14.11: Mechanics

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Mechanical deals with forces, motion, and tendency for motion. Mechanics is founded on the conservation laws of physics. Mechanics describes motion with direction (\(\vec{x}\)), velocity (\(\vec{v}\)), acceleration (\(\vec{a}\)), momentum (\(\vec{p}\)), and force (\(\vec{F}\)) and the analogous in angular motion (to be discussed in kinematics section). Deformation of bodies (such as stress and strain) is included in mechanics as well. Statics, dynamics, and solids make up the major sections of mechanics.

The concept of motion is fraught with the idea of whether an idea is real or not because most of it is abstract ideas. If we feel something do we really feel it type argument. Here if an effect can be felt in some way then it is real and the discussions herein are about real effects.

Velocity is defined by directional speed which is the distance traveled over the time it took, acceleration is defined by the change in velocity over the change in time, momentum is a product of the velocity and a quantity of matter we call mass (an intrinsic part of a body that is not weight), force is an interaction that cause an object to either actually move or change direction or try to move or change direction (in the case of statics where we define force but it isn't actually moving).

For mechanical and civil (and related disciplines) engineers a set of courses are taken to fully understand this for the propose of making functional machines and structures. While this topic is the same topic that is found in physics there are techniques not generally introduced in physics that help engineers in the design process which will will briefly introduce here.

14.11.1: Statics
This is a preview of statics. This topics are important to mechanical and civil engineers in particular, but it is good for other disciplines to have at least a rudimentary understanding of statics.
14.11.2: Dynamics
This is a preview of dynamics. This topics are important to mechanical and civil engineers in particular, but it is good for other disciplines to have at least a rudimentary understanding of dynamics.
- 14.11.2.1: Kinematics
- 14.11.2.2: Kinetics
14.11.3: Hydraulics
Brief look at mechanics for liquids.
- 14.11.3.1: Hydrostatics
- 14.11.3.2: Hydrodynamics
14.11.4: Solid Mechanics
Solid mechanics deals deformations of bodies (such as stresses and strains). Sometimes this is referred to materials which can be confused with materials science. Solid mechanics is a better term.