Engineering Mechanics Statics Third Edition

Abstract

Statics and dynamics are basic subjects in the general field known as engineering mechanics. At the risk of oversimplifying, engineering mechanics is that branch of engineering that is concerned with the behavior of bodies under the action of forces. Statics and dynamics form the basis for many of the traditional fields of engineering, such as automotive engineering, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering. In addition, these subjects often play fundamental roles when the principles of mechanics are applied to such diverse fields as medicine and biology. Applying the principles of statics and dynamics to such a wide range of applications requires reasoning and practice rather than memorization. Although the principles of statics and dynamics are relatively few, they can only be truly mastered by studying and analyzing problems. Therefore, all modern textbooks, including ours, contain a large number of problems to be solved by the student. Learning the engineering approach to problem solving is one of the more valuable lessons to be learned from the study of statics and dynamics. We have made every effort to improve our presentation without compromising the following principles that formed the basis of the previous editions. • Each sample problem is carefully chosen to help students master the intricacies of engineering problem analysis. • The selection of homework problems is balanced between “textbook” problems that illustrate the principles of engineering mechanics in a straight-forward manner, and practical engineering problems that are applicable to engineering design. • The number of problems using U.S. Customary Units and SI Units are approximately equal. • The importance of correctly drawn free-body diagrams is emphasized throughout. • We continue to present equilibrium analysis in three separate articles, each followed by a set of problems. The first article teaches the method for drawing free-body diagrams. The second shows how to write and solve the equilibrium equations using a given free-body diagram. The third article combines the two techniques just learned to arrive at a