Browse Definitions :
Definition

kinematics

Kinematics is the study of the motion of mechanical points, bodies and systems without consideration of their associated physical properties and the forces acting on them. The study is often referred to as the geometry of motion, and it models these motions mathematically using algebra.

The systems in kinematics are modeled to calculate such things as speeds and ratios. An example model of bodies in a system is the gears in a vehicle’s transmission. These models are used to engineer all manner of mechanical devices and to model the motions of existing physical bodies, including the motion-rigid, body-hinged mechanics of the human skeleton or the motion of celestial bodies in astrophysics, which is also known as stellar kinematics.

Kinematics is very useful in the conceptual design of mechanical systems. Initial geometries and velocities of bodies are a part of the model. While kinematics can help determine whether a design is theoretically possible, there are more complexities when designing something for the real world. Without consideration of materials, and the forces acting upon them, many theoretically possible designs would be prone to failure.

Kinetics, in contrast to kinematics, does consider physical properties such as the mass of the bodies or the forces driving them. Kinetics is logically deduced from kinematics by way of algebraic calculation of physical properties and forces. Kinetics takes into account physical forces and properties including material properties, like mass rigidity, and tensile or compressive strength. These properties, coupled with physics and thermodynamics, can take a theoretical model from kinematics and help determine how to engineer a viable, reliable and functioning real-world system.

This was last updated in May 2018

Continue Reading About kinematics

Networking
  • firewall as a service (FWaaS)

    Firewall as a service (FWaaS), also known as a cloud firewall, is a service that provides cloud-based network traffic analysis ...

  • private 5G

    Private 5G is a wireless network technology that delivers 5G cellular connectivity for private network use cases.

  • NFVi (network functions virtualization infrastructure)

    NFVi (network functions virtualization infrastructure) encompasses all of the networking hardware and software needed to support ...

Security
  • virus (computer virus)

    A computer virus is a type of malware that attaches itself to a program or file. A virus can replicate and spread across an ...

  • Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

    Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) is an advanced certification that indicates that an individual possesses the ...

  • cryptography

    Cryptography is a method of protecting information and communications using codes, so that only those for whom the information is...

CIO
  • B2B (business to business)

    B2B (business-to-business) is a type of commerce involving the exchange of products, services or information between businesses, ...

  • return on investment (ROI)

    Return on investment (ROI) is a crucial financial metric investors and businesses use to evaluate an investment's efficiency or ...

  • big data as a service (BDaaS)

    Big data as a service (BDaS) is the delivery of data platforms and tools by a cloud provider to help organizations process, ...

HRSoftware
  • talent acquisition

    Talent acquisition is the strategic process an organization uses to identify, recruit and hire the people it needs to achieve its...

  • human capital management (HCM)

    Human capital management (HCM) is a comprehensive set of practices and tools used for recruiting, managing and developing ...

  • Betterworks

    Betterworks is performance management software that helps workforces and organizations to improve manager effectiveness and ...

Customer Experience
  • martech (marketing technology)

    Martech (marketing technology) refers to the integration of software tools, platforms, and applications designed to streamline ...

  • transactional marketing

    Transactional marketing is a business strategy that focuses on single, point-of-sale transactions.

  • customer profiling

    Customer profiling is the detailed and systematic process of constructing a clear portrait of a company's ideal customer by ...

Close