Course

Mechanics for Applied Science

Faculty
Science & Technology
Department
Physics
Course code
PHYS 1170
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 Weeks
Max class size
36
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
Winter

Overview

Course description
This course is intended for students proceeding to studies in Applied Science or Engineering. Topics include statics of particles, rigid body forces and equilibrium, structural analysis, internal forces, friction, kinematics and dynamics, and systems of particles.
Course content

Vectors

  • Vector components
  • Cartesian unit vectors
  • Vector addition and subtraction
  • Position vectors
  • Force vector along a line
  • Dot product
  • Cross product

Particle Equilibrium

  • Condition for particle equilibrium
  • Free-body diagrams
  • Two- and three-dimensional force systems

Force System Resultants

  • Moment of a force
  • Principle of moments
  • Moment of force about an axis
  • Moment of a couple
  • Simplification of a force and couple system

Equilibrium of Rigid Bodies

  • Conditions for rigid body equilibrium
  • Free-body diagrams
  • Equilibrium in two and three dimensions
  • Constraints for rigid body equilibrium

Structural Analysis

  • Simple trusses
  • The method of joints
  • Zero-force members
  • The method of sections
  • Space trusses
  • Frames and machines

Internal Forces

  • Internal loadings developed in structural members
  • Shear and moment equations and diagrams
  • Relations between distributed load, shear, and moment

Friction

  • Characteristics of dry friction
  • Coefficients of friction
  • Wedges
  • Screws

Kinematics

  • Rectilinear kinematics: position, velocity, acceleration
  • Curvilinear motion: rectangular components, normal and tangential components, polar and cylindrical components
  • Projectile motion

Dynamics

  • Newton’s second law of motion and the equations of motion
  • The equations of motion for a system of particles
  • The equations of motion in rectangular coordinates, normal and tangential coordinates, polar and cylindrical coordinates

Work and Energy

  • Work done by constant and variable forces
  • Principle of work and energy
  • Principle of work and energy for a system of particles
  • Power and efficiency
  • Conservative forces and potential energy

Impulse and Momentum

  • Principle of linear impulse and momentum
  • Principle of linear impulse and momentum for a system of particles
  • Conservation of momentum
Learning activities

Classroom time will be used for lectures, demonstrations, discussions, problem-solving practice, and/or in-class assignments (which may include work in groups).

Means of assessment

Assessment will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. The instructor will present a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester. Evaluation will be based on the following:

Quizzes                     0-10%

Assignments            10-20%

Project                    0-20%

Term Tests (minimum of two)  30-50%

Final Exam              30-40%

Total                       100%

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • express physical quantities, such as force, position and moment, in vector form;
  • manipulate vectors in two and three dimensions;
  • analyze two- and three-dimensional concurrent force systems acting upon particles in equilibrium;
  • solve particle equilibrium and rigid-body equilibrium problems using the equations of equilibrium;
  • calculate the moment of a force in two and three dimensions;
  • calculate the moment of a force about an axis;
  • find a force and moment which is equivalent to a system of forces and moments;
  • analyze the equilibrium of rigid bodies in two and three dimensions and determine equivalent systems of forces;
  • determine the forces acting on the members of trusses, frames and machines;
  • determine the internal loadings in a member;
  • reduce a simple distributed loading to a resultant force;
  • analyze structures and their internal forces;
  • formulate equations which describe the internal stress and moment throughout a member;
  • draw internal shear and moment diagrams;
  • apply the concepts of friction to solve practical problems, including applications related to wedges and screws;
  • solve kinematics problems for particles in either rectilinear motion or curvilinear motion, using calculus when applicable;
  • analyze the kinematics of the curvilinear motion of a particle in terms of Cartesian vector components, tangential and normal vector components, polar vector components or cylindrical vector components;
  • use Newton’s second law to derive the equation of motion for a single particle and for a system of particles;
  • solve particle dynamics problems using the equation of motion given in Cartesian coordinates, tangential and normal coordinates, polar coordinates or cylindrical coordinates;
  • calculate the work done and power expended by a force acting on a moving body;
  • apply the law of conservation of energy and/or the work-energy theorem to solve problems that involve forces acting on objects;
  • apply the law of conservation of momentum to solve problems that involve collisions or explosions in 1D and 2D.
Textbook materials

Consult the Douglas College Bookstore for the latest required textbooks and materials. Example textbooks and materials may include:

Moore, Jacob (current online edition), Mechanics Map, Pennsylvania State University.

Hibbeler, R.C. (current edition), Engineering Mechanics: Statics and Dynamics, Pearson.

Requisites

Prerequisites

One of B.C. Physics 12 (C or higher) or PHYS 1107

Corequisites

MATH 1120

Courses listed here must be completed either prior to or simultaneously with this course.

Equivalencies

None

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for PHYS 1170
Coquitlam College (COQU) COQU PHYS 101 (3)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU PHYS 1170 (3)
Langara College (LANG) LANG PHYS 1219 (4)
Okanagan College (OC) OC PHYS 202 (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU MSE 103 (3) or SFU PHYS 120 (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU PHYS 1XXX (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU PHYS 1XX (3)
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) UBCO PHYS_O 1st (3)
University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) UBCV PHYS_V 170 (3)
University of Northern BC (UNBC) UNBC PHYS 110 (4) or UNBC PHYS 1XX (4)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV ENGR 113 (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC ENGR 141 (1.5)
Vancouver Community College (VCC) VCC PHYS 1170 (3)
Vancouver Island University (VIU) VIU PHYS 1st (3)

Course Offerings

Winter 2026

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
36
Currently enrolled
0
Remaining seats:
36
On waitlist
0
Building
New Westminster - South Bldg.
Room
S0640
Times:
Start Time
12:30
-
End Time
14:20
CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
36
Currently enrolled
0
Remaining seats:
36
On waitlist
0
Building
New Westminster - South Bldg.
Room
S0640
Times:
Start Time
16:30
-
End Time
18:20