Kinetics (physics)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In physics, kinetics is the branch of dynamics that is concerned with the motion of bodies under the action of forces and torques.^[1][2]

The relation between the external forces and their kinematic variables is popularly known as kinetics. … We examine the external mechanical agencies that cause the motion.

– Rao, Lakshminarasimhan, Sethuraman & Sivakumar: Engineering Mechanics: Statics and Dynamics

For example, given a set of physical forces, a trajectory is determined using the laws of mechanics.^[3][4] A notable example is the prediction of planetary orbits using the central forces of gravity in Newton's laws. In contrast, kinematics describes the implications of an observed trajectory (for example, the acceleration associated with a given path) without consideration of the physical circumstances causing the motion.

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Britannica Online Dictionary
2. ^ Louis Adolphe Martin (1907). Text-book of Mechanics. Wiley, Section X, pp. 69ff. 
3. ^ Thomas Wallace Wright (1896). Elements of Mechanics Including Kinematics, Kinetics and Statics. E and FN Spon, Chapter 3. 
4. ^ C. Lakshmana Rao, J. Lakshminarasimhan, Raju Sethuraman & Srinivasan M. Sivakumar (2003). Engineering Mechanics: Statics and Dynamics. Prentice Hall of India, Chapter 7. ISBN 8120321898. 

[edit] See also