PRINCIPLES OF STATICS

WHAT IS STATICS?

• It is a branch of mechanics which studies the

effects and distribution of forces of rigid bodies
which are and remain at rest under static
equilibrium condition.
EQUILIBRIUM
• A state of balance between opposing forces or actions.
• To ensure equilibrium, the forces acting on a structure must
be balanced or forces acting on the structure should be
equal to zero.
• Three equations of static equilibrium:
ΣH = 0
ΣV = 0
ΣM = 0
RESULTANT OF FORCE SYSTEMS
What is a resultant force?
- also called a net force, is a force equal to the sum of all forces applied.

How to find the resultant force:

- by simply applying the Newton’s Second Law, the force F that alone
produces the acceleration a on an object of mass m is Force = mass x
acceleration. F = ma or R = ma
Two forces acting in the same direction:
-The resultant force is in the same direction as the two forces, and has
the magnitude equal to the sum of the two magnitudes.

Two forces acting in opposite directions:

-If the two forces are equal in magnitude, the resultant force will
be zero because two opposite forces cancel each other out. On the
other hand, if the two forces are not equal in magnitude, the resultant
force will be in the same direction as the force with the larger
magnitude, and have the magnitude equal to the difference between
the magnitudes of the two forces.
More than 2 forces parallel to one another:

-To find the resultant force in this case, we first sum all the
forces that go in one direction, and then all the forces that go
in the other direction. At this point, we have two forces that
are in opposite directions, which is a case that we already
know how to solve, the resultant force has the same direction
as the force with the larger magnitude, and its magnitude is
equal to the difference between the two magnitudes.
Forces that are not parallel:
• Forces and Components:
•Fx = horizontal component of the force F
•Fx = F cosθ
•Fy = vertical component of the force F
•Fy = F sinθ
2 2
•F = √(𝐹𝑥) + (𝐹𝑦)
𝐹𝑦
•Tan θ =
𝐹𝑥
•θ = direction of the force F from the horizontal
Exercises:
1. John and Rob are engaged in a tug of war. John is pulling with a
force of 230 N, and Rob is pulling with a force of 215 N. Determine
the magnitude and direction of the resultant force.
2. A car of 1400 kg is subject to multiple forces which produce an
acceleration of 3.5 m/s2 directed north. Find the net force.
3. A block is pulled by two forces of 15 N and 25 N to the left, and by
three forces of 10 N, 20 N, 30 N to the right. Find the magnitude
and direction of the resultant force.