UNIVERSITY of NORTHERN PHILIPPINES

College of Engineering

Course code : Mech 121

Descriptive Title : Engineering Mechanics

Course Credit No. of hrs. No. of weeks

3 units 54 18

Instructor: Eng’r. Rex P. Alimboyoguen

Email : rexalimboyoguen@gmail.com

Textbook： 1. Engineering Mechanics Statics - Meriam 5th Ed

2. Vector Mechanics for Engineers-STATICS (THIRD SI
METRIC EDITION) by Beer & Johnston
Reference Book： Engineering Mechanics- Statics by Hibbeler
Engineering Mechanics- Statics by Riley &
Sturges
Evaluations: Participations, Assignments, Plates : 20%
Quizzes : 40%
Long exam/ Midterm/Final exam.: 40%
COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
After completing the course, the students must be able to:

1. Explain the fundamental concepts related to engineering mechanics;

2. Solve for the components and resultants of force, moment, and motion
vectors;
3. Analyze static and dynamic equilibrium of particles and rigid bodies
4. Analyze particles and rigid bodies in motion using energy and momentum
methods; and
5. Compute for geometric properties (centroids and moments) of lines, areas,
and volumes.
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

1/1 Introduction to Mechanics, 1/2 Discussion on Newton's Laws of

Motion,1/3 Concept of Particles and Rigid Body; 1/4 Review of Vector
Operations
 INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING MECHANICS

ENGINEERING is the application of science and mathematics to design and

manufacture items that benefit humanity.
What is Mechanics?
Mechanics is a science that deals with the behavior of a body when the body
is at rest or in motion.
Engineering Mechanics is the branch of engineering that applies the principles
of mechanics to design, which must take into account the effect of forces.
The main goal of this course is to build a strong foundation for the students to
solve various engineering problems.
In other words, Engineering Mechanics is a branch of engineering that allows
us to model an actual problem into an engineering problem and find the
solution using laws of mechanics.

Why do we study? The practical applications of mechanics are the today’s

creations of civilization.

CLASSIFICATION
The mechanics of rigid bodies dealing with the study of a body at rest is termed
as statics and that dealing with the study of a body in motion is called dynamics.
The dynamics dealing with the problems without considering the forces causing
the motion of the body is termed as kinematics and if the forces are considered
for the body in motion, is called kinetics.
If the internal stresses developed in a body are to be studied, the deformation of
the body should be considered. This field of mechanics is called Mechanics of
deformable bodies.
With the application of very small shear forces, liquid and gases deform
continuously. Such materials are called fluids and the mechanics dealing with the
behavior of such materials is called Mechanics of fluids.
BASIC TERMS IN MECHANICS
Mass
The quantity of the matter possessed by a body is called mass.
Time
It is the measure of the succession / sequence of events.
Space
The geometric region in which study of a body is involved is called space. A
point in space is referred with respect to time a predetermined point by a set of
linear and angular measurements. The reference point is called the origin and
set of measurements as coordinates.
Length
It is a concept to measure linear distance. Actually, Metre is the unit of length. A
meter is defined as the length of the standard bar of platinum-iridium kept at
the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.
Displacement
It is defined as the distance moved by a particle/body in the specified direction.
If a body moves from position A to position B in the X-Y plane as shown in the
figure,
Its displacement in X- direction is B′B and its displacement in Y- direction is
AB′.
Figure
Velocity
The rate of change of displacement with respect to time is defined as velocity.
Acceleration
It is the rate of change of velocity with respect to time.
Momentum
The product of mass and velocity is called momentum.
Continuum
Continuum may be defined as a continuous distribution of matter with no voids
or empty space.
A body consists of several matters. It is a well-known fact that each particle can
be subdivided into molecules, atoms, and electrons. It is not possible to solve any
engineering problem by treating a body as a conglomeration of such discrete
particles. The body is assumed to consists of a continuous distribution of matter.
In other words, the body is treated as a continuum.

Rigid Body
A rigid body may be defined as a body in which the relative positions of any two
particles do not change under the action of the forces.

In this figure, points A and B are the original position in the body.
After application of a system of forces F1, F2, F3, the body takes the position as
shown in figure below.
Figure

A′ and B′ are the new positions of A and B. If the body is treated as rigid,
the relative positions of A′ B′ and A B are the same. A’B’ = AB
IDEALIZATIONS IN MECHANICS

Models or idealizations are used mechanics in order to simplify application

of the theory . Here we will consider three important idealizations :
Particle : a particle has a mass , but a size that can be neglected. When a
body is idealized as a particle. The principles of mechanics reduce to a rather
simplified from since the geometry of the body will not be involved in the
analysis of the problem .
Rigid Body : a rigid body can be considered as a combination of a large
number of particles in which all the particles remain at a fixed distance from
one another , both before and after applying a load .
Concentrated Force : a concentrated force represents the effect of a loading
which is assumed to act at a point on a body. We can represent a load by a
concentrated force.
The body can be treated as continuum.
If the size of the body is small compared to other distances involved in
problems, it may be treated as a particle.
If the area over which force is acting on a body is small compared to the size
of the body. It may be treated as a point force.
Support conditions are idealized as simple, hinged, fixed etc…

Newton's Laws of Motion

Newton’s Three Laws of Motion:

Newton’s laws of motion, relations between the forces acting on a

body and the motion of the body, first formulated by English
physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton.

Engineering mechanics is formulated on the basis of Newton’s three

laws of motion,
the validity of which is based on experimental observation. These
laws apply to the
motion of a particle as measured from a nonaccelerating reference
frame. They may be
briefly stated as follows.
First Law:
A particle originally at rest, or moving in a straight line with constant velocity, tends
to
remain in this state provided the particle is not subjected to an unbalanced force
first law states that every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight
line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force. This is
normally taken as the definition of inertia.
Let us Understand First Law of Motion by an Example
Let us take a block on a smooth surface. By smooth, we mean that there is no friction
acting on the surface. The block is at rest, that is, it is not moving.
Now, let us examine the forces acting on the block. The only forces acting on the block
are the force of gravity and the normal reaction by the surface. There is no force acting
on it in the horizontal direction. Since the forces in the vertical direction are equal to
each other in magnitude, they cancel each other out, and hence there is no external
force on the block. Since this block is at rest, we can say that it confirms Newton’s first
law of Motion.
Now, if we apply a constant force F on the block in a horizontal direction, it will start
moving with some constant acceleration, in the direction of the applied force.

Thus, the first law of motion is confirmed again.

What are the steps to solve a problem on Newton’s laws of motion?
Let us take the following example,

The wedge is fixed, and we need to find the acceleration

of the block of mass m along the incline.

Step 1: Draw the F.B.D of the block,

Step 2: Writing the force equation taking our own axis, in this case, we take
two axes one along the plane and the other perpendicular to it.

Fincline = mg sin45∘ VFNormal = N – mg cos45∘

Step3: Calculating acceleration using the second law of motion

mg sin 45∘ = ma

a = g sin45∘
Second Law:
A particle acted upon by an unbalanced force (F) experiences an acceleration (a)
that has the same direction as the force and a magnitude that is directly
proportional to the force.
According to Newton s Second Law of Motion, also known as the Law of Force
and Acceleration, a force upon an object causes it to accelerate according to the
formula net force = mass x acceleration. So the acceleration of the object is
directly proportional to the force and inversely proportional to the mass.
Third Law :
The mutual forces of action and reaction between two particles are
equal, opposite, and collinear
A force is a push or a pull that acts upon an object as a results of its
interaction with another object. ... These two forces are called action and
reaction forces and are the subject of Newton's third law of motion. Formally
stated, Newton's third law is: For every action, there is an equal and opposite
reaction.

Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g550H4e5FCY
 Concept of Particles and Rigid Body

Particle: A particle has a mass, but a size that can be neglected.

For example, the size of the earth is insignificant compared to the size of its orbit,
and therefore the earth can be modeled as a particle when studying its orbital
motion. When a body is idealized as a particle, the principles of mechanics reduce
to a rather simplified form since the geometry of the body will not be involved in
the analysis of the problem.

Rigid Body: A rigid body can be considered as a combination of a large number of

particles in
which all the particles remain at a fixed distance from one another, both before and
after applying a load.
This model is important because the material properties of anybody that is
assumed to be rigid will not have to be considered when studying the effects of forces
acting on the body. In most cases the actual deformations occurring in structures,
machines, mechanisms, and the like are relatively small, and the rigid-body
assumption is suitable for analysis.
 Review of Vector Operations

Scalars and vectors:

Scalars are those with which only a magnitude is associated.
Examples of scalar quantities are time, volume, density, speed, energy, and mass.
Vector quantities, on the other hand, possess direction as well as magnitude, and
must obey the parallelogram law of addition as described later in this article.
Examples of vector quantities are displacement, velocity, acceleration, force, moment,
and momentum. Speed is a scalar. It is the magnitude of velocity, which is a vector.
Thus velocity is specified by a direction as well as a speed.
Vectors representing physical quantities can be classified as free, sliding, or fixed.
A free vector is one whose action is not confined to or associated with a unique line in
space. For example, if a body moves without rotation, then the movement or
displacement of any point in the body may be taken as a vector. This vector describes
equally well the direction and magnitude of the displacement of every point In the
body. Thus, we misrepresent the displacement of such a body by a free vector.
A sliding victor has a unique line of action in space bill mil a unique point of
application. For example, whim (in external force ails on a rigid body, the force can be
applied at any point along its line of action without changing its effect on the body as
a whole, and thus it is a sliding vector.
A fixed vector is one for which a unique point of application is specified. The action of
a force on a deformable or nonrigid body must be specified by a fixed vector at the
point of application of the force. In this instance the forces and deformations within
the body depend on the point of application of the force, as well as on its magnitude
and line of action.
Conventions for Equations and Diagrams
A vector quantity V is represented by a line segment. Fig.1/1, having the direction of
the vector and having an arrow head to indicate the sense.
The length of the directed line segment represents to some convenient scale the
magnitude IVI of the vector and is printed with light-face italic type V. For example, we
may choose a scale such that an arrow one inch long represents a force of twenty
pounds.
In scalar equations, and frequently on diagrams where only the magnitude of a vector
is labeled, the symbol will appear in lightface italic type. Boldface type is used for
vector quantities whenever the directional aspect of the vector is a part of its
mathematical representation. When writing vector equations, always be certain to
preserve the mathematical distinction between vectors and scalars.

In handwritten work, use distinguishing marks for each vector quantity, such as an
underline, V, or an arrow over the symbol, V, to take the place of boldface type in
print.
Working with Vectors: The direction of the vector V may be measured by un angle
from some known reference direction as shown in Fig. 1/1. The negative of V is a
vector -V having the same magnitude as V but directed in the sense opposite to V.
ad shown in Fig. 1/1.
Vectors must obey the parallelogram law of combination. This law states that two
vectors V1, and V2, treated as free vectors. Fig.l.2a, may be replaced by their
equivalent vector V. which is the diagonal of the parallelogram formed by V1, and
V2, as its two sides, as shown in Fig.1.2b. This combination is called the vector sum
and is represented by the vector equation.
Geometry of the parallelogram shows that
V # V1 + V2
Addition of the vectors does not affect their sum, so that
V1 + V2 = V2 + V1

The difference V1-V2 between the two vectors is easily obtained by adding -V2 to
V1 as shown in Fig. 1/3, where either the triangle or parallelogram procedure may
be used.
The difference V between the two vectors is expressed by the vector equation :
V= V1-V2
where the minus sign denotes vector subtraction.
Any two or more vectors whose sum equals a certain vector V
are said to be the components of that vector. Thus, the vectors
V 1 and V2 In Fig. 1/4a are the components of V in the directions 1 and 2,
respectively.
It is usually most convenient to deal with vector components which are mutually
perpendicular; these are called rectangular components. The vectors Vx and Vy in
Fig.
1/4b are the x- and y-components, respectively, of V. Likewise, in Fig. 1/4c, Vx and
Vy are the x- and y-components of V. When expressed in rectangular components,
the direction of the vector with respect to, say, the x-axis is clearly specified by the
angle Ø,
where:
A vector V may be expressed mathematically by multiplying its magnitude V by a
vector
n whose magnitude is one and whose direction coincides with that of V. The
vector n is
called a unit vector. Thus,
V = Vn
In this way both the magnitude and direction of the vector are conveniently
contained
in one mathematical expression. In many problems, particularly three-dimensional
ones, it is convenient to express the rectangular components of V, Fig. 1/5, in
terms of
unit vectors i, j, and k, which are vectors in the x-, y-, and z-directions,
respectively, with
unit magnitudes. Because the vector V is the vector sum of the components in the
x-, y-,
and z-directions, we can express V as follows:
V =Vxi + Vyj + Vzk
Conversion Factors
Many quantities can be expressed in several different ways. For example, the English
system measurement of 4 cups is also equal to 2 pints, 1 quart, and 1/4 of a gallon.

4 cups = 2 pints = 1 quart = 0.25 gallon

Notice that the numerical component of each quantity is different, while the actual
amount of material that it represents is the same. That is because the units are
different. We can establish the same set of equalities for the metric system:

1meter = 10 decimeter = 100 centimeter = 1000 millimeters

The metric system’s use of powers of 10 for all conversions makes this quite simple.

Whenever two quantities are equal, a ratio can be written that is numerically equal to
1. Using the metric examples above:

1 m / 100 cm = 100 cm / 100 cm = 1 m / 1m =1

The fraction 1 m/100 cm is called a conversion factor. A conversion factor is a ratio of

equivalent measurements. Because both 1 m and 100 cm represent the exact same
length, the value of the conversion factor is 1. The conversion factor is read as “1
meter per 100 centimeters.” Other conversion factors from the cup measurement
example can be:

4 cups / 2 pints = 2 pints /1 quart = 1 quart / 0.25 gallon =1

Since the numerator and denominator represent equal quantities in each case, all are
valid conversion factors.

Dimensional Analysis
Conversion factors are used in solving problems in which a certain measurement must
be expressed with different units. When a given measurement is multiplied by an
appropriate conversion factor, the numerical value changes, but the actual size of the
quantity measured remains the same. Dimensional analysis is a technique that uses
the units (dimensions) of the measurement in order to correctly solve problems.
Dimensional analysis is best illustrated with an example.
Sample Problem 1:

How many seconds are in a day?

Step 1: List the known quantities and plan the problem.

Known

• 1 day = 24 hours
• 1 hour = 60 minutes
• 1 minute = 60 seconds
Unknown

• 1 day =? seconds
The known quantities above represent the conversion factors that we will use. The
first conversion factor will have day in the denominator so that the “day” unit will
cancel. The second conversion factor will then have hours in the denominator, while
the third conversion factor will have minutes in the denominator. As a result, the unit
of the last numerator will be seconds and that will be the units for the answer.

Step 2: Calculate.

1 day x 24 h / 1day x 60 min / 1h x 60 s / I h = 86,400 s

Applying the first conversion factor, the “d” unit cancels and 1 × 24 = 24. Applying the
second conversion factor, the “h” unit cancels and 24 × 60 = 1440. Applying the third
conversion factor, the “min” unit cancels and 1440 × 60 = 86400. The unit that remains
is “s” for seconds.

Step 3: Think about your result.

A second is a much smaller unit of time than a day, so it makes sense that there are a
very large number of seconds in one day.
Sample Problem 2:

How many minutes are in a year?

How many days are equal to one million seconds?
Dimensional Analysis and the Metric System

The metric system’s many prefixes allow quantities to be expressed in many different
units. Dimensional analysis is useful to convert from one metric system unit to
another.

Sample Problem 3: Metric Unit Conversions

A particular experiment requires 120 mL of a solution. The teacher knows that he

will need to make enough solution for 40 experiments to be performed throughout
the day. How many liters of solution should he prepare?

Step 1: List the known quantities and plan the problem.

Known

• 1 experiment requires 120 mL of solution

• 1 L = 1000 mL
Unknown

• 40 experiments require? L of solution

Since each experiment requires 120 mL of solution and the teacher needs to prepare
enough for 40 experiments, multiply 120 by 40 to get 4800 mL of solution needed.
Now you must convert mL to L by using a conversion factor.

Step 2: Calculate.

4800 ml x 1 l/ 1000 ml = 4.8 l

Note that conversion factor is arranged so that the mL unit is in the denominator and
thus cancels out, leaving L as the remaining unit in the answer.

Step 3: Think about your result.

A liter is much larger than a milliliter, so it makes sense that the number of liters
required is less than the number of milliliters.
Sample Problem 4:

3. Perform the following conversions.

a. 0.074 km to m

b. 24,600 μg to g

c. 1300 ms to s

d. 3.8 × 10-5 L to μL

Some metric conversion problems are most easily solved by breaking them down into more than
one step. When both the given unit and the desired unit have prefixes, one can first convert to the
simple unit, followed by a conversion to the desired unit. An example will illustrate this method.

Sample Problem 5: Two-Step Metric Conversion

Convert 4.3 cm to μm.

Step 1: List the known quantities and plan the problem.

Known

• 1 m = 100 cm

• 1 m = 106 μm

Unknown

• 4.3 cm = ? μm

You may need to consult the table in the lesson, “The International System of Units," for the
multiplication factor represented by each metric prefix. First convert cm to m; then convert m to
μm.

Step 2: Calculate.

4.3 cm x 1m / 100 cm x 10⁶ µm / 1 m = 43,000 µm

Each conversion factor is written so that unit of the denominator cancels with the unit of the
numerator of the previous factor.

Step 3: Think about your result.

A micrometer is a smaller unit of length than a centimeter, so the answer in micrometers is larger
than the number of centimeters given.
Sample Problem 6:

Perform the following conversions.

a. 4.9 × 107 μg to kg
b. 84 dm to mm
c. 355 nm to cm
d. 70.5 ML to mL

Exercise:
1. Give the SI base unit of measurement for each of the following quantities.
a. mass
b. length
c. time
d. temperature
2. Convert the following numbers into scientific notation.
a. 85,000,000
b. 0.00019

3 Put the following into decimal notation.

a. 8.72 × 10-8
b. 3 × 104
4. Place the following units of mass in order from smallest to largest: g, kg,
μg, g, pg, Mg, ng, cg, dg.
5. Explain what is wrong with the following statement: “This rock weighs 8
kilograms.”
6. What is absolute zero on the Celsius temperature scale?
7. Calculate the volume in mL of a cube that is 2.20 cm on each side.

8. A rectangular solid has a volume of 80 cm3. Its length is 2.0 cm and its
width is 8.0 cm. What is the height of the solid?
9. Convert the following Celsius temperatures to Kelvin.
a. 36°C
b. −104°
10. Convert the following Kelvin temperatures to degrees Celsius.
a. 188 K
b. 631 K
11. Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit can be converted to Celsius by first
subtracting 32, then dividing by 1.8. What is the Celsius temperature
outside on a warm 88°F day?
12. Two samples of water are at different temperatures. A 2 L sample is at
40°C, while a 1 L sample is at 70°C.
a. The particles of which sample have a larger average kinetic energy?
b. The water samples are mixed. Assuming no heat loss, what will be the
temperature of the 3 L of water?
13. What is the mass in grams of a2.50 kg book?
14. What is the length in cm of a field that is 0.65 km?
15. Convert 6.5 feet into inches.