| Vector Mechanics for Engineers , Statics and Dynamics |
| The mechanics of rigid bodies is subdivided into statics and dynamics, the former dealing with bodies at rest, the latter with bodies in motion. In this part of the study of mechanics, bodies are assumed to be perfectly rigid. Actual structures and machines, however, are never absolutely rigid and deform under the loads to which they are subjected. But these deformations are usually small and do not appreciably affect the conditions of equilibrium or motion of the structure under consideration. They are important, though, as far as the resistance of the structure to failure is concerned and are studied in mechanics of materials, which is a part of the mechanics of deformable bodies. The third division of mechanics, the mechanics of fluids, is subdivided into the study of incompressible fluids and of compressible fluids. An important subdivision of the study of incompressible fluids is hydraulics, which deals with problems involving water. |
|
