Biophysics For Dummies

Chapter 8

Looking at Where Moving Objects Go –– Kinematics

In This Chapter

Examining linear one-dimensional motion

Focusing on circles and motion

Tackling two-dimensional motion

This chapter stands by itself on the subject of biomechanics. Here the main focus is to understand how objects move without worry about what causes the motion. Kinematics means mechanics of objects in motion. This branch of biomechanics is important in fields that need to understand the motion of objects.

To completely describe the motion of an object in a biological system, all you need to know is the acceleration, velocity, and position of the object. Understanding biological system’s motion and how the motion changes involves a few steps:

1. Make a table(s) of the quantities of motion at key moments in time.

Key moments depend on the problem but can include moments when the forces acting on the system change (and hence the acceleration).

2. Draw the corresponding graph(s).

Velocity versus time graphs are the best, but sometimes you’ll need to make acceleration versus time and position versus time graphs.

3. Solve the problem using the graphs and or formulas.

This chapter focuses on describing ...