STATICS OF PARTICLE

Lecture 4 – Forces in Space (3D)

DR SHAHRUDDIN BIN MAHZAN@MOHD ZIN

2
 3D VECTORS (Section 2.5)

Objectives:
Students will be able to :
a) Represent a 3-D vector in a Cartesian coordinate system.
b) Find the magnitude and coordinate angles of a 3-D vector
c) Add vectors (forces) in 3-D space

Learning Topics:
Applications / Relevance
• A unit vector
• 3-D vector terms
• Adding vectors

3
 READING QUIZ

1. Vector algebra, as we are going to use it, is based on a

___________ coordinate system.
A) Euclidean B) left-handed
C) Greek D) right-handed E) Egyptian

2. The symbols , , and  designate the __________ of a

3-D Cartesian vector.
A) unit vectors B) coordinate direction angles
C) Greek societies D) x, y and z components

4
APPLICATIONS

Many problems in real-life

involve 3-Dimensional Space.

How will you represent each

of the cable forces in
Cartesian vector form?

5
 APPLICATIONS (continued)

Given the forces in the cables, how will you determine the
resultant force acting at D, the top of the tower?

6
 A UNIT VECTOR

For a vector A with a magnitude of A, an

unit vector is defined as UA = A / A .

Characteristics of a unit vector:

a) Its magnitude is 1.
b) It is dimensionless.
c) It points in the same direction as the
original vector (A).

The unit vectors in the Cartesian axis

system are i, j, and k. They are unit
vectors along the positive x, y, and z
axes respectively.
7
 3-D CARTESIAN VECTOR TERMINOLOGY

Consider a box with sides AX,

AY, and AZ meters long.

The vector A can be defined as

A = (AX i + AY j + AZ k) m

The projection of the vector A in the x-y plane is A´. The

magnitude of this projection, A´, is found by using the same
approach as a 2-D vector: A´ = (AX2 + AY2)1/2 .

The magnitude of the position vector A can now be obtained as

A = ((A´)2 + AZ2) ½ = (AX2 + AY2 + AZ2) ½
8
The direction or orientation of vector A is
defined by the angles , , and .

These angles are measured between the

vector and the positive X, Y and Z axes,
respectively. Their range of values are
from 0° to 180°

Using trigonometry, “direction cosines” are found using the formulas

These angles are not independent. They must satisfy the following equation.
cos ²  + cos ²  + cos ²  = 1
This result can be derived from the definition of a coordinate direction angles
and the unit vector. Recall, the formula for finding the unit vector of any
position vector:

9
or written another way, u A = cos  i + cos  j + cos  k .
 ADDITION/SUBTRACTION OF VECTORS (Section 2.6)

Once individual vectors are written in Cartesian form, it is easy to

add or subtract them. The process is essentially the same as
when 2-D vectors are added.

For example, if
A = AX i + AY j + AZ k and
B = BX i + BY j + BZ k , then

A + B = (AX + BX) i + (AY + BY) j + (AZ + BZ) k

or
A – B = (AX - BX) i + (AY - BY) j + (AZ - BZ) k .

10
 IMPORTANT NOTES

Sometimes 3-D vector information is given as:

a) Magnitude and the coordinate direction angles, or
b) Magnitude and projection angles.

You should be able to use both these types of information

to change the representation of the vector into the
Cartesian form, i.e.,
F = {10 i – 20 j + 30 k} N .

11
 EXAMPLE

Given:Two forces F and G are applied to

a hook. Force F is shown in the
figure and it makes 60° angle
with the X-Y plane. Force G is
pointing up and has a magnitude
of 80 N with  = 111° and  =
69.3°.
Find: The resultant force in the
Cartesian vector form.
Plan:

1) Using geometry and trigonometry, write F and G in the

Cartesian vector form.
2) Then add the two forces.
12
Solution : First, resolve force F.

Fz = 100 sin 60° = 86.60 N

F' = 100 cos 60° = 50.00 N

Fx = 50 cos 45° = 35.36 N

Fy = 50 sin 45° = 35.36 N

Now, you can write:

F = {35.36 i – 35.36 j + 86.60 k} N

13
Now resolve force G.
We are given only  and . Hence, first we need to find the value
of .

Recall the formula cos ² () + cos ² () + cos ² () = 1.

Now substitute what we know. We have
cos ² (111°) + cos ² (69.3°) + cos ² () = 1.
Solving, we get  = 30.22° or 120.2°. Since the vector is pointing
up,  = 30.22°

Now using the coordinate direction angles, we can get UG, and
determine G = 80 UG N.
G = {80 ( cos (111°) i + cos (69.3°) j + cos (30.22°) k )} N
G = {- 28.67 i + 28.28 j + 69.13 k } N

Now, R = F + G or
R = {6.69 i – 7.08 j + 156 k} N
14
 CONCEPT QUESTIONS

1. If you know just UA, you can determine the ________ of A

uniquely.
A) magnitude B) angles (,  and )
C) components (AX, AY, & AZ) D) All of the above.

2. For an arbitrary force vector, the following parameters are

randomly generated. Magnitude is 0.9 N,  = 30º,  = 70º,  =
100º. What is wrong with this 3-D vector ?
A) Magnitude is too small.
B) Angles are too large.
C) All three angles are arbitrarily picked.
D) All three angles are between 0º to 180º.
15
IN CLASS TUTORIAL (GROUP PROBLEM SOLVING)

Given: The screw eye is subjected

to two forces.
Find: The magnitude and the
coordinate direction angles
of the resultant force.

Plan:

1) Using the geometry and trigonometry, write F1 and F2 in the

Cartesian vector form.
2) Add F1 and F2 to get FR .
3) Determine the magnitude and , ,  .
16
GROUP PROBLEM SOLVING (continued)

First resolve the force F1 .

F1z F1z = 300 sin 60° = 259.8 N

F´ = 300 cos 60° = 150.0 N
F´
F’ can be further resolved as,
F1x = -150 sin 45° = -106.1 N
F1y = 150 cos 45° = 106.1 N

Now we can write :

F1 = {-106.1 i + 106.1 j + 259.8 k } N

17
 GROUP PROBLEM SOLVING (continued)

The force F2 can be represented in the

Cartesian vector form as:
F2 = 500{ cos 60° i + cos 45° j +
cos 120° k } N
= { 250 i + 353.6 j – 250 k } N

FR = F1 + F2
= { 143.9 i + 459.6 j + 9.81 k } N

FR = (143.9 2 + 459.6 2 + 9.81 2) ½ = 481.7 = 482 N

 = cos-1 (FRx / FR) = cos-1 (143.9/481.7) = 72.6°
 = cos-1 (FRy / FR) = cos-1 (459.6/481.7) = 17.4°
18
 = cos-1 (FRz / FR) = cos-1 (9.81/481.7) = 88.8°
 ATTENTION QUIZ

1. What is not true about an unit vector, UA ?

A) It is dimensionless.
B) Its magnitude is one.
C) It always points in the direction of positive X- axis.
D) It always points in the direction of vector A.

2. If F = {10 i + 10 j + 10 k} N and
G = {20 i + 20 j + 20 k } N, then F + G = { ____ } N
A) 10 i + 10 j + 10 k
B) 30 i + 20 j + 30 k
C) -10 i - 10 j - 10 k
D) 30 i + 30 j + 30 k 19
 HOMEWORK TUTORIAL

Q1 (2.81):
Determine the magnitude and direction of the force
F=(3.6 kN) i+(1.2 kN )j −(1.5 kN )k.

Q2 (2.82):
Determine the magnitude and direction of the force
F =(400 N )i − (1200 N ) j +(300 N )k.

Q3 (2.93):
Find the magnitude and
direction of the resultant
of the two forces shown
knowing that P = 2.25 kN
and Q = 2.7 kN.

20
 HOMEWORK TUTORIAL (continued)

Q4 (2-61):
The stock S mounted on the lathe is subjected to a force F, which is
caused by the die D. Determine the coordinate direction angle β and
express the force as a Cartesian vector.
Given:
F = 60N
α = 60deg
γ = 30deg

21
 HOMEWORK TUTORIAL (continued)

Q5 (2-66):
The shaft S exerts three force components on the die D. Find the
magnitude and direction of the resultant force. Force F2 acts within
the octant shown.
Given :
F1 = 400N
F2 = 300N
F3 = 200N
α2 = 60°
γ2 = 60°
c =3
d =4

22
 HOMEWORK TUTORIAL (continued)

Q6 (2-74):
The eye bolt is subjected to the cable force F which has a
component Fx along the x axis, a component Fz along the z axis,
and a coordinate direction angle β. Determine the magnitude of F.
Given:
Fx = 60N
Fz = −80N
β = 80°

23