Statics

A Student-Centered Approach

Welcome to the wonderful world of Statics! Have you ever tried to balance an object on your hand to find the center of gravity? Have you ever started pushing a bookcase across the floor and discovered its tendency to tip over? Are you curious about how trusses, cables, and simple machines work? Statics will answer all of these questions, and more! This course provides a bridge between the theory of Physics I and upper-level engineering courses such as Mechanics of Materials, Solid Mechanics, and Dynamics. 3.0 Semester Hours.

This first-edition is currently about 70-75% complete. 

Work on this text will resume Summer 2024.

Preliminaries

Part I: The Fundamentals of Statics

Lesson 1 - A Force -- or, a Tendency to Translate

Lesson 2 - A Moment -- or, a Tendency to Rotate

Lesson 3 - FBDs and Equations of Equilibrium (the E.o.E.)

Lesson 4 - Connections and Reactions

Lesson 5 - Static Equivalency

Lesson 6 - The Centroid of an Area

Lesson 7 - Friction

Part II: Applying Statics to Planar Structures

Lesson 8 - Beams: members subjected to bending

Lesson 9 - Trusses: explorations in triangulation

Lesson 10 - Cables: tensile shape-changers

Lesson 11 - Machines: assemblies of members that do work

Lesson 12 - Fluid Statics: liquids create loads on their containers

Part III: Applying Statics to Non-Planar Structures

Lesson 13 - 3D Statics, Part I

Lesson 14 - 3D Statics, Part II

Lesson 15 - 3D Statics, Part III

Part IV: Potpourri

These concepts are introduced in Statics, but not truly applied until subsequent courses.

Lesson 16 - Internal Forces (and Moments)

Lesson 17 - Shear and Moment Diagrams

Lesson 18 - The Moment of Inertia