"We will start our study of dynamics by considering the motion of a particle. The study of motion eithout consideration of the causes of that motion is called kinematics and is divided into two parts: the analysis of bodies that can be modeled as particles and the analysis of rigid bodies with a definite geometry. If a body is modeled as a particle, its position in space is given by three coordinates. These coordinates are relative to a fixed coordinate system, called a primary inertial reference system, and are the coordinates of the point that the particle occupies in space at any instant of time." p1

DEGREES OF FREEDOM
THE NUMBER OF WAYS OR DIMENSIONS THAT A SYSTEM IS FREE (UNCONSTRAINED) TO MOVE

INERTIA
A PROPERTY OF A BODY THAT RESISTS ANY CHANGE IN MOTION. FOR TRANSLATION MOTION, MASS IS A MEASURE OF THE BODY INERTIA. IT IS HARD TO CHANGE THE STATE OF MOTION OF A HIGH MASS OBJECT. FOR ROTATION, THE MOMENT OF INERTIA OF A BODY IS A MEASURE OF BODY INERTIA.

KINEMATICS
A STUDY WHICH TRIES TO DESCRIBE MOVEMENT IN MATHEMATICAL TERMS

POSITION
A POINT IN SPACE. COORDINATES ARE THE NUMBERS USED TO SPECIFY THE POSITION OF THE POINT IN SPACE.

POSITION VECTOR

POSITION VECTOR
A STRAIGHT, DIRECTED LINE SEGMENT (ARROW) FROM THE ORIGIN TO THE A PARTICLE OR A ARBITRARY POINT IN SPACE.

VECTOR