Introduction

What is engineering mechanics?

Mechanics is the branch of physics that

considers the action of forces on bodies or fluids
that are at rest or in motion.

Correspondingly, the primary topics of

mechanics are statics and dynamics.
Engineering mechanics is the branch of
engineering that applies the principles of
mechanics to mechanical design (i.e. any design
that must take into account the effect of forces).
Engineering mechanics is an integral component
of the education of engineers whose disciplines
are related to the mechanical sciences. such as
aerospace engineering, architectural
engineering, civil engineering, and mechanical
engineering.
 Problem formulation and the accuracy of
solutions
To help you develop an "engineering approach" to problem analysis.
you will find it instructive to divide your solution for each problem
into the following parts:
1. GIVEN: After carefully reading the problem statement. list all the
data provided. If a figure is required, sketch it neatly and
approximately to scale.
2. FIND: State the information that is to be determined.
3. SOLUTION: Solve the problem. showing all the steps that you used
in the analysis. Work neatly so that your work can be followed by
others.
4. VALIDATE: Many times. an invalid solution can be uncovered by
simply asking yourself, "Does the answer make sense?"
 Rules on Rounding-Off
• you should assume that given data are accurate to three
significant digits unless stated otherwise. For example, a
length that is given as 3 ft should be interpreted as 3.00 ft.
• When performing intermediate calculations. a good rule of
thumb is to carry one more digit than will be reported in
the final answer; for example, use four-digit intermediate
values if the answer is to be significant to three digits.
• Furthermore. it is common practice to report four digits if
the first digit in an answer is 1; for example. use 1.392
rather than 1.39.
 Newtonian Mechanics
Scope of Newtonian mechanics
In 1687 Sir Isaac Newton (1642- 1727) published his celebrated laws of
motion in Principia (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy).
Without a doubt, this work ranks among the most influential scientific
books ever published.
We should not think, however, that its publication immediately established
classical mechanics.
Newton's work on mechanics dealt primarily with celestial mechanics and
was thus limited to particle motion.
Another two hundred or so years elapsed before rigid-body dynamics, fluid
mechanics, and the mechanics of deformable bodies were developed.
Each of these areas required new axioms before it could assume a usable
form.
Newton's laws for particle motion
Using modern terminology, Newton's laws of particle motion
may be stated as follows:
1. If a particle is at rest (or moving with constant velocity in a
straight line), it will remain at rest (or continue to move with
constant velocity in a straight line) unless acted upon by a force.
2. A particle acted upon by a force will accelerate in the direction
of the force. The magnitude of the acceleration is proportional to
the magnitude of the force and inversely proportional to the
mass of the particle.
3. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction; that
is, the forces of interaction between two particles are equal in
magnitude and oppositely directed along the same line of action.
 Inertial reference frames
When applying Newton's second law, attention must be paid
to the coordinate system in which the accelerations are
measured.

An inertial reference frame (also known as a Newtonian or

Galilean reference frame) is defined to be any rigid coordinate
system in which Newton's laws of particle motion relative to
that frame are valid with an acceptable degree of accuracy. In
most design applications used on the surface of the earth, an
inertial frame can be approximated with sufficient accuracy by
attaching the coordinate system to the earth.
In the study of earth satellites, a coordinate system
attached to the sun usually suffices. For interplanetary
travel, it is necessary to use coordinate systems attached
to the so-called fixed stars.

It can be shown that any frame that is translating with

constant velocity relative to an inertial frame is itself an
inertial frame. It is a common practice to omit the word
inertial when referring to frames for which Newton's
laws obviously apply
 Units and dimensions
The standards of measurement are called units.
The term dimension refers to the type of measurement,
regardless of the units used.
For example, kilogram and feet/second are units,
whereas mass and length/time are dimensions.
We will use two standards of measurement: U.S.
Customary system and SI system (from Systeme
internationale d'unites).
In the U.S. Customary system the base (fundamental)
dimensions* are force [FJ, length [L], and time [TJ. The
corresponding base units are pound (I b), foot (ft), and
second(s).
The base dimensions in the S/ system are mass [M],
length [L], and time [T], and the base units are kilogram
(kg), meter (m), and second (s).
 All other dimensions or units are combinations of
the base quantities.
For example, the dimension of velocity is [LIT], the
units being ft/s, m/s, and so on.
A system with the base dimensions [FLT] (such as
the U.S. Customary system) is called a gravitational
system.
If the base dimensions are [MLT] (as in the SI
system), the system is known as an absolute system.
In each system of measurement, the base units
are defined by physically reproducible
phenomena or physical objects.
For example, the second is defined by the
duration of a specified number of radiation
cycles in a certain isotope, the kilogram is
defined as the mass of a certain block of metal
kept near Paris, France, and so on.
All equations representing physical phenomena
must be dimensionally homogeneous; that is, each
term of an equation must have the same dimension.
Otherwise, the equation will not make physical
sense (it would be meaningless, for example,
to add a force to a length).
Checking equations for dimensional homogeneity is
a good habit to learn, as it can reveal mistakes made
during algebraic manipulations.
Mass, force, and weight
Conversion of units
 Law of gravitation
In addition to his many other accomplishments,
Newton also proposed the law of universal
gravitation.
Consider two particles of mass mA and mB that
are separated by a distance R, as shown in Fig.
1.1.
The law of gravitation states that the two
particles are attracted to each other by forces of
magnitude F that act along the line connecting
the particles, where
 Sample Problem 1.1
Convert 5000 lb/in.2 to Pa (1 Pa = 1 N/m2 ).
Sample Problem 1.2
Sample Problem 1.3
PROBLEMS