  Social physics is the application of ideas, concepts and tools from physics
to study social phenomena. In this article, we present a mechanical theory
underlying a mathematical treatment of social physics. We explore the
possibility of using fundamental concepts like position, motion, inertia, and
interaction, to effectively regard social phenomena analogously to particles
interacting with each other in physics. From these concepts, along with
heuristics of social change, we investigate the notions of free motion, motion
under the influence of a net deterministic, as well as stochastic force. To
test these ideas we model partisan preferences in the United States according
to the outcomes of presidential elections.
