Some of the features that should help you meet the learning objectives of this book are summarized here briefly.

• A course in statics is a prerequisite for this course. Appendix A reviews the concepts of statics from the perspective of this course. If you had statics a few terms ago, then you may need to review your statics textbook before the brevity of presentation in Appendix A serves you adequately. If you feel comfortable with your knowledge of statics, then you can assess for yourself what you need to review by using the Statics Review Exams given in Appendix A.

• All internal forces and moments are printed in bold italics. This is to emphasize that the internal forces and moments must be determined by making an imaginary cut, drawing a free-body diagram, and using equilibrium equations or by using methods that are derived from this approach.

• Every chapter starts with an Overview, which describes the motivation for studying the chapter and states the major learning objective(s).

• Every chapter ends with Points and Formulas to Remember, a one-page synopsis of nonoptional topics. This brings greater focus to the material that must be learned.

• Every Example problem starts with a Plan and ends with Comments, both of which are specially set off to emphasize the importance of these two features. Developing a plan before solving a problem is essential for the development of analysis skills. Comments are observations deduced from the example, highlighting concepts discussed...