Equilibrium and Forces Quiz

Rotational Motion and Forces

• Torque is the measure of the tendency of a force to rotate an object around an axis.

Forces and Interactions

• Collinear forces meet at a common point and act along the same line.
• A free body diagram is a simplified diagram showing an object and all the forces acting on it.

Vector Quantities

• Force is a quantity that has both magnitude and direction.

Newton's Laws

• Newton's First Law states that an object at rest will remain at rest, and an object in motion will continue to move with a constant velocity, unless acted upon by an external force.

Torque and Rotation

• The perpendicular distance from an axis to the line of action of a force is called the moment arm or lever arm.
• According to Newton's Second Law, the force acting on an object is equal to its mass times its acceleration.

Structural Analysis

• In a statically determinate structure, all forces and reactions can be determined using equilibrium equations alone.
• The measure of an object's resistance to changes in its rotation rate is called the moment of inertia.

Types of Forces

• Tensile forces pull or stretch a material.
• The coefficient of friction represents the ratio of the frictional force to the normal force between two surfaces.

Center of Gravity

• The point where the entire weight of an object can be considered to act is called the center of gravity.

Buckling Analysis

• The Euler's buckling formula predicts the critical buckling load of a slender column.

Structural Elements

• A horizontal or inclined structural member that supports loads perpendicular to its longitudinal axis is called a beam.
• Poisson's Ratio represents the ratio of lateral strain to longitudinal strain in a material.

Indeterminate Structures

• In an indeterminate structure, additional information beyond equilibrium equations is required to determine all forces and reactions.