The branch of mechanics that studies the motion of a body or a system of bodies without consideration given to its mass or the forces acting on it.
The kinematical quantities are listed below:
- Position vector
- Instantaneous velocity
- Instantaneous acceleration
Rest and Motion
Rest and Motion are two relative terms. Consider a person standing on the ground. We would say that the person is at rest because he is not moving with respect to the ground but if we consider the The Moon as our reference point the person is actually moving. Infact no object is at rest in the universe. Motion:Motion is the change in displacement/distance or direction or either of them w.r.t. a certain reference frame in a certain time. Rest: is opposite to motion. When a body in a certain period of time does not move w.r.t. a reference frame.
For the page on point particle, Go to Point particle .
If the position of an object changes by distances much larger than its own dimensions in a reasonable duration of time, then the object may be regarded as a point object. When a point object moves its rotational and vibrational motions may be ignored.
- Example: Earth can be regarded as a point object for studying its motion around the sun.
For questions on kinematics, please go to Questions page.