NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, TIRUCHIRAPPALLI

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

MEPC10 – Engineering Mechanics

Tutorial 2 – Forces in Space

1. In opening a door which is equipped with a heavy duty return mechanism, a person exerts a
force P of magnitude 32 N as shown. Force P and the normal n to the face of the door lie in a
vertical plane. Express P as a vector and determine the angles θx, θy, and θz which the line of
action P makes with the positive x-, y-, and z-axes.

2. The power line is strung from the power-pole arm at A to point B on the same horizontal plane.
Because of the sag of the cable in the vertical plane, the cable makes an angle of 15° with the
horizontal where it attaches to A. If the cable tension at A is 800 N, write T as a vector and
determine the magnitude of its projection onto the x-z plane.

3. The pulley and gear are subjected to the loads shown. For these forces, determine the equivalent
force-couple system at point O.
4. Two upward loads are exerted on the small 3D truss. Reduce these two loads to a single force-
couple system at point O. Show that R is perpendicular to MO. Then determine the point in the
x-z plane through which the resultant passes.

5. The resultant of the two forces and couple may be represented by a wrench. Determine the
vector expression for the moment M of the wrench and find the coordinates of the point P in
the x-z plane through which the resultant force of the wrench passes.