CES2104 Lecture 1 - Introduction To Statics PDF
CES2104 Lecture 1 - Introduction To Statics PDF
CES2104 Lecture 1 - Introduction To Statics PDF
Rigid Bodies
Lecture 1: Introduction to Statics
What is Mechanics?
Mechanics is the science which
describes and predicts the conditions
of rest or motion of bodies under the
action of forces.
Rotate.
At rest.
In motion. Deformed.
Or simply, mechanics is…
Mechanics
ball
ball
W W
Modeling
Physical Problem
Physical idealizations: particles,
rigid body, concentrated forces, etc.
Physical Model
Physical laws: Newton’s laws
Applied to each interacting body
(free body diagram)
Mathematical model
(set of equations)
Solution of equations: Using
pen+paper/own code/ canned
software like Matlab
Does answer
make sense?
No!
YES!
Happy ☺
Physical Idealizations
Continuum: For most engineering applications assume
matter to be a continuous distribution rather than a
conglomeration of particles.
Rigid body: A continuum that does not undergo any
deformation.
Particle: No dimensions, only has mass. Important
simplifying assumption for situation where mass is
more important than exactly how it is distributed.
Point force: A body transmits force to another
through a finite area of contact. But it is sometimes
easier to assume that a finite force is transmitted
through an infinitesimal area.
Basic Concepts
RIGID BODY
Scalars and Vectors
F is a free vector.
P+Q=R
• Principle of Transmissibility
• Parallelogram Law
Vectors
V=Vn
Thus, any vector can also be
expressed in rectangular
components in terms of unit
vectors i, j, k which are in x- y- z-
coordinates.
Newton’s Laws
W
Units
F = ma F
m=
m a
1 N = (1 kg )1 2 1 lb
s 1slug =
1ft s
Units
• Kinetic Units: length (m), time (s), mass (kg), and force (N).
• Three of the kinetic units, referred to as basic units, may be defined arbitrarily.
The fourth unit, referred to as a derived unit, must have a definition compatible
with Newton’s 2nd Law,
F = ma
• The use of hand calculators and computers generally makes the accuracy
of the computations much greater than the accuracy of the data. Hence,
the solution accuracy is usually limited by the data accuracy.
Accuracy, Limits and
Approximation
• Differentials
• Higher order differentials may always be neglected compared to
lower –order differentials when the mathematical limit is
approached.
• Small angle approximation
Note: θ is in
radians