Fundamentals of Biomechanics

4.0 credits

Teaches elementary mechanical equilibrium and motion with extended applications to biology. Lectures present a traditional analysis of idealized particles and rigid bodies. Topics include force and moment balances, frames, trusses and pulleys, systems with friction, mass centers, area moments, and the linear and rotational kinetics and kinematics of rigid bodies. Weekly exercises apply fundamental principles to non-biological problems in two and three dimensions. Weekly problems extend the application to biological problems ranging from human motion to the mechanics of cells. In an end-of-term project students analyze human motion using the MATLAB programming language.