Kinetics vs Kinematics
Kinetics and kinematics are two words in the study of motion and the forces that are involved in these motions that confuse a lot of people. The situation becomes confusing because these two words are similar sounding, and also because both of them are involved in the study of motion. However, while kinetics study the motion and the forces that are underlying this motion, kinematics is solely focused on the study of motion and does not take into account any forces that may be acting upon the body in motion.
Kinetics
Kinetics comes from the Greek word kinesis which means pertaining to movement, and it is the study of motion and its causes. This is a science that has many practical applications such as car manufacturers designing their automobiles to prevent injuries in case of mishaps, or physicists studying celestial bodies and predicting their future movements. We make use of kinetics in daily life when we apply just the right amount of pressure on brakes of cars and motorcycles to prevent accidents and so on.
Kinematics
Though the word kinematics is not in vogue as much as it was earlier, it is still pivotal in understanding many laws of motion in physics.. When we study motion in terms of kinematics, we make heavy use of the laws of motion such as Newton’s first law which states that an object in a state of motion remains in motion unless and until an external force is applied to stop it. One branch of kinematics is called particle kinematics where the motion of a single particle is studied. The results of this study are then extrapolated and applied to a group of particles.
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Summary • Kinetics and kinematics are similar sounding words that are used in the field of biomechanics • While kinematics studies motion without taking into account forces that cause it, kinetics studies motion as well as forces that are involved • The study of kinetics has practical applications in designing of automobiles whereas kinematics finds applications in study of movement of celestial bodies |