The Principle of Transmissibility

In , a block is being pulled along a horizontal surface by a horizontal force P. The

motion of the block is independent of whether it is pulled or pushed by the force, as
long as P has the same magnitude, direction, and sense and acts along the same line of
action. This illustrates the principle of transmissibility, that the external effect of a force
on a body is the same for all points of application along its line of action. The effect is
independent of the point of application.

When applying the principle of transmissibility, one must be aware that only external
effects behave this way. The internal effect, that is, within a body, of a force is
dependent on its point of application. Consider the forces within the block of Figure
2.5. If the force P were applied at A, the block would tend to be crushed; on the other
hand, if the force were applied at B, the block would tend to be elongated. Therefore,
we see that two completely different types of internal behavior would result.
Similarly, the external support forces at A and B of the truss shown in Figure 2.6 are
independent of whether P is applied at C or at D. The internal forces in some of the
truss members, however, will be appreciably different depending on whether the point
of application is at C or D
A force system may be defined as any number of forces that are collectively considered.
There are two broad classifications of force systems: coplanar and noncoplanar. A
coplanar force system is one in which the lines of action of all the forces lie in the same
plane. A noncoplanar system of forces is one in which the lines of action of all the forces
do not lie in the same plane.
The coplanar and noncoplanar force systems may be further classified. When the lines
of action of all the forces intersect at a common point, the system is said to be
concurrent. If the lines of action of all the forces are parallel, the system is said to be a
parallel force system. If the action lines do not intersect at a common point and are not
parallel, the system is said to be a nonconcurrent system of forces.
If all the forces in a parallel system act along a single line of action, the system is said
to be collinear. Actually, this situation