A simple beam is defined as a beam with how many supports and where?

A simple beam is defined as a beam with how many supports and where?

• A. A Beam Supported Only At Its Ends
• B. A Beam Supported At A Fixed End And Free End
• C. A Beam With More Than Two Supports
• D. A Beam With Only A Midspan Support

Answer: (A)

A simply supported beam is defined by having supports only at its ends, typically a pin at one end and a roller at the other, which provide vertical reactions but do not resist or transfer moment. This end condition lets the beam rotate freely under load and yields zero bending moment at the supports. That combination—two end supports with no end fixity—is what characterizes a simple (simply supported) beam. The other scenarios change the boundary conditions: a fixed end introduces moment resistance and is not simply supported; more than two supports create redundancy and internal moments along the span, making it not simply supported; a midspan support alone leaves the ends unsupported for the usual simply supported case.

A simply supported beam is defined by having supports only at its ends, typically a pin at one end and a roller at the other, which provide vertical reactions but do not resist or transfer moment. This end condition lets the beam rotate freely under load and yields zero bending moment at the supports. That combination—two end supports with no end fixity—is what characterizes a simple (simply supported) beam.

The other scenarios change the boundary conditions: a fixed end introduces moment resistance and is not simply supported; more than two supports create redundancy and internal moments along the span, making it not simply supported; a midspan support alone leaves the ends unsupported for the usual simply supported case.