Group No: Faculty of Engineering & Technology

Group member: Mechanical Engineering Department

……………………………………………………………………… Autumn 2014-15

……………………………………………………………………… ME 14.101 Applied Mechanics

……………………………………………………………………… Mody University QLM

Group Assignment 1
This assignment is designed to assess your critical thinking, problem solving, and communication
skills. You have to apply the knowledge of principles and laws of mechanic used in system of forces,
moments, couples and equilibrium of bodies to the following set of problems. Your answer will be
judged for its clarity, relevance, coherence, logic, depth, and fairness.

Students have to follow below problem-solving methodology which helps you to develop your
problem-solving skill.

Road map: provides some of the general objectives of the problem and develops a strategy for how
the solution will be developed.

Modeling: a real-life problem is idealized by a model i.e. the selection of the laws/ principles
needed to solve the problem
Equations: writing all the equations needed to solve the problem.
Computation: solve the equations.

Discussion: the solution is interrogated to ensure that it is meaningful and accurate.

Problem 1: A window pole is used to open a window as shown.

Knowing that the pole exerts on the window a force P directed
along the pole and that the magnitude of the horizontal
component of P is 18 N, determine (a) the magnitude of the
force P, (b) its vertical component.
Problem 2: The Achilles tendon force Ft is mobilized when the
man tries to stand on his toes. As this is done, each of his feet
is subjected to a reactive force of Nf = 400 N. If the resultant
moment produced by forces Ft and Nf about the ankle joint A
is required to be zero, determine the magnitude of Ft.

Problem 3: Three forces and a couple are applied to a beam (system 1). (a) If you represent system
1 by a force applied at A and a couple (system 2), what are F and M? (b) If you represent system 1
by the force F (system 3), what is the distance D?

Problem 4: The device shown, called a

swape or shadoof, helps a person lift a heavy
load. (Devices of this kind were used in
Egypt at least as early as 1550 B.C. and are
still in use in various parts of the world.) The
dimensions a = 3.6 m and b = 1.2 m. The
mass of the bar and counterweight is 90 kg,
and their weight W acts at the point shown.
The mass of the load being lifted is 45 kg.
Determine the vertical force the person must
exert to support the stationary load.
1.

2.

3.

4.