ENGINEERING MECHANICS
MODULE 1
Introduction to Mechanics, Motion Concepts, and Force Systems
I. Introduction to Mechanics
What is Engineering Mechanics?
The branch of physical science concerned with the state of rest or motion of bodies subjected to the action of forces.
• Statics — study of bodies in equilibrium (at rest, or moving with constant velocity).
• Dynamics — study of bodies in accelerated motion.
• Kinematics — describes motion (position, velocity, acceleration) without regard to the forces causing it.
• Kinetics — relates the forces acting on a body to its resulting motion.
Fundamental Concepts
• Time – measure of succession of events; basis of dynamics
• Mass – measure of a quantity of matter; property causing gravitational attraction and resistance to
acceleration
• Force – action of one body on another (push or pull)
Idealizations in Mechanics:
Particle — a body with mass but negligible size/shape
Rigid body — a combination of particles in which all particles remain at fixed distances from each other (no
deformation)
Concentrated force — the effect of a loading assumed to act at a point
II. Newton's Laws of Motion
1. First Law (Law of Inertia)
A particle originally at rest, or moving in a straight line with constant velocity, remains in that state provided the
particle is not subjected to an unbalanced force.
2. Second Law (Law of Acceleration)
A particle acted upon by an unbalanced force (F) experiences an acceleration (a) that has the same direction as the
force and a magnitude directly proportional to the force.
𝐹 = 𝑚𝑎
- If ΣF = 0, then a=0 → this is the basis of Statics (equilibrium).
- If ΣF ≠ 0, then the body accelerates → this is the basis of Kinetics.
3. Third Law (Law of Action-Reaction)
The mutual forces of action and reaction between two particles are equal, opposite, and collinear.
• Newton's Law of Gravitational Attraction (often paired with the three laws)
𝑚1 𝑚2
𝐹=𝐺
𝑟2
Special case: weight of a body near Earth's surface,
𝑊 = 𝑚𝑔
where g ≈ 9.81 m/s² (SI) or 32.2 ft/s² (US customary).
Units check (SI vs. US Customary)
Quantity SI English (US Customary)
Length meter (m) foot (ft)
Time second (s) second (s)
Mass kilogram (kg) slug
Force newton (N) pound (lb)
III. Particles and Rigid Bodies
Particle
- Has mass but size can be neglected
- Used when the size/shape of the body does not affect the analysis of motion or forces, or when the
dimensions are irrelevant to the problem (e.g., analyzing the trajectory of a car traveling long distance —
treat car as a point)
Rigid Body
- Can be considered as a large number of particles that maintain fixed positions relative to one another, both
before and after applying a load
- Deformation is assumed negligible
- Used when the size, shape, and rotational behavior of the object matters (e.g., analyzing a beam, a lever, a
rotating shaft, a robot arm)
Deformable body (contrast, brief mention)
- Real bodies deform under load; rigid body is an idealization that simplifies analysis when deformations are
small and not the focus of study
Prepared by: Engr. Chrislyn Joy A. Bangdo
Instructor, Philippine College of Science and Technology
ENGINEERING MECHANICS
MODULE 1
IV. Motion Concepts — Position, Velocity, Acceleration; Rectilinear Motion
Kinematics of a Particle — describes the geometry of motion without considering the forces causing it.
Position
- Location of a particle at any instant, measured from a fixed reference point/origin O along a defined path
- Represented as a position vector, or as a coordinate *s* for motion along a straight line (rectilinear motion)
• Displacement
𝛥𝑠 = 𝑠 ′ − 𝑠
Velocity — rate of change of position with respect to time
𝛥𝑠 𝑑𝑠
𝑣𝑎𝑣𝑔 = 𝛥𝑡 𝑣 = 𝑑𝑡
• Speed = magnitude of velocity
Acceleration — rate of change of velocity with respect to time
𝛥𝑣 𝑑𝑣 𝑑2 𝑠
𝑎𝑎𝑣𝑔 = 𝛥𝑡 𝑎 = 𝑑𝑡 = 𝑑𝑡 2
Relationship: 𝑎 𝑑𝑠 = 𝑣 𝑑𝑣
Rectilinear Motion— motion of a particle along a straight-line path.
o Case 1: Constant Acceleration
𝑣 = 𝑣𝑜 + 𝑎𝑡
1
𝑠 = 𝑠𝑜 + 𝑣𝑜 𝑡 + 𝑎𝑡 2
2
𝑣 2 = 𝑣𝑜2 + 2𝑎(𝑠 − 𝑠𝑜 )
o Case 2: Acceleration as a function of time, 𝑎 = 𝑓(𝑡), integrate directly
o Case 3: Acceleration as a function of velocity, 𝑎 = 𝑓(𝑣), use 𝑑𝑡 = 𝑑𝑣/𝑓(𝑣)
o Case 4: Acceleration as a function of position, 𝑎 = 𝑓(𝑠), use 𝑎 𝑑𝑠 = 𝑣 𝑑𝑣
V. Concept of Force; Components and Resultants of Forces
What is a Force?
- An action of one body on another that tends to change the state of motion (or shape) of the body on which it
acts. Characterized by:
o Magnitude
o Direction (line of action + sense)
o Point of application
Types of forces:
o Contact force vs. body force (e.g., gravity)
o Concentrated force vs. distributed force
Rectangular Components of a Force
For a force F acting at angle θ from the x-axis:
𝐹𝑥 = 𝐹 cos 𝛳 𝐹𝑦 = 𝐹 sin 𝛳
𝐹𝑦
𝐹 = √𝐹𝑥2 + 𝐹𝑦2 tan 𝛳 =
𝐹𝑥
Resultant of Two or More Forces
- Graphical: parallelogram law / polygon method for multiple forces
- Analytical (preferred): resolve every force into x and y components, sum algebraically, then recombine
𝑅𝑥 = ∑ 𝐹𝑥 𝑅𝑦 = ∑ 𝐹𝑦
𝑅𝑦
𝑅 = √𝑅𝑥2 + 𝑅𝑦2 tan 𝛳𝑅 = ---
𝑅𝑥
VI. Concurrent Force Systems
Definition: A concurrent force system is a set of two or more forces whose lines of action intersect at a common
point. Since all forces pass through the same point, they produce no tendency to rotate the body — only translation
is considered.
Procedure to find the Resultant of a Concurrent Force System:
1. Establish x-y coordinate axes.
2. Resolve each force into its x and y components (watch signs based on direction).
3. Sum all x-components: ΣFx. Sum all y-components: ΣFy.
2
4. Compute resultant magnitude: 𝑅 = √(∑ 𝐹𝑥 )2 + (∑ 𝐹𝑦 )
𝛴𝐹𝑥
5. Compute resultant direction: 𝜃 = tan−1 𝛴𝐹𝑦
Prepared by: Engr. Chrislyn Joy A. Bangdo
Instructor, Philippine College of Science and Technology