WEEK 1_01

BKF 1313
ENGINEERING MECHANICS
STATIC

INTRODUCTION TO MECHANICS
Introduction to Mechanics
 What is Mechanics?

• Study of what happens to a “thing” (the technical name is

“body”) when FORCES are applied to it.
• Either the body or the forces could be large or small.
 What is Mechanics?
• Mechanics is the science which describes and
predicts the conditions of rest or motion of
bodies under the action of forces.

• Categories of Mechanics:
- Rigid bodies
- Statics
- Dynamics
- Deformable bodies
- Fluids
• Mechanics is an applied science - it is not an abstract
or pure science but does not have the empiricism
found in other engineering sciences.

• Mechanics is the foundation of most engineering sciences

and is an indispensable prerequisite to their study.
 Branches of Mechanics

M e c h a n ic s
T y p e title h e r e

R ig id B o d ie s D e fo r m a b le B o d ie s F lu id s
( T h in g s th a t d o n o t c h a n g e s h a p e ) ( T h in g s th a t d o c h a n g e s h a p e )

S ta tic s D y n a m ic s In c o m p r e s s ib le C o m p r e s s ib le
What may happen if static’s is not applied
properly
 Fundamental Concepts
• Space - associated with the notion of the position of a point P given in terms
of three coordinates measured from a reference point or origin.

• Time - definition of an event requires specification of the time and position

at which it occurred.
• Mass - used to characterize and compare bodies, e.g., response to earth’s
gravitational attraction and resistance to changes in translational motion.

• Force - represents the action of one body on another. A force is

characterized by its point of application, magnitude, and direction, i.e., a
force is a vector quantity.

In Newtonian Mechanics, space, time, and mass are absolute concepts,

independent of each other. Force, however, is not independent of the other
three. The force acting on a body is related to the mass of the body and the
variation of its velocity with time.
 Fundamental Principles
• Newton’s First Law: If the resultant force on a
particle is zero, the particle will remain at rest
or continue to move in a straight line.

• Newton’s Second Law: A particle will have

an acceleration proportional to a nonzero
• Parallelogram Law resultant applied force.
 
F  ma
• Newton’s Third Law: The forces of action and
reaction between two particles have the same
magnitude and line of action with opposite
sense.

• Newton’s Law of Gravitation: Two particles

are attracted with equal and opposite forces,
• Principle of Transmissibility Mm GM
F G 2 W  mg , g  2
r R
 SYSTEMS OF UNITS

• Four fundamental physical quantities.

• Length, mass, time, force.
• One equation relates them, F = m * a

• We use this equation to develop systems of units

• Units are arbitrary names we give to the physical quantities.
 UNIT SYSTEMS

• Define 3 of the units and call them the base units.

•Derive the 4th unit (called the derived unit) using
F = m * a.
• We will work with one unit system in static’s: SI.
 RULES FOR USING SI SYMBOLS

• No Plurals (e.g., m = 5 kg not kgs )

• Separate Units with a • (e.g., meter second = m • s )

• Most symbols are in lowercase ( some exception are N,

Pa, M and G)
• Exponential powers apply to units , e.g., cm2 = cm • cm
• Other rules are given in your textbook
 NUMERICAL CALCULATIONS
• Must have dimensional “homogeneity.” Dimensions have
to be the same on both sides of the equal sign, (e.g.
distance = speed  time.)

• Use an appropriate number of significant figures (3 for

answer, at least 4 for intermediate calculations).

• Be consistent when rounding off.

- greater than 5, round up (3528  3530)
- smaller than 5, round down (0.03521  0.0352)
- equal to 5,
 PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY:
IPE, A 3 Step Approach

1. Interpret: Read carefully and determine what is given and

what is to be found/ delivered. Ask, if not clear. If
necessary, make assumptions and indicate them.

2. Plan: Think about major steps (or a road map) that you will
take to solve a given problem. Think of
alternative/creative solutions and choose the best one.

3. Execute: Carry out your steps. Use appropriate diagrams and

equations. Estimate your answers. Avoid simple
calculation mistakes. Reflect on / revise your work.