Analysis: Revealing forces

So simple, yet so profound.

You won’t get engineers’ eyes until you have internalised the concept of isolating the object (or objects) you want to analyse. Only when a body is isolated will forces appear.

It’s strange that this intensely abstract concept is at the heart and soul of engineers. These are people the world at large would take to be ‘practical’ and ‘concrete’; after all they operate in the world of physical reality.

Be prepared to listen and watch carefully as you view this video. Maybe run it twice. This is vital stuff.

Talking points

• What are the benefits of using free-body diagrams?