2. Classification of Technical Mechanics
Hey, have you ever wondered how bridges stay standing, airplanes fly, or cars drive? All these wonders of technology work thanks to Technical Mechanics. But what exactly is it?
In short, Technical Mechanics is the study of forces and how they act on things. It is, so to speak, physics for engineers and tinkerers.
Depending on whether a body is rigid, elastic, liquid, or gaseous, different laws apply. In this section on 'Rigid Body Statics', we will focus specifically on rigid bodies, i.e. things that cannot be bent or deformed.
Statics deals with rigid bodies that are not moving. This may sound boring, but it is super important for building bridges that don't collapse, for example.
Kinetics, on the other hand, deals with rigid bodies that are moving. Here you will learn how to calculate the velocity and acceleration of objects, such as cars or rockets.
Kinematics is, so to speak, the little sister of kinetics. It only describes the motion of objects without worrying about the forces that cause the motion.
Strength of materials is important to know how much load a material can withstand before it breaks. For example, it can be used to ensure that a building does not collapse when it snows or is windy.
Hydrostatics and hydrodynamics deal with liquids, such as water. They explain how pressure is created in liquids and how they move.
Aerostatics and gas dynamics explore the world of gases. Here you will learn all about lift, drag and the flow of gases.
At this point, we will focus on the statics of rigid bodies. We will learn how to calculate the forces that act on an object and how to use these forces to build stable and safe structures.
P.S.: Don't worry, it's not as dry as it sounds.