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Re: [Phys-l] bound vectors ... or not



Regardless of what these are called, it was a bit of an eye opener for me to study the statics portions of some of these engineering texts. The torque situations studied are way more complicated than encountered in the typical calculus-based college physics courses, and I had not thought of some of the engineering ramifications of forces acting at various points on 3-D bodies supported at various other points, and whether the supports are rigid or rotatable or can slide, etc.

Indeed - the 1959 text I referred to (likely from my father's collection - I have no idea how I acquired it) analyzes some extraordinarily complex static and dynamic mechanics problems involving all kind of mechanisms. And accompanies them with line drawings that are positively artistic compared with today's offerings.

I may gain a greater appreciation of the noted vector nuances (at least in the 3 dimensions in which I typically live) by seeing if I can even duplicate some of these solutions.


Stefan Jeglinski