Resultants, equilibrium, trusses, friction, centroids and moments of inertia. For the FE Civil the whole chapter applies, and it is the base for structural analysis.
NCEES lists these Statics topics for the FE Civil: resultants of force systems; equivalent force systems; equilibrium of rigid bodies; frames and trusses; centroids of areas; area moments of inertia; static friction.
Choose any section below to get a free FE Civil practice problem. Work it with the FE Reference Handbook open, tap your answer, then check the solution.
Break every force into x and y (and z) components, add the components, then rebuild the resultant with the Pythagorean theorem.
A 200 N force is applied at the end of a 0.5 m wrench, at 60° to the wrench handle. What moment does it produce about the bolt?
Only the perpendicular component counts: M = 200(0.5) sin 60° = 86.6 N·m.
Common trap: (A) assumes the force is perpendicular to the handle.
StaticsResultantMomentThat was 1 of 3 problems in this section. The full course has the lesson, a worked example and every problem. Start your 3-day free trial →
A body at rest has ΣFx = 0, ΣFy = 0 and ΣM = 0.
A 1,000 N sign hangs from two cables, each at 45° to the horizontal. What is the tension in each cable?
2T sin 45° = 1000, so T = 1000/(2 × 0.7071) = 707 N.
Common trap: (D) splits the weight evenly and ignores the cable angle.
Equilibriumreactionsfree-body diagramThat was 1 of 3 problems in this section. The full course has the lesson, a worked example and every problem. Start your 3-day free trial →
Truss members carry only axial force, tension or compression.
A section cut shows the vertical shear in a panel is 10 kN, carried entirely by a 45° diagonal. What is the diagonal force?
F sin 45° = 10, so F = 10/0.7071 = 14.1 kN.
Common trap: (C) multiplies by sin 45° instead of dividing.
Trussesmethod of jointsmethod of sectionsThat was 1 of 3 problems in this section. The full course has the lesson, a worked example and every problem. Start your 3-day free trial →
Static friction can grow up to μsN before slipping starts; once sliding, kinetic friction is μkN.
A rope wraps 180° around a fixed post (μ = 0.3). The slack side holds 100 N. What is the most the tight side can hold before slipping?
T1 = 100e0.3π = 100(2.566) = 257 N.
Common trap: (C) uses 1 + μ instead of the exponential.
Frictionbelt frictionThat was 1 of 3 problems in this section. The full course has the lesson, a worked example and every problem. Start your 3-day free trial →
For a composite area, the centroid is the area-weighted average of each piece’s centroid: ȳ = ΣAiyi/ΣAi.
What is I for a 50 mm wide × 100 mm tall rectangle about its base?
Ibase = bh3/3 = 50(106)/3 = 16.7 × 106 mm4. (Same as Ic + Ad2 = 4.17 + 12.5.)
Common trap: (A) is about the centroid, bh3/12.
CentroidsMoment of InertiaParallel Axis TheoremThat was 1 of 3 problems in this section. The full course has the lesson, a worked example and every problem. Start your 3-day free trial →
Newton’s Notes FE Civil has 18 chapters (11 shared with Mechanical, 7 Civil-only) with lessons, worked examples and 420+ FE-style practice problems with full solutions, 171 of them Civil-only. Pro adds a timed full-length FE Civil practice exam (110 problems), a custom test builder and Ask Newton, the AI tutor. Try it free for 3 days, no card to start.
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