How does the principle of virtual work apply to solving statics problems?

[chandran]

what is the principle of virtual work. In what circumstances this can be used to
solve statics problems?

 

[HallsofIvy]

That looks an awful lot like a homework problem a teacher would give in the hopes that you would simply read the textbook.

 

[H_man]

http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/VirtualWork.html

This gives a definition.

I remember being a little confused by the concept when I first met it. As I understand, it is simply a tool to help you solve the problem.

 

[Kazza_765]

This isn't really something that can be explained easily in a few sentences. But you use virtual work to find forces, and virtual forces to find displacements. You really need a textbook to learn this. Essentially though, if we allow a static system to undergoe a virtual displacement, the work done by all the forces acting on the system must equal zero.