A concentrated load refers to a load located at?

• A. Across the entire span
• B. On multiple points
• C. One point
• D. Only at midspan

Answer: (C)

A concentrated load is a force applied at a single point on a structure. This idealization lets engineers analyze the exact effects at that location as a single point load, rather than dealing with a load spread over a length. If the load were spread across the span, it would be a distributed load; if it acted at several places, it would be multiple point loads. The defining feature is the single precise location, not where along the span it happens to occur.