General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University

Department of Mechanical Engineering

;: ME 1222 Applied Mechanics – Intake 40
Tutorial 03 – Rigid Bodies: Equivalent Systems of Forces
1) A crate of mass 80 kg is held in the position shown. Determine
(a) the moment produced by the weight W of the crate about E,
(b) the smallest force applied at B that creates a moment of equal magnitude and
opposite sense about E.

2) It is known that a vertical force of 200 lb is required to remove the nail at C from the
board. As the nail first starts moving, determine
(a) the moment about B of the force exerted on the nail,
(b) the magnitude of the force P that creates the same moment about B if α = 10°, and
(c) the smallest force P that creates the same moment about B.

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3) It is known that the connecting rod AB exerts on the crank BC a 500 lb force directed
down and to the left along the centerline of AB. Determine the moment of the force
about C.

4) The vectors P and Q are two adjacent sides of a parallelogram. Determine the area of
the parallelogram when,
(a) P = -7i + 3j - 3k and Q = 2i + 2j + 5k,
(b) P = 6i - 2j - 2k and Q = -2i + 5j - k.
5) Determine the moment about the origin O of the force F = 2i + 3j - 4k that acts at
point A. Assume that the position vector of A is
(a) r = 3i - 6j + 5k,
(b) r = 1i - 2j - 2k,
(c) r = 4i + 6j - 8k.
6) The wire AE is stretched between the corners A and E of a bent plate. Knowing that
the tension in the wire is 435 N, determine the moment about O of the force exerted
by the wire (a) on corner A, (b) on corner E.

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7) A 6-ft-long fishing rod AB is securely anchored in the sand of a beach. After a fish
takes the bait, the resulting force in the line is 6 lb. Determine the moment about A of
the force exerted by the line at B.

8) A precast concrete wall section is temporarily held by two cables as shown. Knowing
that the tension in cable BD is 900 N, determine the moment about point O of the force
exerted by the cable at B.

9) Ropes AB and BC are two of the ropes used to support a tent. The two ropes are attached
to a stake at B. If the tension in rope AB is 540 N, determine,
(a) the angle between rope AB and the stake,
(b) the projection on the stake of the force exerted by rope AB at point B

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10) The triangular plate ABC is supported by ball-and-socket joints at B and D and is held
in the position shown by cables AE and CF. If the force exerted by cable AE at A is 55
N, determine the moment of that force about the line joining points D and B.

11) Two parallel 40N forces are applied to a lever as shown. Determine the moment of the
couple formed by the two forces,
(a) by resolving each force into horizontal and vertical components and adding the
moments of the two resulting couples,
(b) by using the perpendicular distance between the two forces,
(c) by summing the moments of the two forces about point A.