SOLUTION OF TYPICAL STATICS PROBLEMS USING THE PRINCIPLE OF VIRTUAL DISPLACEMENTS

This work is devoted to the effective application of the principle of virtual displacements in the school physics course. The latter is used both in solving problems of theoretical and applied mechanics, and in the process of solving non-standard problems of the school physics course. It relates mainly to olympiad problems of statics, but the method is also applicable to solving small selected problems of other sections of physics. Taking into account the importance of energy methods, the article proposes to apply the principle of virtual displacements to solving standard problems of statics. This is also important from the point of view that preliminary acquaintance with the principle will facilitate its application in solving more complex and non-standard problems. The paper focuses on clarifying the applicability of the principle of virtual displacements for solving “mandatory and necessary” program problems. The effectiveness of the approach is demonstrated by analyzing important program problems selected from current physical textbooks. By highlighting four types of problems, first, the methodological guidelines for applying the principle are briefly outlined, then typical examples with their solutions are given, which is the scientific and pedagogical novelty of this work.