Saint-Venant's principle

Saint-Venant's principle states that the effects of localized loads on a structure diminish with distance from the load. In simpler terms, if you apply a force to a specific area of a beam or other material, the impact of that force becomes less significant the further you move away from it. This means that for analyzing larger structures, you can often ignore the details of how loads are applied and focus on the overall behavior, as the effects will be primarily felt near the point of application.