Fundamental Concepts in Mechanics

Chapter I
ENGG 409 - Engineering Mechanics

Engr. Tiffany Jade Medrano

Learning Outcomes
● Learn the nature of a force
● Distinguish the action of forces and their effects. and
represent them in diagrams
Science of Mechanics
Mechanics is a branch of the physical sciences that is concerned with the state of
rest or motion of bodies that are subjected to the action of forces.

Mechanics is defined as the science that describes and predicts the conditions of
rest or motion of bodies under the action of forces.
Mechanics is an applied physical science since it aims to explain and predict physical
phenomena and thus to lay the foundations for engineering applications.
Science of Mechanics
Branches of Mechanics:
● Mechanics of Rigid Bodies
● Mechanics of Deformable Bodies
● Fluid Mechanics
Science of Mechanics
Mechanics of rigid bodies is divided into two areas: statics and dynamics.

● Statics deals with bodies that are either at rest or move with a constant
velocity;
● Dynamics is concerned with the accelerated motion of bodies.
Fundamental Concepts and Principles
The basic concepts used in mechanics are space, time, mass, and force.
Fundamental Concepts and Principles
Space
The concept of space is associated with the position of a point P.
We can define the position of P by providing three lengths measured
from a certain reference point, or origin, in three given directions. These
lengths are known as the coordinates of P.

Coordinates of P
Fundamental Concepts and Principles
Time
To define an event, it is not sufficient to indicate its position in space.
We also need to specify the time of the event.
Fundamental Concepts and Principles
Mass

The concept of mass is used to characterize and compare bodies on the

basis of certain fundamental mechanical experiments.

Two bodies of the same mass, for example, are attracted by the earth in
the same manner; they also offer the same resistance to a change in
translational motion. Hindi nagbabago ang mass, weight ang nagbabago. Weight is a gravitational force.
Fundamental Concepts and Principles
Force
A force represents the action of one body on another.
A force can be exerted by actual contact, like a push or a pull, or at a
distance, as in the case of gravitational or magnetic forces.
A force is characterized by its point of application, its magnitude and its
direction; a force is represented by a vector. Scalar= magnitude only
Vector= magnitude and direction

For example a box, pinindot mo siya sa tabi, kung

saan mo siya pinindot or tinulak, yun yung point of
the application. Yung contact mo with the box and
yourself.
Fundamental Concepts and Principles
Models or idealizations are used in mechanics in order to simplify application
of the theory. These are the 3 important idealizations in Mechanics:
● Particle
● Rigid Body
● Concentrated Force
Fundamental Concepts and Principles
Earch compared to its orbit.
Particle. A particle has a mass, but a size that can be neglected. Earth is a particle.

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
Solid, where particles remain at a fixed distance.
another, both before and after applying a load. Kahit applyan ng load, hindi magbabago yung distance
ng particles sa isa't-isa.
Concentrated Force. A concentrated force represents the effect of a loading
which is assumed to act at a point on a body. Concentrated doon sa kung saan nilagay ang force.
Fundamental Concepts and Principles
The study of elementary mechanics rests on six fundamental principles,
based on experimental evidence:
● The Parallelogram Law for the Addition of Forces
● The Principle of Transmissibility
● Newtonʼs Three Laws of Motion (1st, 2nd and 3rd law)
● Newtonʼs Law of Gravitation
6 Fundamental Principles
1. The Parallelogram Law for the Addition of Forces
Two forces acting on a particle may be replaced by a single force, called their
resultant, obtained by drawing the diagonal of the parallelogram with sides equal
to the given forces. Resultant can be replaced by a single force. 2 force can be replaced by a single force using
the resultant.
6 Fundamental Principles
2. The Principle of Transmissibility

The conditions of equilibrium or of motion of a rigid body remain

unchanged if a force acting at a given point of the rigid body is replaced by
a force of the same magnitude and same direction, but acting at a different
point, provided that the two forces have the same line of action.
A body is in motion and equilibrium, and there is a force acting on it. Kapag tinanggal mo yung force at pinaltan ng bago
with the same magnitude, same direction, and same amount of force doon sa tinanggal, the body will remain in the
EQUILIBRIUM.
6 Fundamental Principles
3. Newtonʼs First Law of Motion

If the resultant force acting on a particle is zero, the particle remains at rest (if
originally at rest) or moves with constant speed in a straight line (if originally in
motion). Avelocity
body at rest will remain at rest unless an outside force acts on it, and a body in motion at a constant
will remain in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an outside force.
6 Fundamental Principles
4. Newtonʼs Second Law of Motion

If the resultant force acting on a particle is not zero, the particle has
acceleration proportional to the magnitude of the resultant and in the direction of
this resultant force. This law can be stated as

F = ma

Where F, m, and a represent, respectively, the resultant force acting on the

particle, the mass of the particle, and the acceleration of the particle expressed in
a consistent system of units.
6 Fundamental Principles
5. Newtonʼs Third Law of Motion

The forces of action and reaction between bodies on contact have the same
magnitude, same line of action, and opposite sense.
6 Fundamental Principles
6. Newtonʼs Law of Gravitation

Two particles of mass M and m are mutually attracted with equal

and opposite forces F and –F of magnitude F, given by the formula

G= 6.67430*10^-11 Nm^2/kg^2

Where r = the distance between the two particles and G = a universal

constant called the constant of gravitation.
Systems of Units
Associated with the four fundamental concepts discussed above are the
so-called kinetic units, i.e., the units of length, time, mass, and force.
● Basic Units
○ units of length, time and mass direct ang measurement, no need to compute (m, kg, s)

● Derived Units
○ unit of force kailangan pang magcompute gamit ang basic units (N=Newton)
International System of Units (SI Units)
The base units are the units of length, mass, and time and they are called,
respectively, the meter (m), the kilogram (kg), and the second (s).
International System of Units (SI Units)
Unit of Time - Second
Second defined as the duration of 9 192 631 770 cycles of the radiation
corresponding to the transition between two levels of the fundamental state of
the cesium-133 atom.
International System of Units (SI Units)
Unit of Length - Meter
Meter defined as 1 650 763.73 wavelengths of the orange-red light
corresponding to a certain transition in an atom of krypton-86.
International System of Units (SI Units)
Unit of Mass - Kilogram
Kilogram which is approximately equal to the mass of 0.001 m3 of water, is
defined as the mass of a platinum-iridium standard kept at the International
Bureau of Weights and Measures at Sevres, near Paris, France.
International System of Units (SI Units)
Unit of Force - Newton
Newton is defined as the force that gives acceleration of 1 m/s2 to a body
of mass 1 kg.
International System of Units (SI Units)
The SI units are said to form an absolute system of units.
This means that the three base units chosen are independent of the
location where measurements are made.
The meter, the kilogram, and the second may be used anywhere on the
earth; they may even be used on another planet and still have the same
significance.
Vector vs Scalar Quantities
Scalars: physical quantities that have magnitude but not direction such as
volume, mass, or energy, are represented by plain numbers to distinguish from
vectors. magnitude only
Vectors: mathematical expressions possessing magnitude and direction, which
add according to the parallelogram law. magnitude and direction
Vectors
Vectors are represented by arrows in diagram. The magnitude of a vector
defines the length of the arrow used to represent it. A vector used to represent
force acting on a given particle has well-defined point of application – namely,
the particle itself.
● Fixed or bound vector: cannot be moved without modifying the
conditions of the problem.
● Free vector: may be freely moved in space (e.g. couples).
● Sliding vector: can be moved along their lines of action.
Vectors
Two vectors that have the same magnitude and the same direction are said to
be equal, whether or not they also have the same point of application; equal
vectors may be denoted by the same letter.
The negative vector of a given vector P is defined as a vector having the same
Magnitude as P and a direction opposite to that of P. The negative of the vector
P is denoted by –P. The vectors P and –P are commonly referred to as equal and
opposite vectors. Clearly, we have P + (-P) = 0.
Addition of Vectors
1. Parallelogram Law of Addition
The parallelogram law of vector addition is used to add two vectors when
the vectors that are to be added form the two adjacent sides of a
parallelogram by joining the tails of the two vectors. Then, the sum of the two
vectors is given by the diagonal of the parallelogram.
Parallelogram Law of Addition
Parallelogram Law of Addition Formula

Consider two vectors P and Q with an angle θ between them. The sum of
vectors P and Q is given by the vector R, the resultant sum vector using the
parallelogram law of vector addition. If the resultant vector R makes an angle φ
with the vector P, then the formulas for its magnitude and direction are:

● |R| = √(P2 + Q2 + 2PQ cos θ)

● β = tan-1[(Q sin θ)/(P + Q cos θ)]
Parallelogram Law of Addition

Example
Two forces of 3N and 4N are acting at a point such that the angle between
them is 60 degrees. Find the resultant force.
Parallelogram Law of Addition

Solution:
|R| = √(P2 + Q2 + 2PQ cos θ)
=√(42+ 32 + 2( 4 x 3) cos (60)
=√37
= 6.08 N
Parallelogram Law of Addition

Solution:

β = tan-1[(Q sin θ)/(P + Q cos θ)]

= tan-1 [(3 sin (60)) /(4+3 cos (60))]
= tan-1 (0.472)

= 25.3 degree
Parallelogram Law of Addition

Answer:
Thus R is 6.08 N in magnitude and is at an angle of 25.3 deg to the 4 N
force.
Addition of Vectors
2. Triangle Rule
This is an alternative method for determining the sum of two vectors,
derived from the parallelogram law. The sum of the two vectors thus can be
found by arranging P and Q in tip-to-tail fashion and then connecting the tail of
P with the tip of Q.
Triangle Rule
This law is used to add two vectors when the first vector's head is joined to
the tail of the second vector and then joining the tail of the first vector to the
head of the second vector to form a triangle, and hence obtain the resultant
sum vector. That's why the triangle law of vector addition is also called the
head-to-tail method for the addition of vectors.
It has the same formula to Parallelogram Law. The only difference between
them is that the parallelogram law is coinitial whereas the triangle law is
continuum.
Addition of Vectors
Other principles:
● The sum of three vectors (or more vectors) P, Q, and S is obtained by first
adding the vectors P and Q and then adding the vector S to the vector P +
Q. We write P + Q + S = (P + Q) + S.
● The repeated applications of triangle rule could be eliminated and obtain
the sum of the three vectors directly.
Addition of Vectors
Other principles:
● In the case of two vectors, the addition of vectors has been shown to be
commutative. So, for the three vectors, we can write P + Q + S = (P +Q) + S = S +
(P + Q) = S + (Q + P) = S + Q + P. This expression shows that the order in which
several vectors are added together is immaterial.
● Subtraction of a vector is defined as the addition of the corresponding
negative vector. Thus, we determine the vector P – Q, representing the
difference between the vectors P and Q, by adding to P the negative vector –Q.
We write P – Q = P + (-Q).
Force on a Particle
A force represents the action of one body on another. It is characterized by its
point of application, its magnitude, and its direction.
● Forces acting on a given particle have the same point of application.
● The magnitude of a force is characterized by a certain number of units.
● The direction of a force is defined by its line of action and the sense of the
force. The line of action is the infinite straight line along which the force
acts; it is characterized by the angle it forms with some fixed axis.
● The force itself is represented by a segment of that line; through the use of
an appropriate scale, the length of this segment may be chosen to
represent the magnitude of the force.
● The sense of the force should be indicated by an arrowhead. It is
important in defining a force to indicate its sense. Two forces having the
same magnitude and the same line of action but different sense, such as
the forces shown above, will have directly opposite effects on a particle.
Free Body Diagram
Large number of problems involving actual structures can be reduced to
problems concerning the equilibrium of a particle. The method is to choose a
significant particle and draw a separate diagram showing this particle and all
the forces acting on it. Such a diagram is called a free-body diagram. (The
name derives from the fact that when drawing the chosen body, or particle, it is
“free” from all other bodies in the actual situation.)
Example of a FBD
Ff= Friction force
mg=weight
N=normal force
Thank you!