This document discusses soil mechanics concepts related to lateral earth pressure. It defines active and passive earth pressures and describes Rankine's theory and assumptions for calculating lateral pressures on retaining walls. Equations are provided for determining active and passive earth pressure coefficients and distributions for cohesionless and cohesive soils. The effects of groundwater, surcharges, and sloping backfills are also examined. Sample problems are included to calculate lateral earth pressures and forces on retaining walls for different soil and loading conditions.