INTRODUCTION TO DYNAMICS

Dynamics – is the branch of mechanics which deals with the motion of bodies under the action of forces; deals
with the accelerated motion of body

2 distinct parts of Dynamics

1. Kinematics – concerned with the geometric aspects of motion without any reference to the cause of
motion
 Rectilinear Motion – when a particle move in a straight line (e.g., an athlete running a 100-meter
race along the straight track)
 Curvilinear Motion – when a particle moves along a curved in two or three dimensions path (e.g.,
the earth is revolving around the sun)

2. Kinetics – concerned with the forces causing the motion

Historically, Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) was one of the major contributors to the field of dynamics. His work
consisted of experiments using pendulums and falling bodies. The most significant contributions in dynamics,
however, were made by Isaac Newton (1642-1727), who is noted for his formulation of the three fundamental law
of motion and the law of universal gravitational attraction. Following Newton’s time, important contributions to
mechanics were made by Euler, D’Alembert, Lagrange, Laplace, Poinsot, Coriolis, Einstein, and others.

The rapid technological developments of the present day require increasing application of the principles of
mechanics, particularly dynamics. These principles are basic to the analysis and design of moving structures, to
fixed structures subject to shock loads, to robotic devices, to automatic control system, to rockets, missiles, and
spacecrafts, to ground and air transportation vehicles, to electron ballistics of electrical devices, and to machinery
of all types such as turbines, pumps, reciprocating engines, hoists, machine tools, etc.

1.RECTILINEAR MOTION OF PARTICLES

1.1. POSITION, VELOCITY, AND ACCELERATION

Position (s)
 location of the particle (P) from the origin (O), Fig. 1.1a
 the magnitude of s is the distance from O to the particle, measured in meters (m) or feet (ft), and the sense
of direction is directed by the algebraic sign on s. The value of s is positive (+) if its location is to the right of
the origin (O) and negative (-) if it is to the left side of O
 it is a vector quantity since it has both the magnitude and direction
 e.g., -2m, +5m

Figure 1.1a – Position Figure 1.1b – Displacement

Displacement (∆s)
 change in position, Fig. 1.1b
∆s = s′ - s
where: ∆s – displacement (change in position)
s – initial position (location of particle from origin)
s′ - final position of the particle (final location of particle from origin)

 it is also a scalar quantity, and it should be distinguished from the distance the particle travels
 ∆s is positive (+) if the particle’s final position is to the right of its initial position, likewise it is negative if
particle’s final position is to the left of its initial position.
Velocity (v)
Speed – is a measure of how fast something moves; defined as the distance covered per unit time; a scalar
quantity specified only by its magnitude
speed = distance (s)/time (t) (m/s; km/h, ft/min,…etc.)

average speed – whole distance covered divided by the total time of travel
instantaneous speed – speed at any distance; speed registered by an automobile speedometer

Example 1: If we travel 320 km in 4 hours, what is our average speed? If we drive at this speed for 5 hours,
how far will we go?
Ans: 𝑣 = 320 km / 4 h = 80 km/h
d=𝑣 x time = 80 km/h x 5 h = 400 km

Example 2: A plane flies 600 km away from its base at 200 km/h, then flies back to its base 300 km/h. What
is its average speed?
Ans: total distance traveled, d = 600 km x 2 = 1200 km
Total time spent (for the round trip):
t = (600 km / 200 km/h) + (600 km / 300 km/h) = 3 h + 2 h = 5h
average speed, 𝑣 = d / t = 1200 km / 5 h = 240 km/h

 velocity is a vector quantity that describes the rate at which an object changes its position in specific
direction. It has both magnitude (speed) and direction
 velocity is speed in a given direction

constant velocity = constant speed and no change in direction

∆
average velocity, 𝑣 =∆
∆ ∆
instantaneous velocity, 𝑣 = lim or 𝑣 = ∆ (m/s, ft/s, etc.)
∆ → ∆

Figure 2.1a – Velocity Figure 2.1b – Average velocity and average speed

Note: instantaneous velocity may be positive or negative; the magnitude of velocity is referred to as particle
speed.

Acceleration (a)
 vector quantity that describes the rate of change in velocity with respect to time. Typical units used are
m/s² or ft/s².
∆
average acceleration, 𝑎 = ∆
∆ ∆
instantaneous acceleration, 𝑎 = lim or 𝑎 =
∆ → ∆ ∆
from the definition of derivative:
∆
𝑎 = lim = =
∆ → ∆

Figure 3.1a – Acceleration Figure 3.1b – Deceleration

Note: instantaneous acceleration may be positive or negative

when the particle is slowing down or its speed is decreasing, the particle is said to be decelerating
when velocity is constant, the acceleration is zero, since ∆𝑣 = 𝑣 − 𝑣 = 0
The derivative equations for velocity and acceleration can be manipulated to get:

𝑣= 𝑎= 𝑎= 𝑎= = =𝑣 𝑎 𝑑𝑠 = 𝑣 𝑑𝑣

1.2. UNIFORM RECTILINEAR MOTION

Uniform rectilinear motion is a type of straight-line motion which is frequently encountered in practical
applications. In this motion, the acceleration 𝑎 of the particle is zero for every value of 𝑡. The velocity 𝑣 is therefore
constant.

= 𝑣 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 ∫ 𝑑𝑥 = 𝑣 ∫ 𝑑𝑡 𝑥 − 𝑥 = 𝑣𝑡 𝑥 = 𝑥 + 𝑎𝑡

Note: this equation can be used only if the velocity of the particle is known to be constant

1.3. UNIFORMLY ACCELERATED RECTILINEAR MOTION

Uniformly accelerated rectilinear motion is another common type of motion. In this motion, the acceleration 𝑎 is
constant. Common example of constant acceleration is the motion of free-falling body. The acceleration of free-
falling body (usually denoted by 𝑔) is equal to 9.81 𝑜𝑟 32.2 downward.

= 𝑎 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 ∫ 𝑑𝑣 = 𝑎 ∫ 𝑑𝑡 𝑣 − 𝑣 = 𝑎𝑡 𝑣 = 𝑣 + 𝑎𝑡

= 𝑣 + 𝑎𝑡 ∫ 𝑑𝑥 = ∫ (𝑣 + 𝑎𝑡)𝑑𝑡 𝑥 − 𝑥 = 𝑣 𝑡 + 𝑎𝑡 𝑥 = 𝑥 + 𝑣 𝑡 + 𝑎𝑡

𝑣 = 𝑎 = 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 ∫ 𝑣𝑑𝑣 = 𝑎 ∫ 𝑑𝑥 (𝑣 − 𝑣 ) = 𝑎(𝑥 − 𝑥 ) 𝑣 =𝑣 + 2𝑎(𝑥 − 𝑥 )

Note: these equations can be used only when the acceleration of the particle is known to be constant.