STATICS OF PARTICLE

Lecture 5 – Forces in Space (3D)

DR SHAHRUDDIN BIN MAHZAN@MOHD ZIN

 POSITION & FORCE VECTORS (Sec 2.7 - 2.8)

Objectives:
Students will be able to :
a) Represent a position vector in Cartesian coordinate form,
from given geometry.
b) Represent a force vector directed along a line.

Learning Topics:
• Applications / Relevance
• Write position vectors
• Write a force vector
 READING QUIZ

1. A position vector, rPQ, is obtained by

A) Coordinates of Q minus coordinates of P
B) Coordinates of P minus coordinates of Q
C) Coordinates of Q minus coordinates of the origin
D) Coordinates of the origin minus coordinates of P

2. A force of magnitude F, directed along a unit vector U, is given

by F = ______ .
A) F (U) B) U / F
C) F / U D) F + U
E) F – U
 APPLICATIONS

How can we
represent the
force along the
wing strut in a 3-D
Cartesian vector
form?

Wing strut
 POSITION VECTOR

A position vector is defined as a

fixed vector that locates a point
in space relative to another
point.

Consider two points, A & B, in 3-D

space. Let their coordinates be
(XA, YA, ZA) and ( XB, YB, ZB ),
respectively.

The position vector directed from A to B, r AB , is defined as

r AB = {( XB – XA ) i + ( YB – YA ) j + ( ZB – ZA ) k }m
Please note that B is the ending point and A is the starting point. So
ALWAYS subtract the “tail” coordinates from the “tip” coordinates!
 EXAMPLE
z

6
A(3,5,6)
Given: A position vector r acting
from point A (3m,5m,6m) to
point B (5m,-2m,1m)
1
Find: Represent the position vector B(5,-2,1) 5
in Cartesian vector form and -2 y
determine its direction angles 3
and find the distance 5
between point A and B.
x
Plan:

1) Represent the position vector in Cartesian vector form

2) Find the magnitude of the position vector
3) Use trigonometry to find the direction angle
 z

6
A(3,5,6)

1
B(5,-2,1) 5
-2 y
3
5

rAB = {( XB – XA ) i + ( YB – YA ) j + ( ZB – ZA ) k }m
= {( 5 – 3 ) i + ( -2 – 5) j + ( 1 – 6 ) k }m
= {2i - 7j - 5k }m

Distance between point A and B,

rAB   2  (7)  (5) 

1
2 2 2 2
 8.83m
 rx 2
cos   
rAB 8.83
ry 7
cos   
rAB 8.83
rz 5
cos   
r AB 8.83

Solving the equations and we will the answers as below

α = 76.9°, β = 142.4°, γ = 124.5°

 IN CLASS TUTORIAL (GROUP PROB SOLVING)

Given: Position vector as shown in the figure

Find: Express the position vector r in the Cartesian vector form,
its magnitude and coordinate direction angle.
Plan:

1) Represent the position vector in Cartesian vector form

2) Find the magnitude of the position vector
3) Use trigonometry to find the direction angle
 B

rAB = {( XB – XA ) i + ( YB – YA ) j + ( ZB – ZA ) k }m
= {( 0 – 3 ) i + ( -8 – 4) j + ( 4 – 0 ) k }m
= {-3i - 12j + 4k }m

Distance between point A and B,

 
1
rAB  (3) 2  (12) 2  (4) 2 2
 13m
 rx 3
cos   
rAB 13
ry 12
cos   
rAB 13
rz 4
cos   
r AB 13

Solving the equations and we will the answers as below

α = 103.3°, β = 157.4°, γ = 72.1°

 HOMEWORK TUTORIAL

Q1 (2-84):
Determine the length of the connecting rod AB by first
formulating a Cartesian position vector from A to B and then
determining its magnitude.
Given:
b = 400mm
a = 125mm
α = 25°
 HOMEWORK TUTORIAL (continued)
Q2 (2-85):
Determine the length of member AB of the truss by first
establishing a Cartesian position vector from A to B and then
determining its magnitude.
Given:
a = 1.2m
b = 0.8m
c = 0.3m
d = 1.5m
θ = 40deg
 FORCE VECTOR DIRECTED ALONG A LINE (Sec
2.8)

If a force is directed along a line,

then we can represent the force
vector in Cartesian Coordinates by
using a unit vector and the force
magnitude. So we need to:

a) Find the position vector, r AB , along two points on that line.

b) Find the unit vector describing the line’s direction, uAB = (rAB/rAB).
c) Multiply the unit vector by the magnitude of the force, F = F uAB .
 EXAMPLE

Given: The window is held open

by cable AB as shown in
the figure
Find: Length of the cable and
express the F force
acting at A along the
cable as a Cartesian
vector
Plan:

1) Represent the position vector in Cartesian vector form

2) Find the magnitude of the position vector
3) Using a unit vector, express the F force as a Cartesian vector
rAB = {( XB – XA ) i + ( YB – YA ) j + ( ZB – ZA ) k }mm
= {( 0 – 300cos30°) i + ( 150 – 500) j + (250 + 300sin30°) k }mm
= {-259.8i - 350j + 400k }mm

Distance between point A and B,

 
1
rAB  (259.8) 2  (350) 2  (400) 2 2
 591.6mm
 EXAMPLE

Use a unit vector to express F in the form of Cartesian vector

F = FuAB = F(rAB/rAB).

F = 30 {(-259.8 /591.6)i + (-350/591.6)j + (400/591.6)k}

= 30{-0.44i – 0.59j + 0.68k}

= {-13.2i - 17.7j + 20.4k} N

 IN CLASS TUTORIAL (GROUP PROB SOLVING)

Given: The cable attached to

the tractor at B
exerts a force of
3500 N no the
framework.
Find: Express this force as
a Cartesian vector
Plan:

1) Represent the position vector in Cartesian vector form

2) Find the magnitude of the position vector
3) Using a unit vector, express the F force as a Cartesian vector
 rAB = {( XB – XA ) i + ( YB – YA ) j + ( ZB – ZA ) k }m
= {( 15sin20° – 0 ) i + ( 15cos20° – 0) j + ( 0 – 10.5 ) k }m
= {5.13i + 14.1j - 10.5k }m

Distance between point A and B,

rAB   (5.13)  (14.1)  (10.5) 

1
2 2 2 2
 18.31m
Use a unit vector to express F in the form of
Cartesian vector

F = FuAB = F(rAB/rAB).

F = 3500 {(5.13 /18.31)i + (14.1/18.31)j + (-10.5/18.31)k}

= 3500{0.28i + 0.77j – 0.57k}

= {980i + 2695j - 1995k} N

 CONCEPT QUIZ

1. P and Q are two points in a 3-D space. How are the position
vectors rPQ and rQP related?
A) rPQ = rQP B) rPQ = - rQP
C) rPQ = 1/rQP D) rPQ = 2 rQP

2. If F and r are force vector and position vectors, respectively,

in SI units, what are the units of the expression (r * (F / F)) ?
A) Newton B) Dimensionless
C) Meter D) Newton - Meter
E) The expression is algebraically illegal.
 ATTENTION QUIZ

1. Two points in 3 – D space have coordinates of P (1, 2, 3) and Q (4,

5, 6) meters. The position vector rQP is given by
A) {3 i + 3 j + 3 k} m
B) {- 3 i – 3 j – 3 k} m
C) {5 i + 7 j + 9 k} m
D) {- 3 i + 3 j + 3 k} m
E) {4 i + 5 j + 6 k} m

2. Force vector, F, directed along a line PQ is given by

A) (F/ F) rPQ B) rPQ/rPQ
C) F (rPQ/rPQ) D) F (rPQ/rPQ)
 HOMEWORK TUTORIAL

Q1 (2-93):
The plate is suspended using the three cables which exert
the forces shown. Express each force as a Cartesian vector.

Given:
FBA = 3.5kN
FCA = 5kN
FDA = 4kN
a = 0.3m
b = 0.3m
c = 0.6m
d = 1.4m
e = 0.3m
f = 0.3m
g = 0.2m
 HOMEWORK TUTORIAL (continued)
Q2 (2-94):
The engine of the lightweight plane is supported by struts
that are connected to the space truss that makes up the
structure of the plane. The anticipated loading in two of the
struts is shown. Express each of these forces as a Cartesian
vector.

Given:
F1 = 4kN
F2 = 6kN
a = 0.15m
b = 0.15m
c = 0.9m
d = 0.75m
e = 0.15m
f = 0.9m
 HOMEWORK TUTORIAL (continued)
Q3 (2-104) :
The tower is held in place by three cables. If the force of
each cable acting on the tower is shown, determine the
magnitude and coordinate direction angles α,β,γ of the
resultant force.
Units Used:
kN := 1000N

Given:
x = 20m, a = 16m
y = 15m, b = 18m
F1 = 600N, c = 6m
F2 = 400N, d = 4m
F3 = 800N, e = 24m
 DOT PRODUCT (Section 2.9)
Objective:
Students will be able to use the dot product to
a) determine an angle between two vectors, and,
b) determine the projection of a vector along a specified line.

Learning Topics:
•Applications / Relevance
• Dot product - Definition
• Angle determination
• Determining the projection
 READING QUIZ

1. The dot product of two vectors P and Q is

P
defined as
A) P Q cos  B) P Q sin  

C) P Q tan  D) P Q sec  Q

2. The dot product of two vectors results in a _________

quantity.
A) scalar B) vector
C) complex D) zero
APPLICATIONS

For this geometry, can you determine

angles between the pole and the
cables?
 DEFINITION

The dot product of vectors A and B is defined as A•B = A B cos .

Angle  is the smallest angle between the two vectors and is
always in a range of 0º to 180º.

Dot Product Characteristics:

1. The result of the dot product is a scalar (a positive or
negative number).
2. The units of the dot product will be the product of the
units of the A and B vectors.
 DOT PRODUCT DEFINITON (continued)

Examples: i•j = 0
i•i = 1

A•B = (Ax i + Ay j + Az k) • (Bx i + By j + Bz k)

= Ax Bx + AyBy + AzBz

Thus, to determine the dot product of two Cartesian vectors, multiply

their corresponding x,y,z components and sum their products
algebraically
 USING THE DOT PRODUCT TO DETERMINE
THE ANGLE BETWEEN TWO VECTORS

For the given two vectors in the Cartesian form, one can find the
angle by
a) Finding the dot product, A • B = (AxBx + AyBy + AzBz ),
b) Finding the magnitudes (A & B) of the vectors A & B, and
c) Using the definition of dot product and solving for , i.e.,
 = cos-1 [(A • B)/(A B)], where 0º    180º .
 DETERMINING THE PROJECTION OF A VECTOR

You can determine the

components of a vector
parallel and perpendicular
to a line using the dot
product.

Steps:
1. Find the unit vector, Uaa´ along line aa´
2. Find the scalar projection of A along line aa´ by
A|| = A • U = AxUx + AyUy + Az Uz
 DETERMINING THE PROJECTION OF A VECTOR

3. If needed, the projection can be written as a vector, A|| ,

by using the unit vector Uaa´ and the magnitude found
in step 2.
A|| = A|| Uaa´

4. The scalar and vector forms of the perpendicular

component can easily be obtained by
A  = (A 2 - A|| 2) ½ and
A  = A – A||
(rearranging the vector sum of A = A + A|| )
 EXAMPLE

Given: The force acting on the pole

Find: The angle between the
force vector and the pole,
and the magnitude of the
projection of the force along
the pole OA.

Plan:

1. Get rOA
2.  = cos-1{(F • rOA)/(F rOA)}
3. FOA = F • uOA or F cos 
 rOA = {2 i + 2 j – 1 k} m
rOA = (22 + 22 + 12)1/2 = 3 m
F = {2 i + 4 j + 10 k}kN
F = (22 + 42 + 102)1/2 = 10.95 kN

F • rOA = (2)(2) + (4)(2) + (10)(-1) = 2 kN·m

 = cos-1{(F • rOA)/(F rOA)}

 = cos-1 {2/(10.95 * 3)} = 86.5°

uOA = rOA/rOA = {(2/3) i + (2/3) j – (1/3) k}

FOA = F • uOA = (2)(2/3) + (4)(2/3) + (10)(-1/3) = 0.667 kN
Or FOA = F cos  = 10.95 cos(86.51°) = 0.667 kN
 CONCEPT QUIZ

1. If a dot product of two non-zero vectors is 0, then the two

vectors must be _____________ to each other.
A) parallel (pointing in the same direction)
B) parallel (pointing in the opposite direction)
C) perpendicular
D) cannot be determined.

2. If a dot product of two non-zero vectors equals -1, then the

vectors must be ________ to each other.
A) parallel (pointing in the same direction)
B) parallel (pointing in the opposite direction)
C) perpendicular
D) cannot be determined.
 IN CLASS TUTORIAL 1 (GROUP PROB SOLVING)

Given: The force acting on the pipe

Find: The magnitude of the projected component of 100 N
force acting along the axis BC of the pipe.
Plan: 1. Get rCD and rCB
2. Get UCD and UCB
3. FBC = (F • UCD )·UCB
rCD = {( XD – XC ) i + ( YD – YC ) j + ( ZD – ZC ) k }m
= {( 0 – 0.6 ) i + ( 1.2 – 0.4) j + ( 0 – (-0.2) ) k }m
= {-0.6i + 0.8j + 0.2k }m

rCB = {( XB – XC ) i + ( YB – YC ) j + ( ZB – ZC ) k }m
= {( 0 – 0.6 ) i + ( 0 – 0.4) j + ( 0 – (-0.2) ) k }m
= {-0.6i - 0.4j + 0.2k }m
 rCD   (0.6) 2  (0.8) 2  (0.2) 
1
2 2
 1.02m

rCB   (0.6) 2  (0.4) 2  (0.2) 

1
2 2
 0.75m

uCD = rCD/|rCD| ={(-0.6/1.02) i + (0.8/1.02) j + (0.2/1.02) k}

={- 0.59 i + 0.78 j + 0.196 k}
uCB = rCB/|rCB| ={(-0.6/0.75) i + (-0.4/0.75) j + (0.2/0.75) k}
={- 0.8 i - 0.53 j + 0.27 k}

FCB = (F • uCD)· uCB =(100)(-0.59)(-0.8) + (100)(0.78)(-0.53) +

(100)(0.196)(0.27) = 11.15N
 IN CLASS TUTORIAL 2 (GROUP PROB SOLVING)

Given: The force acting on the pipe

Find: The angle between pipe segment BA and BC
Plan:
1. Get rBA and rBC
2.  = cos-1{(rBC • rBA)/(rBC * rBA)}
rBC = {( XC – XB ) i + ( YC – YB ) j + ( ZC – ZB ) k }m
= {( 0.6 – 0 ) i + ( 0.4 – 0) j + ( -0.2 – 0 ) k }m
= {0.6i + 0.4j - 0.2k }m

rBA = {( XA – XB ) i + ( YA – YB ) j + ( ZA – ZB ) k }m
= {( -0.3 – 0 ) i + ( 0 – 0) j + ( 0 – 0 ) k }m
= {-0.3i + 0j + 0k }m
  
1
rBC  (0.6)  (0.4)  (0.2)
2 2 2 2
 0.75m

 
1
rBA  (0.3) 2  (0) 2  (0) 2 2
 0.3m

 = cos-1{(rBC • rBA)/(rBC rBA)}

 = cos-1 {-0.18/(0.75 * 0.3)} = 143.1°
 ATTENTION QUIZ

1. The Dot product can be used to find all of the following

except ____ .
A) sum of two vectors
B) angle between two vectors
C) component of a vector parallel to another line
D) component of a vector perpendicular to another line

2. Find the dot product of the two vectors P and Q.

P = {5 i + 2 j + 3 k} m
Q = {-2 i + 5 j + 4 k} m
A) -12 m B) 12 m C) 12 m 2
D) -12 m 2 E) 10 m 2
 HOMEWORK TUTORIAL

Q1 (2-113):
Determine the angle θ between the two cables.
Given:
a = 8m
b = 10m
c = 8m
d = 10m
e = 4m
f = 6m
FAB := 12kN
 HOMEWORK TUTORIAL (continued)
Q2 (2-108) :
Cable BC exerts a force of F = 28N on the top of the
flagpole. Determine the projection of this force along
the z axis of the pole
 HOMEWORK TUTORIAL (continued)
Q3 (2-111) :
Determine the angle θ and φ between the wire segment