Homework 1 – Strength of Materials – System That Cannot be in Static Equilibrium

Consider a triangular-shaped rigid body shown in Fig. 1. below.

The body is supported by a pin support at point A, and by a roller at point B. There is force acting at the point C. This force makes an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal axis. The length L is also given. That is, the force and the length are given. Perform the following tasks:

1. Following the procedure explained during the class, mathematicaly demonstrate that this body cannot be in static equilibrium. Provide a physical explanation for this.
2. Change the design and/or the position of the support at B such that the body is in static equilibrium.
3. For the changed design, compute the reaction forces at the points A and B.

Important remarks.

1. Submission deadline is August 30, at 10:10 AM.
2. Only printed copies should be submitted in person. I do not accept electronic submissions.
3. Please do not copy solutions from other students. This should be your original work.
4. Hand-written solutions will not be accepted. You are not allowed to write text and graphs using handwritting. Graphs should be made using appropriate software. You are allowed to write equations using handwritting.
5. Extra points will be given to students who write everything (equations + text+graphs) using software. A good program for writting engineering homework assignments is Latex. You will get extra points if you use Latex. You can use different Latex editors, a good choice is given here. Below, you can find a video tutorial on how to start with Latex.