Topic 1:

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

UniKL Malaysia France Institute

M E C H A N I C A L A N D M A N U F A C T U R I N G S E C T I O N : M E C H A N I C A L U N I T

1.1 Engineering Mechanics

Mechanics is a branch of the physical sciences that is concerned with the state of rest or motion of
bodies subjected to the action of forces. The mechanics is divided into three parts: mechanics of
rigid bodies, mechanics of deformable bodies, and mechanics of fluids.

Mechanics

Deformable
Rigid Bodies Fluids
Bodies

Strength of
Statics Dynamics Ideal Fluid
Materials

Theory of
Kinematics Kinetics Viscous Fluid
Plasticity

Theory of Compressible
Elasticity Fluid

Chart 1.1: Classification of Mechanics

The mechanics of rigid bodies is subdivided into two areas:

 Statics is concerned with the equilibrium of a body that is either at rest or move with a constant
velocity.
 Dynamics is concerned which deals with the accelerated motion of a body. Motion exists where
there is a change in position or orientation of an object with reference to some other object or
objects. Dynamics is further classified into two categories:
 Kinematics is defined as the study of the geometry of motion without the consideration
of the cause that has produced the motion (mass or force).
 Kinetics is defined as the study of the geometry of motion in consideration of the cause
(mass and force) due to which the motion is produced.
The study of dynamics in engineering usually follows the study of statics, which deals with the
action of forces on bodies at rest.

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 Topic 1:
GENERAL PRINCIPLES

UniKL Malaysia France Institute

M E C H A N I C A L A N D M A N U F A C T U R I N G S E C T I O N : M E C H A N I C A L U N I T

1.2 Fundamental Concepts

Basic Concepts
The basic concepts used in mechanics are space, time, mass, and force.
 Space is associated with the notion of the position of a point P. The position of P can be defined
by three lengths measured from a certain reference point, or origin, in three given directions.
These lengths are known as the coordinates of P.
 Time is conceived as a succession of events. Although the principles of statics are time
independent, this quantity does play an important role in the study of dynamics.
 Mass is property of matter by which we can compare the action of one body with that of
another. This property manifests itself as a gravitational attraction between two bodies and
provides a quantitative measure of the resistance of matter to a change in velocity.
 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 pushing on a wall, or it can
occur through a distance when the bodies are physically separated.

Newton’s Three Fundamental Laws

Formulated by Sir Isaac Newton in the latter part of the seventeenth century, these laws can be
stated as follows:
 FIRST LAW. If the resultant force acting on a particle is zero, the particle will remain at rest (if
originally at rest) or will move with constant speed in a straight line (if originally in motion).
 SECOND LAW. If the resultant force acting on a particle is not zero, the particle will have an
acceleration proportional to the magnitude of the resultant and in the direction of this resultant
force.
F = ma
where F, m, and a represent, respectively, the resultant force acting on the particle, the mass
of the particle, and the acceleration of the particle, expressed in a consistent system of units.
 THIRD LAW. The forces of action and reaction between bodies in contact have the same
magnitude, same line of action, and opposite sense.

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 Topic 1:
GENERAL PRINCIPLES

UniKL Malaysia France Institute

M E C H A N I C A L A N D M A N U F A C T U R I N G S E C T I O N : M E C H A N I C A L U N I T

1.3 System of Units

International System of Units (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.

The SI units derive all the units used in the various technologies from the following of seven
base units.
Quantity Unit Symbol
Length meter m
Mass kilogram kg
Time second s
Electric current Ampere A
Temperature Kelvin K
Luminous intensity Candela Cd
Amount of substance mole mol
Table 1.1: SI base units

When a numerical quantity is either very large or very small, the units used to define its size
may be modified by using a prefix.

Symbol Prefix Multiplication Factor

T tera 1012 1,000,000,000,000
G giga 109 1,000,000,000
M mega 106 1,000,000
k kilo 103 1,000
h hecto 102 100
da deca 101 10
d deci 10-1 0.1
c centi 10-2 0.01
m milli 10-3 0.001
µ micro 10-6 0.000,001
n nano 10-9 0.000,000,001
p pico 10-12 0.000,000,000,001
Table 1.2: SI Prefixes

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 Topic 1:
GENERAL PRINCIPLES

UniKL Malaysia France Institute

M E C H A N I C A L A N D M A N U F A C T U R I N G S E C T I O N : M E C H A N I C A L U N I T

Units of Area and Volume

The unit of area is the square meter (m2), which represents the area of a square of side 1 m; the
unit of volume is the cubic meter (m3), equal to the volume of a cube of side 1 m. In order to avoid
exceedingly small or large numerical values in the computation of areas and volumes, one uses
systems of subunits obtained by respectively squaring and cubing not only the millimeter (mm) but
also two intermediate submultiples of the meter, namely, the decimeter (dm) and the centimeter
(cm). Since, by definition,

1 dm = 0.1 m = 10-1 m

1 cm = 0.01 m = 10-2 m

1 mm = 0.001 m = 10-3 m

the submultiples of the unit of area are

1 dm2 = (1 dm)2 = (10-1 m)2 = 10-2 m

1 cm2 = (1 cm)2 = (10-2 m)2 = 10-4 m

1 mm2 = (1 mm)2 = (10-3 m)2 = 10-6 m

and the submultiples of the unit of volume are

1 dm3 = (1 dm)3 = (10-1 m)3 = 10-3 m

1 cm3 = (1 cm)3 = (10-2 m)3 = 10-6 m

1 mm3 = (1 mm)3 = (10-3 m)3 = 10-9 m

U.S. Customary Units

The U.S. customary units, commonly known in the United States as English units or standard units,
are the non-SI (non-metric) units of measurement that are currently used in the U.S., in some cases
alongside the International System of Units. Another term is the foot–pound–second (FPS) system.
These units are, respectively, the foot (ft), the pound (lb), and the second (s).

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 Topic 1:
GENERAL PRINCIPLES

UniKL Malaysia France Institute

M E C H A N I C A L A N D M A N U F A C T U R I N G S E C T I O N : M E C H A N I C A L U N I T

Conversion from One System of Units to Another

The strength of the gravitational field is numerically equal to the acceleration of objects under its
influence, and its value at the Earth's surface, denoted g, is approximately expressed below as the
standard average.

Name Gravitational (g)

SI Units 9.81 m/s²
U.S. Customary 32.2 ft/s²
Table 1.3: Standard gravity or standard acceleration due to free fall

Name Length Time Mass Force

meter second kilogram Newton
SI Units
(m) (s) (kg) (N)
U.S.
foot second slug Pound
Customary
(ft) (s) (lb.s²/ft) (lb)
(FPS)

Table 1.4: Systems of Units

Quantity Unit of Measurement (FPS) Unit of Measurement (SI)

Force lb 4.4482 N
Mass slug 14.5938 kg
Length ft 0.3048 m
Table 1.5: Conversion Factors

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 Topic 1:
GENERAL PRINCIPLES

UniKL Malaysia France Institute

M E C H A N I C A L A N D M A N U F A C T U R I N G S E C T I O N : M E C H A N I C A L U N I T

1.4 Density

In physics, density is mass (m) per unit volume (V) – the ration of the amount of matter in an object
compared to its volume. A small, heavy object, such as a rock or a lump of lead, is denser than a
larger object of the same mass, such as a piece of cork or foam.

In the common case of a homogeneous substance, density is expressed as:

𝑚
𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙 =
𝑉
Where, in SI units:

ρ (rho) is the density of the substance, measured in kg/m3

m is the mass of the substance, measured in kg

V is the volume of the substance, measured in m3

Relative density of a material is defined as the ration between the density of the material and the
density of water.

𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 = 1000 𝑘𝑔/𝑚3

𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙
𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 =
𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟

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 Topic 1:
GENERAL PRINCIPLES

UniKL Malaysia France Institute

M E C H A N I C A L A N D M A N U F A C T U R I N G S E C T I O N : M E C H A N I C A L U N I T

Mass and weight

 Mass is a scalar quantity. It has magnitude. Weight is a vector quantity. It has magnitude and is
directed toward the center of the Earth or other gravity well.
 Mass is a measurement of the amount of matter something contains, while weight is the
measurement of the pull of gravity on an object.
 Mass can never be zero. Weight can be zero if no gravity acts upon an object, as in space.
 The mass of an object doesn’t change when an object’s location changes. Weight, on the other
hand does change with location.
 Mass usually is measured in grams and kilograms. Weight often is measured in Newtons, a unit
of force.

Common Geometry Formulas

VOLUME

SPHERE RECTANGULAR BOX

CYLINDER CUBE

Table 1.6: Geometry Solid – Volume Formulas

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 Topic 1:
GENERAL PRINCIPLES

UniKL Malaysia France Institute

M E C H A N I C A L A N D M A N U F A C T U R I N G S E C T I O N : M E C H A N I C A L U N I T

AREA

SQUARE RECTANGLE

CIRCLE TRIANGLE

PARALLELOGRAM CIRCULAR SECTOR

PYTHAGOREAN THEOREM CIRCULAR RING

Table 1.7: Geometry Shape - Area Formulas

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 Topic 1:
GENERAL PRINCIPLES

UniKL Malaysia France Institute

M E C H A N I C A L A N D M A N U F A C T U R I N G S E C T I O N : M E C H A N I C A L U N I T

TUTORIAL 1

1. Calculate the area in square meters of

a) a square of side 600 mm 0.36 m²
b) a triangle of base 300 dm and height 45 cm 6.75 m²
c) a circle of diameter 0.5 hm 1.96x10³ m²

2. Calculate the volume, in cubic meters of

a) a room 7 m x 40 cm x 300 mm 0.84 m³
b) a sphere having a diameter of 15 mm 1.77x10-6 m³

3. Calculate the length of each side of a cube having a volume of 6.03 m³. 1.82 m

4. Calculate the radius of a sphere having a volume of 0.8 m³. 0.58 m

5. A block of wood, measuring 300 mm x 150 mm x 600 mm, has a mass of 2.3 kg. Calculate the density
of the wood. 85.19 kg/m³

6. If the density of aluminium is 2700 kg/m³, what is the volume in cubic centimeter, of 5 kg of this
material? 1851.85 cm³

7. The density of silver is 10.49 g/cm3. If a sample of pure silver has a volume of 12.99 cm3, what is the
mass? 136.27 g

8. A steel plate measures 500 mm x 400 mm x 30 mm. If the relative density of the steel is 7.8, calculate
the mass of the plate. 46.8 kg

9. A 2 m length of iron pipe has a mass of 135 kg. The external and the internal diameter of the pipe are
160 mm and 120 mm respectively. Calculate the density and the relative density of the pipe.
7673.54 kg/m³, 7.67

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