Editing Statics (section)

===Equilibrium equations===
The [[mechanical equilibrium|static equilibrium]] of a particle is an important concept in statics. A particle is in equilibrium only if the resultant of all forces acting on the particle is equal to zero. In a rectangular coordinate system the equilibrium equations can be represented by three scalar equations, where the sums of forces in all three directions are equal to zero. An [[engineering]] application of this concept is determining the tensions of up to three cables under load, for example the forces exerted on each cable of a hoist lifting an object or of [[guy wires]] restraining a [[hot air balloon]] to the ground.<ref>{{cite book|last=Beer|first=Ferdinand|title=Vector Statics For Engineers|publisher=McGraw Hill|year=2004|isbn=0-07-121830-0}}</ref>