What is Kinetics?
Kinetics is a branch of classical mechanics which is focused on the movements of various bodies and the forces which can act on both bodies in motion and bodies at rest. Some people confuse “kinetics” and “kinematics,” because the two terms sound similar, and they both have to do with the science of motion. Kinematics, however, is solely focused on the movement of various bodies, without addressing the forces which can influence movement. In fact, “kinetics” itself is an outdated term. Scientists prefer to say “analytical dynamics” or simply “dynamics.” Whatever you call it, kinetics is the cornerstone of classical mechanics, explaining how and why things move in the ways they do. Newtonian physics is an important part of the study of kinetics, and numerous other branches of physics and mechanics have been brought to bear in the field of kinetics. The science of motion in the form of kinematics relies on some very clearly-defined laws, such as the concept that an object in motion tends
The word “cinema” comes from the Greek word kinema, which means movement. That makes sense, since the cinema refers to motion pictures, or movies (“move”-ies). The word kinetics is not quite as familiar; most of us are more likely to discuss the cinema than kinetics on Saturday night! However, kinetics is really a friendly word. Cousin to “cinema”, kinetics draws its meaning from the same Greek root. The word “kinetics” comes from the Greek word kineein, which means “move.” For chemists, kinetics involves studying how molecules move. How fast they move, how they bump into each other, and how all that results in chemical reactions. Biochemists use an understanding of kinetics to figure out chemical reaction rates. A rate is just a measure of a quantity that changes over time. An everyday example is the speedometer on your car that measures your rate of speed as you drive through town. Sometimes you go slow, sometimes you go fast, but it is important to know how fast you are going so tha
