Degrees of freedom (mechanics)
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- For other meanings, see Degrees of freedom or Degree
In mechanics, degrees of freedom (DOF) are the set of independent displacements and/or rotations that specify completely the displaced or deformed position and orientation of the body or system. This is a fundamental concept relating to systems of moving bodies in mechanical engineering, aeronautical engineering, robotics, structural engineering, etc.
In chemical engineering, degrees of freedom are used to determine if a material balance is possible for a given process. It takes into account the number reactions, temperature, pressure, heat transfer, percent yield, moles entering/exiting, and various other pieces of additional information.
A particle that moves in three dimensional space has three translational displacement components as DOFs, while a rigid body would have at most six DOFs including three rotations. Translation is the ability to move without rotating, while rotation is angular motion about some axis.
