CENTROIDS OF LINES

CENTROID OF A STRAIGHT LINE

If we take a straight line of length (L), then its midpoint will be at a distance (L/2) from either end of the line. Let us denote the centroid as the point G(X_g,Y_g).

Suppose we have a straight line AB of length (L) that makes an angle θ with X axis. Let the coordinate of point A is (X_o,Y_o). Let the centroid be at G(X_g,Y_g), then

X_g = X_o + (Lcos θ)/2
Y_g = Y_o + (Lsin θ)/2

                                                                                                                                                             

     Again, suppose the coordinate of B is given instead of point A. Let it is given as B(Xi,Yi). Then, it will be                                                       

Xg = X₁ - (Lcos θ)/2
Yg = Y₁ - (Lsin θ)/2

For Horizontal lines θ = 0° and for Vertical lines θ = 90°

CENTROID OF A CURVED LINE

The steps to derive the centroid of a quarter circular arc of radius R. 

 

Centroid of a curved line can be derived with the help of calculus.

i) Draw the figure in a X-Y coordinate system. Let the curved line has been represented by a function θ

ii) Take an arbitrary point P(X,Y) on the curve. Join the line OP, where O is the origin of the coordinate system. Let OP has a length L and makes an angle (θ) with X axis. Therefore, we can write

                  

                                   X = Rcosθ ----- (a)
                             Y = Rsinθ ----- (b)

iii) Let another point Q, such that PQ = dL where dL is very very small. Let the angle subtended by (dL) be (dθ). So we can write

                                   dL = Rdθ ------ (c)

                             X_g = (1/L) ∫(XdL)
                                  = (1/L) ∫ Rcosθ.Rdθ
                                  = (1/L).R²  ∫ sinθ.dθ ------- (d)

                             Y_g = (1/L) ∫ YdL
                                  = (1/L) ∫ Rsinθ.Rdθ
                                  = (1/L).R²  ∫ sinθ.dθ -------- (e)

CENTROID OF A QUARTER CIRCULAR ARC OF RADIUS R

Suppose we have a quarter circular arc in a co-ordinate system as shown in the figure. Total length of the arc AB = (πR)/2 . We take an arbitrarily small length of the arc CD and denote it as dL.

So,

           dL = Rdθ  ------ (iii)    [ as s=Rθ ]

where R = Radius of the quarter circular arc.

Let the co-ordinate of the point D be D(x,y) where

   
               X = Rcosθ -----(iv) and

            Y = Rsinθ -----(v)

Hence   X_g = (1/L)∫x.dL  ;  here  L = (πR)/2  ;        

                                           X = Rcosθ      

                                          dL = Rdθ

    

             X_g = (2/πR)   ₀∫^π/2Rcosθ.Rdθ 

     =    (2/πR) R²  ₀∫^π/2cosθ.dθ

 =      2R/π
   

   Y_g = (2/πR)   ₀∫^π/2Rsinθ.Rdθ 

     

 =      (2/πR) R²  ₀∫^π/2sinθ.dθ

 =      2R/π

Hence, for a quarter circular arc of radius R will be G(2R/π,2R/π)                                                                

                                                                                      

CENTROID OF A COMPOSITE LINE

In the figure, a composite line A-B-C-D is made of three straight lines AB, BC, CD as shown in the figure.So, a composite line is consisted of several straight or curved lines.


Let a composite line is made of n number of lines, which may straight or curved lines.

STEP-ONE:

Draw the composite line and break it into n number of parts. Let the lengths of these lines are L_1, L_2,  L_{3 ........} L_n. Let the centroids of these lines are G₁(X₁,Y₁),G₂(X₂,Y₂), G₃(X₃,Y₃) ........ G_n(X_n,Y_n).

Calculate length (L_i), and coordinates (X_i,Y_i) for each and every parts.

 

Now, if the centroid of the composite line be G(X_g,Y_g)

X_g = (∑L_iX_i)/(∑L_i) 

    => (L₁X₁ + L₂X₂ + L₃X₃)/(L₁ + L₂ + L₃)
   

Y_g = (∑L_iY_i)/(∑L_i)

    => (L₁Y₁ + L₂Y₂ + L₃Y₃)/(L₁ + L₂ + L₃)
   

2D FORCE ANALYSIS : HOW TO FIND REACTIONS IN A CASE OF CONCURRENT FORCE SYSTEM ACTING ON A BODY IS IN EQUILIBRIUM

DEFINITION : CONCURRENT FORCE SYSTEM

If the lines of actions of all the forces in a force system pass through a common point, then the force system is called as Concurrent Force System. The equilibrium conditions for a concurrent force system is

ΣF_x = 0 and   ΣF_y = 0

 

The steps to find out reactions when a coplanar concurrent force system acting on a body in equilibrium condition :

 

 

STEP 1 :

 

(i) Draw the diagram and identify all the contact points the body makes with other bodies including ground.

(ii) Draw a tangent at each contact point with the object. These tangents are called Contact Surfaces.

(iii) Draw a perpendicular to the contact surface at each and every contact points. These perpendiculars will be the directions of reactions at each and every contact point.

(iv) Find the angles made by the reactions with respect to horizontal with the help of Geometry.

 

 

STEP 2 :

 

(i) Draw the Free Body Diagram (FBD) that consists of the external forces acting on the object. (applied forces, forces of gravity and reactions all are external forces)

(ii) Assign reactions by symbols like R₁, R₂ ....... and resolve all the external forces along X-axis and Y-axis.

(iii) Now add all the horizontal component forces as ΣF_x and put ΣF_x = 0 ---- eqn (1)

and add all the vertical component forces as ΣF_y and put ΣF_y = 0 --------eqn (2)

(iv) Solving these two equations we shall get values of  R₁, R_2.

 

FORCE: THE CAUSE OF ANY KIND OF CHANGE IN THE UNIVERSE

                           "When a student is introduced to the concept of force for the first time, the student would understand in a better way if we define force in formal way by explaining Mechanical Force which applied on an object produces or tends to produce certain kind of motion. Similarly, it can oppose a motion and thus it can a moving body to a halt."


                             In physics, a force is any influence that causes a free body to undergo an acceleration. Force can also be described by intuitive concepts such as a push or pull that can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (which includes to begin moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate, or which can cause a flexible object to deform.

                            A force has both magnitude and direction, making it a vector quantity. Newton's second law, F=ma, can be formulated to state that an object with a constant mass will accelerate in proportion to the net force acting upon and in inversely  proportional to its mass, an approximation which breaks down near the speed of light.

                             Newton's original formulation is exact, and does not break down: this version states that the net force acting upon an object is equal to the rate at which its momentum changes.

                             Related concepts to accelerating forces include thrust, increasing the velocity of the object, drag, decreasing the velocity of any object, and torque, causing changes in rotational speed about an axis.

                            Forces which do not act uniformly on all parts of a body will also cause mechanical stresses, a technical term for influences which cause deformation of matter. While mechanical stress can remain embedded in a solid object, gradually deforming it, mechanical stress in a fluid determines changes in its pressure and volume.

                Newton's first law of Motion:

                    Newton's first law of motion states that objects continue to move in a state of constant velocity unless acted upon by an external net force or resultant force.

                   This law is an extension of Galileo's insight that constant velocity was associated with a lack of net force (see a more detailed description of this below). Newton proposed that every object with mass has an innate inertia that functions as the fundamental equilibrium "natural state" in place of the Aristotelian idea of the "natural state of rest". That is, the first law contradicts the intuitive Aristotelian belief that a net force is required to keep an object moving with constant velocity. By making rest physically indistinguishable from non-zero constant velocity, Newton's first law directly connects inertia with the concept of relative velocities. Specifically, in systems where objects are moving with different velocities, it is impossible to determine which object is "in motion" and which object is "at rest". In other words, to phrase matters more technically, the laws of physics are the same in every inertial frame of reference, that is, in all frames related by a Galilean transformation.



                         For example, while traveling in a moving vehicle at a constant velocity, the laws of physics do not change from being at rest. A person can throw a ball straight up in the air and catch it as it falls down without worrying about applying a force in the direction the vehicle is moving. This is true even though another person who is observing the moving vehicle pass by also observes the ball follow a curving parabolic path in the same direction as the motion of the vehicle. It is the inertia of the ball associated with its constant velocity in the direction of the vehicle's motion that ensures the ball continues to move forward even as it is thrown up and falls back down. From the perspective of the person in the car, the vehicle and every thing inside of it is at rest: It is the outside world that is moving with a constant speed in the opposite direction. Since there is no experiment that can distinguish whether it is the vehicle that is at rest or the outside world that is at rest, the two situations are considered to be physically indistinguishable. Inertia therefore applies equally well to constant velocity motion as it does to rest.



                        The concept of inertia can be further generalized to explain the tendency of objects to continue in many different forms of constant motion, even those that are not strictly constant velocity. The rotational inertia of planet Earth is what fixes the constancy of the length of a day and the length of a year.

                        Albert Einstein extended the principle of inertia further when he explained that reference frames subject to constant acceleration, such as those free-falling toward a gravitating object, were physically equivalent to inertial reference frames. This is why, for example, astronauts experience weightlessness when in free-fall orbit around the Earth, and why Newton's Laws of Motion are more easily discernible in such environments.

                       If an astronaut places an object with mass in mid-air next to him/herself, it will remain stationary with respect to the astronaut due to its inertia. This is the same thing that would occur if the astronaut and the object were in intergalactic space with no net force of gravity acting on their shared reference frame. This principle of equivalence was one of the foundational underpinnings for the development of the general theory of relativity.


Newton's second law of Motion:

A modern statement of Newton's second law is a vector differential equation:
where p is the momentum of the system, and is the F net (vector sum) force. In equilibrium, there is zero net force by definition, but (balanced) forces may be present nevertheless. In contrast, the second law states an unbalanced force acting on an object will result in the object's momentum changing over time. 


                            By the definition of momentum,  p = mV ; where m is the mass and V is the velocity. In a system of constant mass, the use of the constant factor rule in differentiation allows the mass to move outside the derivative operator, and the equation becomes F = ma ; where m = mass of the body and a= acceleration of the body.

                           
The

MOMENTUM : AN IMPORTANT CONCEPT

NEWTON'S LAW OF MECHANICS:

Although we know there are three laws of motion proposed by Issac Newton, but it can be shown that the 2nd law of motion is the fundamental laws of motion, and the other two laws are nothing but special cases of second law.

The second law states that the rate of change of momentum is equal to force, which is another physical quantity and it is a vector.

SO WHAT DOES MOMENTUM MEAN?

MOMENTUM

Tuesday, 16. November, 02:41

Objects in motion are said to have a momentum. This momentum is a vector. It has a size and a direction. The size of the momentum is equal to the mass of the object multiplied by the size of the object's velocity. The direction of the momentum is the same as the direction of the object's velocity.

Momentum is a conserved quantity in physics. This means that if you have several objects in a system, perhaps interacting with each other, but not being influenced by forces from outside of the system, then the total momentum of the system does not change over time. However, the separate momenta of each object within the system may change. One object might change momentum, say losing some momentum, as another object changes momentum in an opposite manner, picking up the momentum that was lost by the first.

IMPORTANCE OF MOMENTUM

Momentum is a corner stone concept in Physics. It is a conserved quantity. That is, within a closed system of interacting objects, the total momentum of that system does not change value. This allows one to calculate and predict the outcomes when objects bounce into one another. Or, by knowing the outcome of a collision, one can reason what was the initial state of the system.

MOMENTUM IS MASS TIMES VELOCITY

When an object is moving, it has a non-zero momentum. If an object is standing still, then its momentum is zero. To calculate the momentum of a moving object multiply the mass of the object times its velocity. The symbol for momentum is a small p.

MOMENTUM IS A VECTOR QUANTITY

Momentum is a vector. That means, of course, that momentum is a quantity that has a magnitude, or size, and a direction. The above problem is a one dimensional problem. That is, the object is moving along a straight line. In situations like this the momentum is usually stated to be positive, i.e., to the right, or negative, i.e., to the left.

MOMENTUM IS NOT VELOCITY

.

Sometimes the concept of momentum is confused with the concept of velocity. Do not do this. Momentum is related to velocity. In fact, they both have the same direction. That is, if an object has a velocity that is aimed toward the right, then its momentum will also be directed to the right. However, momentum is made up of both mass and velocity. One must take the mass and multiply it by the velocity to get the momentum.

MOMENTUM IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO VELOCITY

If the mass is kept constant, then the momentum of an object is directly proportional to its velocity. In the example at the left, the mass is kept constant at a value of 2.0 kg. The velocity changes from 0 m/s to 10 m/s while the momentum changes from 0 kg-m/s to 20 kg-m/s. This creates a straight line graph when momentum is plotted as a function of velocity. (The symbol for momentum as a function of velocity would be p(v).) The straight line graph demonstrates the direct proportion between momentum and velocity.


That is, if one were to double the velocity of an object, then the momentum of that object would also double. And, if one were to change the velocity of an object by a factor of 1/4, then the momentum of that object would also change by a factor of 1/4.

MOMENTUM IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO MASS

If the velocity is kept constant, then the momentum of an object is directly proportional to its mass. In the example at the left, the velocity is kept constant at a value of 3.0 m/s. The mass changes from 0 kg to 10 kg while the momentum changes from 0 kg-m/s to 30 kg-m/s. This creates a straight line graph when momentum is plotted as a function of mass. (The symbol for momentum as a function of mass would be p(m).) The straight line graph demonstrates the direct proportion between momentum and mass.

That is, if one were to triple the mass of an object, then the momentum of that object would also triple. And, if one were to change the mass of an object by a factor of 1/2, then the momentum of that object would also change by a factor of 1/2.

TWO DIMENSIONAL FORCE SYSTEM

Q: WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND BY THE TERM "FORCE"? WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF FORCE ON A PARTICLE AND A RIGID BODY? EXPLAIN WITH SUITABLE EXAMPLES.

Answer:

FORMAL DEFINITION:

A FORCE is that which can cause an object with mass to ACCELERATE. Force has both MAGNITUDE and DIRECTION, making it a vector quantity. According to Newton's second law, an object with constant mass will accelerate in proportion to the net force acting upon it and in INVERSE PROPORTION TO ITS MASS (M). An equivalent formulation is that the net force on an object is equal to the RATE OF CHANGE OF MOMENTUM it experiences. Forces acting on three-dimensional objects may also cause them to rotate or deform, or result in a change in pressure. The tendency of a force to cause angular acceleration about an axis is called TORQUE. Deformation and pressure are the result of stress forces within an object.


EXPLANATION OF MECHANICAL FORCE AND IT'S EFFECT ON A PARTICLE:

CHANGE IN POSITION:

To know force well, first we have to understand what do we mean by Change. What does it mean when we say the position of the body has been changed? Whenever we find the state of object becomes different than that of the same object before some time say Δt, then we say that there exists a change in the state of the object. Suppose the change occurs in the position of the body. But to find the initial position of a body, we need a co-ordinate system.

THE CAUSE OF CHANGE:

It has been seen that to induced a change or to make a change in the position of an object we must have to change the energy possess by the body. To transfer energy into the object we shall have to apply FORCE on the body. Therefore Force is the agency that makes a change in position of a body.

THE CONCLUSION: GALILEO'S LAW OF INERTIA OR NEWTON'S FIRST LAW OF MOTION.

So, if there is no force on an object the position of the object won't change with respect to time. It means if a body at rest would remain at rest and a body at uniform motion would remain in a steady motion. This law is known as Galileo's Law of Inertia or Newton's first law of motion.

• 2 DIMENSIONAL FORCE

In physics, force is a vector quantity that is used to describe the interaction between two objects. In a two-dimensional system, forces can act in two different directions, which are typically labeled as the x-axis and the y-axis.

When dealing with two-dimensional force, it is essential to use vector addition to determine the net force acting on an object. The net force is the vector sum of all the forces acting on the object. The direction of the net force is determined by the angle of the resultant force vector.

To calculate the net force in two dimensions, we must first break down each force into its x and y components. The x-component of a force is the amount of force acting in the x-direction, and the y-component is the amount of force acting in the y-direction. Once we have the x and y components for each force, we can add them together to find the net force.

The magnitude of the net force can be calculated using the Pythagorean theorem, which states that the square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides. In this case, the hypotenuse is the magnitude of the net force, and the other two sides are the x and y components of the net force.

In summary, when dealing with two-dimensional force, it is essential to use vector addition to determine the net force acting on an object. To calculate the net force, we must first break down each force into its x and y components and then add them together. The magnitude and direction of the net force can be determined using trigonometry.

• ORTHOGONAL RESOLUTION OF A FORCE

Orthogonal resolution of a force is a technique used in physics to break down a force vector into its components along two orthogonal axes, typically the x and y axes. This technique is useful in analyzing the motion of an object under the influence of a force and can help determine the net force acting on an object.

To perform orthogonal resolution of a force, we first need to identify the angle that the force vector makes with respect to one of the axes, usually the x-axis. We can then use trigonometry to determine the components of the force vector along the x and y axes.

If the angle between the force vector and the x-axis is θ, the x-component of the force can be found using the equation F_x = F cos(θ), where F is the magnitude of the force. Similarly, the y-component of the force can be found using the equation F_y = F sin(θ).

Once we have the x and y components of the force, we can use vector addition to determine the net force acting on an object. The net force is the vector sum of all the forces acting on the object and can be found by adding the x and y components of each force separately.

Orthogonal resolution of a force is a powerful technique that is used in many areas of physics, including mechanics, electromagnetism, and fluid dynamics. By breaking down a force vector into its components, we can better understand the forces acting on an object and predict its motion under different conditions.

WHAT IS A FORCE SYSTEM? CAN WE CLASSIFY FORCE SYSTEMS?

ANSWER:
                         A force system may be defined as a system where more than one force act on the body. It means that whenever multiple forces act on a body, we term the forces as a force system. We can further classify force system into different sub-categories depending upon the nature of forces and the point of application of the forces. Almost any system of known forces can be resolved into a single force called a resultant force or simply a Resultant. The resultant is a representative force which has the same effect on the body as the group of forces it replaces. (A couple is an exception to this) It, as one single force, can represent any number of forces and is very useful when resolving multiple groups of forces. It is important to note that for any given system of forces, there is only one resultant.


Different types of force system:

• (i) COPLANAR FORCES:

If two or more forces rest on a plane, then they are called coplanar forces. There are many ways in which forces can be manipulated. It is often easier to work with a large, complicated system of forces by reducing it an ever decreasing number of smaller problems. This is called the "resolution" of forces or force systems. This is one way to simplify what may otherwise seem to be an impossible system of forces acting on a body. Certain systems of forces are easier to resolve than others. Coplanar force systems have all the forces acting in in one plane. They may be concurrent, parallel, non-concurrent or non-parallel. All of these systems can be resolved by using graphic statics or algebra.

• (ii) CONCURRENT FORCES:

A concurrent coplanar force system is a system of two or more forces whose lines of action ALL intersect at a common point. However, all of the individual vectors might not actually be in contact with the common point. These are the most simple force systems to resolve with any one of many graphical or algebraic options. If the line of actions of two or more forces passes through a certain point simultaneously then they are called concurrent forces. concurrent forces may or may not be coplanar.

• (iii) LIKE FORCES:

A parallel coplanar force system consists of two or more forces whose lines of action are ALL parallel. This is commonly the situation when simple beams are analyzed under gravity loads. These can be solved graphically, but are combined most easily using algebraic methods. If the lines of action of two or more forces are parallel to each other, they are called parallel forces and if their directions are same, then they are called LIKE FORCES.

• (iv) UNLIKE FORCES:

If the parallel forces are such that their directions are opposite to each other, then they are termed as "UNLIKE FORCE".

• (v) NON COPLANAR FORCES:

The last illustration is of a "non-concurrent and non-parallel system". This consists of a number of vectors that do not meet at a single point and none of them are parallel. These systems are essentially a jumble of forces and take considerable care to resolve.

on 20th November, 2010: ©subhankar