KINESIOLOGY & BIOMECHANICS –
SIMPLIFIED STUDY GUIDE
Muscular–skeletal framework – The main body
structure responsible for producing human motion.
Movement science – The study of physical laws and
techniques applied to the body’s structure and function to
enable motion and maintain balance.
Force science – A branch of physics that studies forces
and their effects.
Non-directional quantity – A measurement that has size
only without direction, such as speed, distance, surface,
capacity, or weight.
Matter quantity – The amount of substance contained
within an object.
Directional quantity – A measurement that includes both
size and direction, such as push, speed with direction, or
rate of change of motion.
Push or pull effect – An action involving a force with
both size and direction that causes compression or
stretching.
,Inner and outer influences – Forces that act from within
a body or are applied from outside.
Simultaneous forces – Multiple forces acting at the same
time in varying directions.
Combined force effect – The overall outcome obtained
by adding all individual forces together with their
directions.
Rotational effect – The capacity of a force to cause
turning around a fixed point.
Size of turning effect – Determined by how strong the
force is and how far it is from the turning point.
Perpendicular distance of pull – The shortest distance
between the direction of pull and the center of a joint.
Distance of applied effort – The straight-line gap from
where force is applied to the turning point.
Application angle – The degree at which a force is
exerted on an object.
Turning component – A force acting at a right angle to
an object.
Maximum turning effect – Occurs when the pull is at a
right angle (90°) and reduces when the angle increases or
decreases.
,Rotational influence – Happens when the perpendicular
distance between the joint center and pull line is large.
Supportive force – Occurs when that perpendicular
distance is very small.
First law of motion – An object will remain still or keep
moving unless an outside force changes its state.
Second law of motion – The rate of change in motion
depends on how strong the applied force is.
Change in motion – Any variation in speed or direction.
Third law of motion – Every action produces an equal
and opposite response.
Balanced condition – A state where all acting forces
cancel each other out.
Stationary balance – When an object stays still in one
position.
Moving balance – When an object stays stable while
changing position.
Basic mechanical devices – Tools that allow a person to
apply more force than muscles alone can produce.
Bar system – A structure where the effort distance is
measured from the applied force to the pivot point.
, Type one bar system – The pivot lies between the effort
and the resistance.
Type two bar system – The resistance lies between the
effort and the pivot.
Type three bar system – The effort lies between the
resistance and the pivot.
Wheel-and-rope system – A device made of a grooved
wheel rotating on an axle with a rope running through it.
Fixed wheel system – Attached in one place and mainly
used to change the direction of force.
Movable wheel system – One end is fixed while the
wheel moves, doubling the applied effort.
Slanted surface – A tilted flat plane that reduces effort by
increasing the distance over which force is applied.
Non-directional measure – A value that expresses size
only without indicating direction, such as speed, distance,
surface area, capacity, or weight.
Material quantity – The total amount of substance
contained in a body.
SIMPLIFIED STUDY GUIDE
Muscular–skeletal framework – The main body
structure responsible for producing human motion.
Movement science – The study of physical laws and
techniques applied to the body’s structure and function to
enable motion and maintain balance.
Force science – A branch of physics that studies forces
and their effects.
Non-directional quantity – A measurement that has size
only without direction, such as speed, distance, surface,
capacity, or weight.
Matter quantity – The amount of substance contained
within an object.
Directional quantity – A measurement that includes both
size and direction, such as push, speed with direction, or
rate of change of motion.
Push or pull effect – An action involving a force with
both size and direction that causes compression or
stretching.
,Inner and outer influences – Forces that act from within
a body or are applied from outside.
Simultaneous forces – Multiple forces acting at the same
time in varying directions.
Combined force effect – The overall outcome obtained
by adding all individual forces together with their
directions.
Rotational effect – The capacity of a force to cause
turning around a fixed point.
Size of turning effect – Determined by how strong the
force is and how far it is from the turning point.
Perpendicular distance of pull – The shortest distance
between the direction of pull and the center of a joint.
Distance of applied effort – The straight-line gap from
where force is applied to the turning point.
Application angle – The degree at which a force is
exerted on an object.
Turning component – A force acting at a right angle to
an object.
Maximum turning effect – Occurs when the pull is at a
right angle (90°) and reduces when the angle increases or
decreases.
,Rotational influence – Happens when the perpendicular
distance between the joint center and pull line is large.
Supportive force – Occurs when that perpendicular
distance is very small.
First law of motion – An object will remain still or keep
moving unless an outside force changes its state.
Second law of motion – The rate of change in motion
depends on how strong the applied force is.
Change in motion – Any variation in speed or direction.
Third law of motion – Every action produces an equal
and opposite response.
Balanced condition – A state where all acting forces
cancel each other out.
Stationary balance – When an object stays still in one
position.
Moving balance – When an object stays stable while
changing position.
Basic mechanical devices – Tools that allow a person to
apply more force than muscles alone can produce.
Bar system – A structure where the effort distance is
measured from the applied force to the pivot point.
, Type one bar system – The pivot lies between the effort
and the resistance.
Type two bar system – The resistance lies between the
effort and the pivot.
Type three bar system – The effort lies between the
resistance and the pivot.
Wheel-and-rope system – A device made of a grooved
wheel rotating on an axle with a rope running through it.
Fixed wheel system – Attached in one place and mainly
used to change the direction of force.
Movable wheel system – One end is fixed while the
wheel moves, doubling the applied effort.
Slanted surface – A tilted flat plane that reduces effort by
increasing the distance over which force is applied.
Non-directional measure – A value that expresses size
only without indicating direction, such as speed, distance,
surface area, capacity, or weight.
Material quantity – The total amount of substance
contained in a body.
