type of material from which the body is made. In most cases, the
actual deformations occurring in structures, machines, mechanisms, and the
like are relatively small, and the rigid-body assumption is suitable for
analysis.
CHAPTER ONE & CHAPTER TWO LECTURE ONE DR. SHAYMAA A. M.

Rigid-body mechanics is divided into two areas: statics and dynamics.

Statics deals with the equilibrium of bodies, that is, those that are either at
rest or move with a constant velocity; whereas dynamics is concerned with
the accelerated motion of bodies. We can consider statics as a special case of Page | 2

dynamics, in which the acceleration is zero; however, statics deserves

separate treatment in engineering education since many objects are designed
with the intention that they remain in equilibrium

• Deformable body mechanics

• Fluid mechanics

Force. In general, force is considered as a “push” or “pull” exerted by one body on

another. This interaction can occur when there is direct contact between the bodies,
such as a person pushing on a wall, or it can occur through a distance when the
bodies are physically separated. Examples of the latter type include gravitational,
electrical, and magnetic forces. In any case, a force is completely characterized by
its magnitude, direction, and point of application.
CHAPTER ONE & CHAPTER TWO LECTURE ONE DR. SHAYMAA A. M.

The Force system divided into four cases

• Coplanar force system

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• Non-coplanar force system

• Concurrent force system

• Non-concurrent force system

CHAPTER ONE & CHAPTER TWO LECTURE ONE DR. SHAYMAA A. M.

Newton’s Three Laws of Motion.

Engineering mechanics is formulated based on Newton’s three laws of motion, the

validity of which is based on experimental observation. These laws apply to the
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motion of a particle as measured from a nonaccelerating reference frame. They may
be briefly stated as follows.

First Law. A particle originally at rest, or moving in a straight line with constant
velocity, tends to remain in this state provided the particle is not subjected to an
unbalanced force,

Second Law. A particle acted upon by an unbalanced force F experiences an

acceleration a that has the same direction as the force and a magnitude that is directly
proportional to the force. If F is applied to a particle of mass m, this law may be
expressed mathematically as F = ma

Third Law. The mutual forces of action and reaction between two particles are
equal, opposite, and collinear,
CHAPTER ONE & CHAPTER TWO LECTURE ONE DR. SHAYMAA A. M.

Units of Measurement
SI Units. The International System of units, abbreviated SI after the French
“Système International d’Unités,” is a modern version of the metric system which
has received worldwide recognition. As shown in Table 1–1, the SI system defines
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length in meters (m), time in seconds (s), and mass in kilograms (kg). The unit of
force, called a newton (N).
U.S. Customary. In the U.S. Customary system of units (FPS) length is measured
in feet (ft), time in seconds (s), and force in pounds (lb).
CHAPTER ONE & CHAPTER TWO LECTURE ONE DR. SHAYMAA A. M.

Scalars and Vectors

Many physical quantities in engineering mechanics are measured using either scalars
or vectors.
Scalar: A scalar is any positive or negative physical quantity that can be completely Page | 6
specified by its magnitude. Examples of scalar quantities include length, mass, and
time.
Vector: A vector is any physical quantity that requires both a magnitude and a
direction for its complete description. Examples of vectors encountered in statics are
force, position, and moment. A vector is shown graphically by an arrow. The length
of the arrow represents the magnitude of the vector, and the angle u between the
vector and a fixed axis defines the direction of its line of action. The head or tip of
the arrow indicates the sense of direction of the vector. In print, vector quantities are
represented by boldface letters such as A, and the magnitude of a vector is italicized,
A. For handwritten work, it is often convenient to denote a vector quantity by simply
drawing an arrow above it, 𝐴⃗.

Vector Operations
Vector Addition. When adding two vectors together it is important to account for
both their magnitudes and their directions. To do this we must use the
parallelogram law of addition. To illustrate, the two-component vectors A and B
in Fig. 2–3a are added to form a resultant vector R using the following procedure:
• First join the tails of the components at a point to make them concurrent, Fig. 2–
3b.
CHAPTER ONE & CHAPTER TWO LECTURE ONE DR. SHAYMAA A. M.

• From the head of B, draw a line parallel to A. Draw another line from the head of
A that is parallel to B. These two lines intersect at point P to form the adjacent sides
of a parallelogram.
• The diagonal of this parallelogram that extends to P forms R, which then
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represents the resultant vector

Procedure for Analysis

Problems that involve the addition of two forces can be solved as follows:
Parallelogram Law.
• Two “component” forces 𝐹1 and 𝐹2 in Fig. 2–10a add according to the
parallelogram law, yielding a resultant force 𝐹𝑅 that forms the diagonal of the
parallelogram.

• If a force 𝐹 is to be resolved into components along two axes 𝑢 and v, Fig. 2–10b,
then start at the head of force 𝐹 and construct lines parallel to the axes, thereby
forming the parallelogram. The sides of the parallelogram represent the components,
𝐹𝑢 and 𝐹𝑣 .
CHAPTER ONE & CHAPTER TWO LECTURE ONE DR. SHAYMAA A. M.

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• Label all the known and unknown force magnitudes and the angles on the sketch
and identify the two unknowns as the magnitude and direction of 𝐹𝑅 , or the
magnitudes of its components.

Trigonometry.
• Redraw a half portion of the parallelogram to illustrate the triangular head-to-tail
addition of the components.

• From this triangle, the magnitude of the resultant force can be determined using
the law of cosines, and its direction is determined from the law of sines. The
magnitudes of two force components are determined from the law of sines. The
formulas are given in Fig. 2–10c.
Cosine law:

𝑅 = √𝐴2 + 𝐵2 − 2𝐴𝐵 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝑐

Sine law:
sin 𝑎 sin 𝑏 sin 𝑐
= =
𝐴 𝐵 𝐶
CHAPTER ONE & CHAPTER TWO LECTURE ONE DR. SHAYMAA A. M.

Example
The screw eye in Fig. 2–11a is subjected to two forces, 𝐹1 and 𝐹2 . Determine the
magnitude and direction of the resultant force.
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SOLUTION
Parallelogram Law. The parallelogram is formed by drawing a line from the head
of 𝐹1 that is parallel to 𝐹2 , and another line from the head of 𝐹2 that is parallel to 𝐹1 .
The resultant force 𝐹𝑅 extends to where these lines intersect at point A, Fig. 2–11b.
The two unknowns are the magnitude of 𝐹𝑅 and the angle 𝜃 (𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑡𝑎).

Trigonometry. From the parallelogram, the vector triangle is constructed, Fig. 2–

11c. Using the law of cosines
CHAPTER ONE & CHAPTER TWO LECTURE ONE DR. SHAYMAA A. M.

Cosine law:

𝑅 = √𝐴2 + 𝐵2 − 2𝐴𝐵 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝑐

𝐹𝑅 = √100𝑁 2 + 150𝑁 2 − 2 ∗ 100𝑁 ∗ 150𝑁 𝑐𝑜𝑠 115

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= √10000 + 22500 − 30 000(−0.4226)
= 𝟐𝟏𝟐. 𝟔 𝑵 𝑨𝒏𝒔.
Applying the law of sines to determine 𝜃
Sine law:
sin 𝑎 sin 𝑏 sin 𝑐
= =
𝐴 𝐵 𝐶
150𝑁 212.6𝑁
=
sin 𝜃 sin 1150
150𝑁
sin 𝜃 = ∗ sin 1150
212.6𝑁
𝜃 = 39.8𝑜
Thus, the direction ∅ (𝑝ℎ𝑖) of 𝐹𝑅 , measured from the horizontal, is
∅ = 39.8𝑜 + 15.0𝑜 = 54.8𝑜 𝐴𝑛𝑠.

NOTE: The results seem reasonable, since Fig. 2–11b shows 𝐹𝑅 to have a
magnitude larger than its components and a direction that is between them.
CHAPTER ONE & CHAPTER TWO LECTURE ONE DR. SHAYMAA A. M.

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CHAPTER ONE & CHAPTER TWO LECTURE ONE DR. SHAYMAA A. M.

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CHAPTER ONE & CHAPTER TWO LECTURE ONE DR. SHAYMAA A. M.

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