External and Internal Forces

External forces are generally applied on the structure from the environment outside. Dead, live, snow, wind, and earthquakes apply external loads on the structure. The source of these external loads is in most cases easily distinguishable. These, in the form of point loads or distributed loads, generate "internal forces or loads" that exist inside the structure and cannot be seen by the outside observer. The external forces can be likened to the exterior of a human body, and the interior forces represent by the blood, and interior organs. The internal forces are very important: Their magnitudes and directions are the deciding factors in the required size and form of the structural components.

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