Chapter 3

Kinetic Concepts for

Analyzing Human
Motion
Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition
By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D.

McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2014 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is

• Quantity of matter composing a body

(dog, tree, desk, basketball, you)
• Represented by m
• Units are kg

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-2
Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics
In international
competition, the men's
shot has a mass of 7.26
kg (16 lb.) and the
women's shot has a
mass of 4 kg (8.8 lb.).
The NBA regulation
basketball has a mass
of 0.624 kg (1.37 lb.).
(Mass is proportional to
weight but note that
mass is not related to
size.)

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

3-3
By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D.
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is

• Tendency to resist change in

state of motion
• Proportional to mass
• Has no units!

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-4
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

Clearly, the weight bar will stay in place in the absence of being
lifted because of its inertia.
Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition
By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-5
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is ?
• A push or a pull
• Characterized by magnitude,
direction, and point of
application
• F = ma
• Unit is the
-always comes in a direction

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-6
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

While there is no motion occurring, boy and dog are

exerting equal and opposite forces on the rope.
-rope has a mass
-rope is accelerating downwards that is not counteracted in diagram
-something has to be pulling upward on the rope
-assume that left and right are symmetrical
-reality: dog and boy must be pulling slightly upward because if they werent
then rope would be going downwards Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition
- By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-7
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics
What is a

Force applied
Air resistance
Ball being by racquet

struck by a
racquet Ball weight

(Diagram showing vector representations

of all forces acting on a defined system)
-only concerned about external forces:
-gravity
-contact
-friction
-fluid
Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition
By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-8
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is a -sum up all forces

?
• The single resultant force derived
from the vector composition of
all the acting forces
• The force that determines the net
effect of all acting forces on a
body

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-9
Text
Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is a (T)?
-when you rotate something vs moving it side to side

• The rotary effect of a force

• The angular equivalent of force
• Also known as moment of force

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-10
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics
-dont memorize for midterm
FOR FINAL!!

What is a
T = Fd
T = (10N)(2m)
d = 2m F = 10N
T = 20 Nm
axis

T = Fd (the product of force and the

perpendicular distance from the force’s
line of action to the axis of rotation)

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-11
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is the
• Point around which a body’s weight is

• Point that serves as an index of total

body motion
• Point at which the weight vector acts
• Same as the center of mass

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-12
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

20N 10N
CG

1m 2m

The weights are balanced, creating equal

torques on either side of the fulcrum.

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-13
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

If one child on a see-saw is heavier than

the other, how can they balance?
Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition
By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-14
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is
• Attractive force that the earth exerts
on a body
• wt. = mag (product of mass and the
acceleration of gravity:

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-15
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is weight?

• The point of application of the weight

force is a body’s center of gravity
• Since weight is a force, units of
weight are units of force: N

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-16
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is ?

• Force per unit of area over which the

force acts
• Commonly used to describe force
distribution within a fluid (e.g.
blood pressure, water pressure)
• Units are N/m2

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-17
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is
• Force per unit of area over which
the force acts
• Commonly used to describe force
distribution within a solid
• Units are N/m2

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-18
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is stress?

-encountering more pressure, less surface area

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-19
Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

Why would it hurt more to be stepped on by

someone in high heels as compared to the
same person wearing athletic shoes?

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-20
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is ?

• Space occupied by a body

• Has three dimensions (width,
height, and depth)
• Units are m3 and cm3

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-21
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is

• Mass per unit of volume

• Represented with the small
Greek letter rho: U
• Units are kg/m3

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-22
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is specific weight?

• Weight per unit of volume

• Represented with the Greek
letter gamma: J
• Units are N/m3

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-23
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

A shot and softball have similar volumes, but the shot has
greater mass and therefore greater density. Because
weight is proportional to mass, the shot also has greater
weight and therefore greater specific weight.
Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition
By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-24
Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is ?

• The product of force and the

time over which the force
acts (Ft)
• Units are Ns

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-25
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics
What is -comment where the compressive force is at
-elongated=intenital force,

Original

shape Compression
(Pressing or squeezing force directed
axially through a body)
Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition
By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-26
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics
What is ?

Original

shape Tension
(Pulling or stretching force directed
axially through a body)
Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition
By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-27
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is ?
-slide along one another

Original

shape Shear

(Force directed parallel to a surface)

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-28
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is ?

Compression
Tension

(Asymmetric loading that produces tension

on one side of a body’s longitudinal axis
and compression on the other side)
Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition
By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-29
Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What is ?
ex: snake bite on skin

Neutral
axis

(Load producing twisting of a body

around its longitudinal axis)

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-30
Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics
-be able to draw this curve and explain
difference bw glass and steel
-steel; stays deformed after yield
What is ?

Yield Ultimate
Point Failure

Load
-continue to apply load,
-cause permanent damage Point
to tissue
-keep applying force till it snaps
-ripping slightly
-cant go back to original
shape

Elastic Plastic
Region Region
-apply a load to system
-return to shape after loading
is removed
Deformation -ex: sheet of glass
-when you start to load it, you will bend window
-you go back to elastic region -need to have a high load

(Change in shape) -not a lot of deformation

-will have a steep curve
-very little plastic region
-ex: try to bend cable: tube, little load, shallow curve
-infinite deformation
Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition
By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-31
 Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics

What are repetitive and acute loading?

• : repeated application of a
subacute load that is usually of
relatively low magnitude
• : application of a single force of
sufficient magnitude to cause
injury to a biological tissue

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-32
Basic Concepts Related to Kinetics
Repetitive vs. acute loading

Load Magnitude
Likelihood of Injury

Frequency of Loading

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-33
 Vector Algebra

What is vector composition?

(Process of determining a single

vector from two or more vectors
by vector addition)

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-34
 Vector Algebra

The composition of vectors with the same

direction requires adding their magnitudes.
Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition
By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-35
 Vector Algebra

The composition of vectors with the opposite

directions requires subtracting their magnitudes.
Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition
By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-36
 Vector Algebra

The tip-to-tail method of vector composition.

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition
By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-37
 Vector Algebra

What is vector resolution?

(Operation that replaces a single
vector with two perpendicular
vectors such that the vector
composition of the two
perpendicular vectors yields the
original vector)

Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition

By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-38
 Vector Algebra

Vectors may be resolved into perpendicular

components. The vector composition of
each pair of components yields the original
vector.
Basic Biomechanics, 7th edition
By Susan J. Hall, Ph.D. 3-39