Table of Contents
1 Machines and Structures: Things are simpler than They seem 1
The Intuitive Approach 1
The Art of Weighing 4
Forces and Equilibrium 10
Example 13
2 The Lever: A paradox of nature explained 16
The Law of the Lever 16
The Moment of a Force 21
The Moment Arm 24
Simple Machines 28
Centers of Gravity 32
The Force Couple 37
Example 40
3 The Inclined Plane: "A mystery is not a mystery" 42
The Law of the Inclined Plane 42
The Triangle of forces 46
The Parallelogram Law 51
The Algebra of Arrows 55
More Simple Machines 58
Principles and limitations 64
Example 67
4 The Beam: And a general method of attack 69
The Support Reactions 69
The Three-Force Body 72
The Conditions of Equilibrium 77
The Free-Body Diagram 81
Galileo's Problem 85
Structures 89
Example 95
5 Water and Air: More paradoxes and a horror that is not 99
The Force of Buoyancy 99
The Pressure of Water 103
The Hydrostatic Paradox 107
The Hydraulic Machine 112
The Horror of the Vacuum 114
The Atmospheric Engine 120
Example 125
6 A Different Approach: And some new insights 127
A Common Rule 127
The Work of Forces 131
Simple Machines Revisited 136
The Principle of Torricelli 140
The Principle of Virtual Work 143
Stability of Equilibrium 147
Example 151
7 Summary and Problems: Or statics in a nutshell 154
The Rigid Body 154
The Composite Body 157
The Internal Forces 160
Hydrostatics 164
The Method of Work 167
Stability 171
Bibliography 175
Index 177
