94

Chapter 2

Summary

Force is defined as a push or a pull on a body and tends

to change the bodys state of rest or motion. Also, a
force is a vector, characterized by its magnitude, direction, sense, and point of application.

The principle of transmissibility, as it applies to rigid

bodies, states that a force may be moved anywhere
along its line of action without changing the external
effects on the body.

Two forces (vectors) add according to the parallelogram

law, in which the components form the sides of the parallelogram and the resultant is represented by the
diagonal.

A reverse of vector addition is the resolution of a force

into two perpendicular components, generally the x
and y axes. Force F, having an inclination with respect
to the horizontal x axis, is resolved into x and y components expressed as Fx = F cos and Fy = F sin .
The force F represents the diagonal of a rectangle, and
Fx and Fy are the respective sides. From the Pythagorean
theorem for right triangles,
Fy
Fy
or = tan - 1 a b
F = 2F2x + F2y and tan =
Fx
Fx

A resultant of a series of concurrent forces is expressed as

R = 2R2x + R2y and Rx = Fx and Ry = Fy

The direction of the resultant force is determined by

using the trigonometric function:
Ry
= tan - 1 a b
Rx

Algebraic summation of forces in the x and y directions

assumes a sign convention in which horizontal forces
directed to the right are considered to be positive (negative if directed to the left) and vertical forces acting upward are considered to be positive (negative if acting
downward).

Moment is expressed as a force times the perpendicular

distance to a reference point: M = F * d ! .
Direction is determined by the tendency of a force to
produce clockwise or counterclockwise rotation about
the reference.

Varignons theorem states that the moment of a force

about a point is equal to the algebraic sum of the moments of its components about the same point.