ENGINEERING MECHANICS CME 1302

Static Equilibrium for a Particle

 A particle: An object with inertia (mass) but of negligible dimensions.

 Equilibrium equations for a particle:

o A particle is in equilibrium if the resultant of ALL forces acting on the particle is
equal to zero.
o A particle is in equilibrium if it is at rest if originally at rest or has a constant velocity
if originally in motion.
o Newton’s first law is that a body at rest is not subjected to any unbalanced forces.

 Equilibrium equations in component form: In a rectangular coordinate system the

equilibrium equations can be represented by three scalar equations:

 Direction of force:

Up and right  + Fx = F cos  Fy = F sin 

Down and left  - Tx = T sin  Ty = T cos 

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 ENGINEERING MECHANICS CME 1302

 Free-Body diagram:

o A diagram showing the particle under consideration and all the forces acting on this
particle. Each force in this diagram must label.
o To apply equilibrium equations we must account for all known and unknown forces
acting on the particle.
o The best way to do this is to draw a free-body diagram of the particle.
o This is a sketch that shows the particle “free” from its surroundings with all the forces
acting on it.

 Constructing a FBD:

o Determine the body (or particle) of interest

o Draw or sketch the isolated or free-body outline (if it can be represented as a particle
this is a point)
o Identify all external forces acting on the body (i.e., contact forces, gravitation, etc.)
o Label known forces (magnitude and direction).
o Represent unknown forces by letters (assume the direction for
unknown line of action forces).
o Select and label reference axes on the FBD and label any
dimensions required for solution of the problem.

 Frictionless pulleys: For a frictionless pulley in static equilibrium, the tension in the
cable is the same on both sides of the pulley.

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Example 1
Determine the magnitude of F1 and F2 so that the particle at the origin O is in
equilibrium.

Example 2
Cables AC and BC support a 220 kg traffic light. Determine the tension in
each cable.

Example 3
Determine the tension in cable AD and AD.