Statics is the study of objects like bridges, buildings, dams,... that remain stationary (static) even though they experience forces of gravity, tension, fluid pressure,... In this stationary state, the object is in equilibium - a state of balance of all applied forces on the object. Statics is concerned with calculating the strength of forces required to maintain equilibrium and with describing how the forces might be applied to objects. Quite a bit of the vocabulary, mathematical analysis and discourse in a statics class concerns the shape of the static object and describes the geometry of the applied forces on the object.

The following topics are taken from the chapter headings of current engineering textbooks and is provided to give an overview of the topics, vocabulary and the symbology:

TITLE: Engineering Mechanics: Statics, R. C. Hibbeler, Prentice Hall, 8th Edition, 1998

CH 01: GENERAL PRINCIPLES

CH 02: FORCE VECTORS

CH 03: EQUILIBRIUM OF A PARTICLE

CH 04: FORCE SYSTEM RESULTANTS

CH 05: EQUILIBRIUM OF A RIGID BODY

CH 06: STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS

CH 07: INTERNAL FORCES

CH 08: FRICTION

CH 09: CENTER OF GRAVITY AND CENTROID

CH 10: MOMENTS OF INERTIA

CH 11: VIRTUAL WORK

Design Analysis of Structural Elements, James W. Dally, College House Enterprises, LLC.

CH 01: BRIDGES

CH 02: BASIC CONCEPTS IN MECHANICS

CH 03: FORCES AND MOMENTS

CH 04: EQUILIBRIUM

CH 05: THREAD, STRING, ROPE, WIRE AND CABLE

CH 06: RODS AND BARS

CH 07: MATERIAL PROPERTIES

CH 08: TRUSSES AND SPACE STRUCTURES

CH 09: STRESSES IN BEAMS

CH 10: FRICTION

The Statics textbooks use symbols to denote various important engineering terms or parameters. Each one of these terms has a specific meaning and so it is important to consistently use the same sign when referencing it.

Common textbook symbols:

• a: acceleration
• A: area, amplitude
• d: distance, diameter
• D: diameter
• e: general unit vector, eccentricity, mechanical efficiency, coefficient of restitution
• E: total energy, elastic modulus, Young's Modulus
• F: force
• FBD: Free body diagram
• g: acceleration of gravity
• G: universal gravitational constant, shear modulus
• h: height
• I: moment of inertia
• i,j,k: cartesian unit vectors
• k: spring constant, a number
• K: stress concentration factor
• L: length dimension
• m: mass
• M: bending moment, couple, mass
• n: number
• N: normal force or component of a vector
• O: origin
• p: pressure
• P: power
• r: radius, position vector
• R: radius, reaction force
• s: distance
• S: spring stretch (or compression)
• t: time
• T: kinetic energy, period of oscillation, tension force
• u: unit vector
• U: potential energy
• v: velocity
• V: volume, potential energy
• w: width dimension
• W: work, weight
• x, y, z: rectangular axes
• a, b, g: direction cosines
• a: angular acceleration
• d: deflection or displacement
• D: difference, change
• e: strain
• f: phase angle
• g: shear strain
• m: coefficient of friction
• q, y: angles, angular displacement
• r: density, radius of curvature
• s: stress
• t: shear stress
• W, w: angular velocity