1M!

design of thiS fOC~et and gant:)' structure requires 11 basIc ~nowledge of

both statics and dynamiCS. which form the subject matter of engineering
mechanil::s.
General Principles

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
• To provide an introduction to the basic quantities and ideali zations
of me<:hanic5.
• To give a statement of Newton's Laws of Motion and Gravitation.
• To review the principles for applying the 51 system of units.
• To examine the standard procedures for performing numerical
calculations.
• To present a general guide for solving problems.

1.1 Mechanics
M~cJllmics is a branch of Ihc ph ysical sciences lh:I' is concerned w;lh thc
Slal e of rest o r mOl ion of bodies Ihal an! subjected 10 [he :lelioll of force$.
In general. this subject c:In be subdi\'idcd into thrcc branches: rigid-body
/IIt'dllmics. df'jumlllblt'.hoffy //ICc/lOll irs. andf/ilitilllt'rlwllics. In Ihis book
we will study rigid-body mechanics since it is a basic requirement for th c
study oflhe mechanics of dcfonnablt: bodies and Ihe mechanics of Ouids.
Funhermore. rigid.body mechanics isesscmial (or the design and analysis
of many types of structuT<llmcmbcrs. mechanical components.or eli:'ctrkal
devices encountcred in I.'ngineering.
Rigid-body mechanics is divided inlo two areas: statics and dynamics.
Sfllliey deals with th e equilibrium of bodies. that is. those that arc eit her
al rCSI or move with <I constant velocity: whereas (iYIWlllieS is cona.'rncd
with thc act'Clcraled motion of bodics. We can consider statics as a
special case of dynamics. in which the acceleration is zero; however,
statics dese rves se parale trealment in engineering educa tion si nce many
objecls Me designed wilh Ihe inll.'nliol1 that they remain in equilibrium.
4 CH"'PfE~ 1 GEN~Ir"" l PR INCI PLES

Historical Development. The subject of statics developed I' Cry

carly in history because ils principles can be (onnulalcd sim pl)' (rom
measurements of geome try and fon;:o;. r-or exa mple. Ill..: writings of
Archimedes (287- 2]2 It.C. ) deal wilh the principle of the le\'er. Studies of
the pulley, inclined plane, and wrench arc also recorded in ancient
I'.Ti tings - al limcs when the requirements for cnginc~'ring were limited
prim ari ly \0 building conmuclion.
Since the principles of dynamics depen d on an accurate measu re men t
of lime. Ihis s ubject developed much late r. Ga lileo Qalilci (156+-1642)
was OIH: a rlh.:: first major COnl ri bmors [0 this field. "lis work consiSted of
experiments using pendul ums and falling bodies. The most significant
cont ributions in dynamics. howc\'cr, wcrc made by Isaac Ne wton
(1~2- 1727), who is nOlcd for his formulation of Ihe Ih ree fundamenlal
1:lws of motion and Ihe law of uni\'ers.11 gr:wil:llional all raction. Shonl)'
3fter these laws were postulated. important tech niq ues for their
3pplkation were developed by such nOl:lblcs as Eukr, D'Alem!len,
ugrangc. and others.

1.2 Fundamental Concepts

Before we begin ou r study of engineering mechanics. it is important to
understand the meaning of certain fUnd:lment:l1 concepts and prinCiples.

Basic Quantities. The foll0\\1ng four quantities arc us<.>d throughout

mechanics..
Length. Lmgtlr is US('d lQ loc,w.: the position of a poi nt in space and
thereby describe the size of a physical system. Once a stand:lrd unit of
length is defined. one can then use it to define distances and geometric
propcrtks of 3 body as multiples of [his uni t.
Ti me. Time is conceived ,IS a succession of events. Although the
pri nci ples of statics aTC time independent. this quantity plays 311
important role in the study of dynamics.

Mass. MIISS is a measure of a quantity of mailer th at is used to compare

the ac tion of one body wi th th at of another. This propeTly manifests itself
as a gravitational allraction between IWO bodies :lnd provides a measure
of the resistance of mat ter to a change in "elocity.
Force. In genc ral.fim·e is considered as a "push" or "pull"' exerted by
one body on anolher. This interaetion can occur when the re is di reci
oontac[ betwee n the bodies. such as a person pushing on a wall. or it ca n
occur through a distance when the bodies ,Ire physically scparat;;)d.
Examples of the l:lller Iype include gfll\'ilalional. eleclric:ll. and magnetiC"
forces. In any case. a force is completely characterized by its magnitude.
din.:.;:tion. and point of application.