MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

AE 261 STATICS - FALL 2015
HOMEWORK 1
Assignment date: 03.11.2015
Due date: 12.11.2015
Please follow the rules given at the last page of the homework sheet while preparing
your homeworks. You should submit your solution of this homework on its due date till
13:40 to Ahmet Arda Akay, Room 005. Late homeworks will not be accepted!!
NOTE: This homework will be graded out of 20 not 10!

1.) Collar A is connected as shown to a 300-N load

and can slide on a frictionless horizontal rod.
Determine the magnitude of the force P required to
maintain the equilibrium of the collar when
(a) x = 90 mm,
(b) x = 300 mm.

2.) Knowing that the tension is 525 N in cable AB

and 610 N in cable AC, determine the magnitude and
direction of the resultant of the forces exerted at A
by the two cables.

3.) Three cables are used to tether a balloon as

shown. Determine the vertical force P exerted by the
balloon at A knowing that the tension in cable AD is
444 N.

4.) The 23-cm vertical rod CD is welded to the

midpoint C of the 50-cm rod AB. Determine the
moment about AB of the 325-N force P.

5.) If P = 25 N, replace the three couples with a

single equivalent couple, specifying its magnitude
and the direction of its axis.

6.) A truss supports the loading shown. Determine

the equivalent force acting on the truss and the
point of intersection of its line of action with a line
drawn through Points A and G.

Prepare your homeworks considering the remarks below:

1. Read the problem carefully, and make sure that you understand what is asked
2. Always draw a proper Free Body Diagram (FBD) in the beginning of the solution. In the FBD there
should not be any supports, or cables; only the forces. Also, do not forget to show the orientation and
directions of the vectors properly.

3. Do not forget to use arrows over the vectors as well as the unit vectors (i.e. i , j , k , and , do not leave

as i or i ). In addition to this, do not equate vectorial quantities to scalars.

4. When writing an equilibrium equation, or calculating the moment of a force do not forget to show the
direction that you assumed to be positive.
5. How you obtain the results is as important as obtaining them. Hence, please explain your solution and
assumptions, and show all calculation steps clearly (this is a hw and you have lots of time to show the
steps). Be careful when rounding off the numbers.
6. If the gravitational acceleration (g) is to be used in the question, take its value as g = 9.81m/s2, not g =
10 m/s2.
7. Submit your homeworks on a standard A4 paper. Do not use a pen (especially in RED color). Please
write your name, ID number and section on the first page. Do not prepare a cover page, and you may use
back sides of the pages. Also, use stapler if you are to submit multiple pages.
8. The work you delivered should truly reflect your personal efforts and knowledge in the areas of questions.
Neither your peer consultations nor any help you got from others in any form should not go beyond
discussions on the solution methods used and/or cross-checking your findings. Duplicate work will be
discarded.
9. Presentation of your homework will affect the total grade you will get, so try to work neatly.
10. Late homeworks will not be accepted!!