9.2 SOME BASIC CONCEPTS
À pMass and force - A mass can exert forces through gravity and other effects. Forces can also be exerted by other phenomenon, such as magnetism.
We can emphasize the relationship between mass as an absolute and gravity as a local. The effects of gravity are dealt with as forces in most statics problems.
Force has magnitude and direction. Therefore it is well suited to vectors.
many forces can also operate on the same object, we can replace these with equivalent forces, called RESULTANTS.
We have both action and reaction forces as well. As we apply ACTION forces, there are forces that will resist, these are called REACTIONS.
- we often use PARTICLE approximations that assume bodies have no size. This simplifies calculations significantly.
- Forces that are the result of mechanical contact are called surface forces, and are transmitted by pressure on the surface of an object.