Chapter # 1

Introduction to Statics

Dr. Hayat Muhammad Khan

Office: 211-G A&A Department

Topics

 Introduction to Engineering Mechanics

 Fundamental Concepts
 Systems of Units
 Scalars and Vectors
 Newton Laws
 Primary Standards
 Law of Gravitation
 Problems
General Principles

Provides introduction to many fundamental

concepts in mechanics

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MECHANICS

A branch of physical sciences concerned

with the state of REST or MOTION of
bodies that are subjected to the action of
forces.

Sub-division:
 Rigid body mechanics
 Deformable body mechanics
 Fluid mechanics

This course deals with ‘rigid-body mechanics’ only

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Rigid-body Mechanics:

Forms a suitable basis for the design and

analysis of many types of structural,
mechanical, or electrical devices
encountered in engineering.
Provides part of the necessary
background for the study of mechanics of
deformable bodies and mechanics of
fluids.
Divided into two areas;
Statics & Dynamics
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MECHANICS

A Fundamental Engineering The two

Application in
Subject which is a mandatory for all branches of
many fields
Engineering Students Mechanics are

Structures
Statics
Machine
Mechanics Design

Dynamics Aerodynamics

Guidance and
Navigation
Control
Rigid-body Mechanics:

STATICS deals with equilibrium of bodies that

are either at rest or move with a constant
velocity.
DYNAMICS deals with the accelerated motion of
bodies.

 Statics can be considered as a special case of

dynamics, in which the acceleration is zero.
 Statics is treated as a separate subject, since many
objects are designed with the intention that they
remain in equilibrium.

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HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
 Statics – developed very early in history
Because the principles involved could be
formulated simply from measurements of
geometry and force.
 e.g. writings of Archimedes (287-212 B.C.)
deals with principles of lever.
 Study of pulley, inclined plane and wrench are
also found in ancient writings (normally limited
to building construction).

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HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
 Dynamics – since the principles of dynamics
depend on accurate measurement of time – the
subject developed much later.

 Galileo Galilei (1564-1642):

His work consisted of experiments using pendulums
and falling bodies.

 Isaac Newton (1642-1727):

Most significant contributions. Fundamental laws of
motion and law of universal gravitational attraction.

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FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS

BASIC QUANTITIES

 Length Length is needed to locate the position of a

point in space thus describing the size of a physical
system.
Once a standard unit of length is defined, the distances and
geometric properties of a body can be given as multiples of
the unit length.

 Time Time is conceived as a succession of events.

Principles of Statics are time independent.

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 Mass a 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 considered as a PUSH or PULL exerted by
one body on another.
• Can occur:
– When bodies are in direct contact with each other – a person
pushing on a wall.
– Through a distance when the bodies are separated – gravitation,
electrical, magnetic forces.
– Force is completely characterized by its magnitude, direction
and point of application. 11
IDEALIZATIONS

Models or idealizations are used in mechanics to simplify

application of theory. Some of them are shown below.
 Particle:
Particle has a mass but a size that can be neglected.
e.g. size of earth is insignificant compared to the size of its orbit.
Therefore, earth can be considered as a particle when studying its orbital
motion.
 Rigid Body:
A rigid body can be considered as a combination of a large
number of particles, in which all the particles remain at a fixed
distance from one another both before and after applying a load.
As a result, the material properties of a body (assumed to be a rigid body)
will NOT have to be considered when analyzing the forces acting on the
body.
 Concentrated forces:
A concentrated force represents the effect of a loading, which is
assumed to act at a point on a body.

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NEWTON’S 3 LAWS OF MOTION
– Entire subject of rigid-body mechanism is formulated on the
basis of Newton’s 3 laws of motion.
– The laws are applicable to the motion of a particle as measured
from a non-accelerating frame of reference.
 First Law
A particle originally at rest, or moving in a straight line with
constant velocity, will remain in this state provided the particle is
not subjected to an unbalanced force.
 Second Law
A particle acted upon by an unbalanced force F, experiences
acceleration a, that has the same direction as the force and a
magnitude that is directly proportional to the force.
If F is applied to a particle of mass m, this law may be expressed
mathematically as
F = ma
 Third Law
The mutual forces of action and reaction between two particles
are equal, opposite and collinear.

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 NEWTON’S LAW OF GRAVITATIONAL ATTRACTION

m1m2 Where,

F G 2 F = force of gravitation between the two particles

G = universal constant of gravitation (66.73 x 10-12 m3/kg.s2)
m1, m2 = mass of each of the two particles
r r = distance between the two particles.

 Weight The force with which a mass is attracted

towards the center of the Earth
Above equation shows that any two particles have a mutual
attractive force acting between them.
Gravitational force present between a particle (mass m) located at
or near the surface of the earth (mass Me) is termed as WEIGHT.
For a particle having a mass m1 = m, and m2=Me,
𝑚 𝑀𝑒
𝐹=𝐺
𝑟2

If g = GMe/r2, then F=W W  mg 14

UNITS OF MEASUREMENT

 Four basic quantities –

Length, time, mass and force
 These are not all independent from one another.
 In fact, they are RELATED by Newton’s 2nd Law of motion

F = ma

 Unit of force called Newton (N) is derived from F = ma.

i.e. 1 Newton is equal to a force required to give 1 kilogram
of mass an acceleration of 1 m/s2

N = kg.m/s2

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THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS
 SI system is used in this book.
 It is becoming a worldwide standard for measurement.
Prefixes:
 When a numerical quantity is either very large or very small, units
used to define its size may be modified by using a prefix.

Exponential form Prefix SI Symbol

Multiple
1 000 000 000 109 giga G
1 000 000 106 mega M
1 000 103 kilo k
Submultiples
0.001 10-3 milli m
0.000 001 10-6 micro 
0.000 000 001 10-9 nano n

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Rules to use:
Following rules are given for the proper use of various SI symbols:
► A symbol is never written as plural “s” (since it may be
confused with unit for second, s).
► Symbols are always written in lowercase letters except for
giga (G) and mega (M). Also, the symbols named after an
individual are capitalized, e.g. N.
► Quantities defined by several units which are multiples of one
another are separated by dots.
N = kg . m/s2 = kg . m . s-2
m . s (meter-second) whereas ms (milli-second)
► Exponential power represented for a unit having a prefix
refers to both the unit and its prefix
► Compound prefix should not be used
etc., etc. …………

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NUMERICAL CALCULATIONS
It is important that the answers to a problem be reported
with both justifiable accuracy and appropriate significant
numbers.

 DIMENSIONAL HOMOGENEITY
 The terms of any equation used to describe a physical process
must be dimensionally homogeneous:
 All terms are expressed in the same units.

 SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
 The ACCURACY of a number is specified by the number of
significant figures it contains.

 ROUNDING OFF NUMBERS

 CALCULATIONS

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GENERAL PROCEDURE FOR ANALYSIS
 The most effective way of learning the principles of
engineering mechanics is to solve problems.
 It is always important to present the work in a logical
and orderly manner.
1. Read the problem carefully and try to correlate the actual
physical situation with the theory studied.
2. Draw any necessary diagrams and tabulate the problem data.
3. Apply the relevant principles, generally in mathematical form.
4. Solve the necessary equations algebraically as far as possible.
5. Study the answer with technical judgment and common sense
to determine whether or not it seems reasonable,
INTUITION.
6. Once the solution has been completed review the problem.
Also try to think of other ways of obtaining the same solution.

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Examples of STATICS
Examples of STATICS
Examples of STATICS
Examples of STATICS
Examples of STATICS
Examples of STATICS
Examples of STATICS
Applications of DYNAMICS

Application in
Guidance and
Space Robotics
Navigation
Sciences

Radar and
Automobiles Flight
Target
Dynamics
Tracking

Many other
applications
Examples of DYNAMICS