Introduction to Dynamics

Definition
Mechanics can be defined as that science which describes and
predicts the conditions of rest or motion of bodies under the action of
forces.
It is divided into three parts: mechanics of rigid bodies,
mechanics of deformable bodies, and mechanics of fluids.
The mechanics of rigid bodies is subdivided into statics and
dynamics, the former dealing with bodies at rest, the latter with bodies
in motion.
Dynamics - the part of mechanics that deals with the analysis of
bodies in motion
Differentiation
Dynamics includes:

1. Kinematics, which is the study of the geometry of motion. It is used

to relate displacement, velocity, acceleration, and time, without
reference to the cause of the motion.
2. Kinetics, which is the study of the relation existing between the
forces acting on a body, the mass of the body, and the motion of the
body. It is used to predict the motion caused by given forces or to
determine the forces required to produce a given motion.
Particle versus Body
• Kinematics of particles will be considered.
• The use of the word particles does not mean that our study will be
restricted to small corpuscles; rather, it indicates that in these first
chapters the motion of bodies—possibly as large as cars, rockets, or
airplanes—will be considered without regard to their size.
• By saying that the bodies are analyzed as particles, we mean that only
their motion as an entire unit will be considered; any rotation about
their own mass center will be neglected.
• There are cases, however, when such a rotation is not negligible; the
bodies cannot then be considered as particles