Kinematics is the study of motion and the development of equations to describe it. It evaluates traits such as acceleration, displacement, and speed, and can be applied to everything from studying how horses run to analyzing the movement of particles in space. Inverse kinematics examines how objects must move to achieve certain goals and is useful in fields such as robotics. Kinematics also studies systems, such as animals’ joints, and is critical to creating realism and dynamic motion in computer animation. Physics textbooks produce a set of equations that can be applied to various problems, and researchers in classical mechanics develop new ones as they learn more about the physics of motion.
Kinematics is the study of motion and the development of equations to describe the motions of objects, a part of a larger component of physics known as classical mechanics. This science looks specifically at motion, not the causes of motion or the interactions that may occur during motion. The study of causes and interactions is known as dynamics and involves separate equations. Physics students often start learning the basics of kinematics and dynamics together, as they are closely related.
In this field, researchers look at the various ways objects move, evaluating traits such as acceleration, displacement, and speed. They also study environments, such as air, water or vacuum, where motion can occur. This science can be applied to everything from studying how horses run to analyzing the movement of particles in space. Motion can be a complex field of study and there are a number of real and theoretical applications for kinematics research.
A subset of this discipline known as inverse kinematics examines how objects must move to achieve certain goals. There can be several solutions to a problem in this area of physics, and a physicist can look for the most efficient and elegant ones. This research is particularly useful in fields such as robotics, where engineers want to know how to solve various motion problems and the robots themselves can be programmed to use kinematic equations to make independent motion decisions.
In addition to describing the motions of individual objects down to the smallest particles, kinematics also studies systems. Linked systems have very different movement patterns than individual objects and can become extremely complex. For example, animals have a series of joints that affect all of their movements. In fields such as animation, being able to accurately depict motion is critical to creating realism and dynamic motion, and kinematic equations underpin computer animation for film, television, and other endeavours.
Physics textbooks produce a set of equations that can be applied to various problems, and students also learn them in class when they reach the stage of studying classical mechanics. Some of these equations are very old and involve research conducted in the earliest studies of physics. Researchers in classical mechanics use these equations and develop new ones as they learn more about the physics of motion. Their research can be found in physics journals and other publications reporting on emerging topics in physics.
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