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Mechanics and its importance :

The science which studies effect of forces on the bodies at rest or in
motion is known as mechanics. Knowledge of mechanics is required in various fields of
different subjects like – Strength of materials, Theory of structures, Design of
structures, Theory
h andd d
design off machines,
h soill mechanics,
h etc. With
h the
h h help
l off
mechanics the designs of machines and structures can be carried out.

The laws and principles of mechanics are applied to engineering

problems in various fields, this is known as Applied Mechanics / Engineering
Mechanics.

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Statics is the branch of applied mechanics which

deals with the system of forces acting on the bodies
at rest.
rest
Dynamics is the branch of applied mechanics which
deals with the effect of forces on bodies in motion.
Dynamics is further divided as – kinetics and
kinematics.
Kinetics is the branch of dynamics
y which studies
motion considering mass of the body and force
causing motion.
Kinematics is the branch of dynamics in which the
motion is studied without considering force and
mass.

Space : The concept of space is associated with position of a

body With respect of a reference point (origin)(the distance
body.
of a body is given in three directions in the form of x, y and z
co‐ordinates.)
Time : To describe an event, time of the event is also needed
in addition to its position. This term is mostly used in
dynamics The time interval between two instants,
dynamics. instants i.e.
i e initial
and final is measured in seconds.
Mass is defined as the matter contained in a body. It is the
property which measures its resistance to a change of
motion. In SI systems unit of mass is kg.

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Weight (W) : The force with which a body is attracted towards centre
of earth is called as Weight of the body.
body The Unit of Weight in Sl
unit – Newton (N)

Relation between mass and weight is as follows :

W = m x g

Where,
W = weight  in Newton
m = mass in kg
g = acceleration due to gravity = 9.81 met/sec2

Body :
Body :‐‐ A body is defined as matter limited in all directions.

Rigid body :‐ It is defined as a body in which particles do not change their

relative positions under the action of any force. Actually no body is perfectly
rigid, but when the deformation are very small they may be neglected and the
body is assumed as rigid.

Scalar :‐ Quantities which possess only magnitude and no direction are called
Scalars.
e.g. mass, length, time, speed, volume, area etc.

Scalars can be added by simple arithmetic operation.

Vectors :‐ Quantities which possess both magnitude as well as direction are

called vectors.
e.g. Force, displacement, velocity, momentum, acceleration, etc.

Vectors are not added arithmetically but are added geometrically by using law of
parallelogram.

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Fundamental units :
The quantities which do not depend on other quantities for their
measurement are called fundamental quantities and their units are called
Fundamental units or Basic units. Length, mass and time are the three
fundamental quantities in mechanics with units m, kg and sec. respectively.

Derived units  :
The quantities which depend on one or more basic quantities for
their measurement are called Derived quantities and their units are called
derived units. Derived units of some quantities are given in following table.

Derived Derived
SL units Sl units
Quantity Quantity
Area Sq. m (m2) Newton/sq. m =
Volume Cubic m (m3) Pressure & Stress Pascal
Velocity Metre/sec (m/s) (n/m2 = pa)
Radian/sec
Angular velocity Work, energy Joule (J)
(rad/s)
Metre/sec2
Acceleration Power Watt (W = J/s)
(m/s2)
Kilogram meter/sec
Force (N = kg. m/s2) Momentum
(kg. m/s)

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System of units :
Following are commonly used systems of units :

CGS system (cm‐gm‐sec)

CGS system (cm gm sec).

MKS System (meter‐kg‐sec).

FPS system (Foot‐pound‐sec).

SI system (international system of units).
y ( y )

Fundamental Principles  :
The subject “Applied Mechanics” is based on six 
fundamental principles. They are –

 Law of parallelogram of force.

 Law of transmissibility of a force.

 Newton’s first law of motion.

 Newton’s second law of motion.

 Newton’s third law of motion.

 Newton’s law of universal gravitation.

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Newton’s Law of Motion :

Newton’s first law of motion :‐ The law of inertia – “ A body at

rest remains at rest and a body in motion continues to be in
motion unless an external unbalanced force acts on it.”
it ”

Newton’s second law of motion :‐ The law of reaction ‐‐ “If an

external unbalanced force acts on a body, the momentum of the
body changes. The time rate of change of momentum is
proportional to the force and is in the direction of the force.”

Newton’s third law of motion :‐ The law of reaction – “For

every acting force there is equal and opposite reacting force”.

Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation –

The force gravitational attraction (F) between two particles of masses 
m1 and m2 separated by distance ‘r’ is given by the expression –

G
G x m 1 x m2
F =
r2
Where
F = Force of gravitational attraction 
G = Universal gravitational constant
m1 & m2 = Masses of two particles 
r = Distance between the two particles

Weight of a body is the force of gravitational attraction exerted by the Earth on the body.

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Ex.. 01
Ex A body of mass 1 kg is on the surface of the Earth.
Determine the force of gravitational attraction exerted by the
Earth on this body.
Assume
Universal gravitational constant G = 6.7 x 10‐11 N‐m2/kg2
6 0 x 1024 kg
Mass of Earth = m1 = 6.0
Radius of Earth = r = 6.4 x 106 met
Solution
G x m1 x m2
F =
r2
Where
F = Force of gravitational attraction 
G = Universal gravitational constant 
G  6.7 x 10‐11 N
Universal gravitational constant = 6.7 x 10 m2/kg2
N‐m
m1 = Mass of Earth = 6.0 x 1024 kg
m2 = Mass of Body = 1.0 kg
r = Distance between the Earth & Body = 6.4 x 106 met

6.7 x 10‐11 x 6.0 x 1024 x 1.0

F = F = 9.81 N
( 6.4 x 106 )2