STATICS

Concurrent Coplanar forces

Concurrent forces: A number of forces meeting at a point.
Co-planar forces: The force acting in the same plane.
Resultant: The resultant of a number of forces acting on a body is that single force which
produces the same effect on the as the net effect of all individual forces acting together.
Or
It is that single force which produces the same effect as that produced by the system of
forces.
Resultant of two concurrent coplanar forces: This can be determined by the law of parallelogram of
forces which states that if two forces acting at a point can be represented by both in magnitude
& in direction by adjacent sides of a parallelogram drawn from that point, then their resultant is
represented both in magnitude & in direction by the diagonal of the parallelogram passing
through the point of application of forces.

P & Q represented by OA & OB. Complete the parallelogram OACB. Join

OC which represents the resultant of P & Q .
B
Let two forces

Draw CD perpendicular OA produced.

COA
le
OCD
In the right angled
Let

BOA

&

OC OD DC
2

(OA AD) DC
2

OA AD 2.OA.AD DC
2
2
OA 2 OA AD AC (1)
2

( AC AD2 DC2 )
2

In

le

ACD

AD
AC
AD AC Cos
Cos

R P2 Q2 2PQCos
2

R P Q 2PQCos
2

To find the direction of R :Let be the angle made by R with OA.

Consider

le

OCD

CD
OD
But OD OA AD
tan

OA ACCos

P Q Cos

AD
Cos
AC

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M.N.Sharath kumar

Qsin
P QCos
QSin
tan1

P QCos

tan

Case 1: When

CD QSin

0 i.e forces act along the same straight line & in the same direction.
R P Q 2PQCos0
2

P Q 2PQ
2

(P Q)

R=P+Q
i.e the resultant force will be maximum if

Case 2: When

180 i.e forces acting along the same straight line in

opposite direction.
R P Q 2PQCos180
2

P Q 2PQ
2

(P Q)

R=P-Q
Resultant direction will be in the direction of greater force.

Case 3: When

90 i.e when the forces are right angles to each

other.
R P Q 2PQCos90
2

Michael Faraday

P Q
2

Law of triangle of forces: It states that if three

forces acting at a point be represented both in

magnitude & in direction by the sides of a triangle taken
in order, then they will be in equilibrium.
Let P ,
represented by

Q
P

le

C
R

Q & R be the three forces acting at O

three sides of a
AB, BC & CA respectively.
Then AB AD AC (Law of parallelogram of forces)
Now AB BC CA AB AD CA
( AD BC)

O
R

AC CA

o
So forces represented by AB, BC & CA are in equilibrium. This means
equilibrium.

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P , Q & R are also in

M.N.Sharath kumar

Converse of the triangle law of forces: It states that If three forces acting at a point are in equilibrium,
they can be represented by the sides taken in order, of any
parallel to the directions of forces.
i.e P AB, Q BC
R CA

le

that is drawn so as to have its sides

P
Q
R

AB BC CA

Lamis theorem:
If three concurrent co-planar forces acting at a point are in equilibrium,
then each force is proportional to the sine of the angle between the other two
forces.
From the figure according to lamis theorem we have
P Sin
Q Sin
R Sin
P
Q
R

Or
= Constant
Sin Sin Sin

P
Q

Two Moons
In 1610, Galileo used an anagram to announce his discovery of what he believed to be two moons
orbiting another planet: smaismrmilmepoetaleumibunenugttauiras.
Remarkably, Johannes Kepler, after considerable effort, managed to decipher the code, Salve
umbisteneum geminatum Martia proles ("Hail, twin companionship, children of Mars"), thereby
confirming his own prediction that Mars has two moons.
More remarkable still, Galileo's cypher had in fact declared: Altissimum planetam tergeminum observavi
("I have observed the highest of the planets - Saturn - three-formed")

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M.N.Sharath kumar