What is mechanics?

We explain what is the mechanics in physics and the interests in which he focuses his studies. In addition, how this discipline can be classified.

1. What is mechanics?

In physics , the study and analysis of the movement and rest of bodies , as well as their temporal evolution under the action of one or more forces , is known as mechanics . Its name comes from the Latin word  mechanica , which translates “the art of building machines,” which makes sense, given the tendency of this discipline to understand the phenomena and bodies of interest as systems.

According to this approach, the dynamics of physical systems , such as electromagnetic fields or particle systems , are also of interest to mechanics , although bodies cannot be considered properly.

Just like the rest of physics, this discipline borrows its formal language from mathematics to express its contents, and at the same time lays the foundation for most of the knowledge of classical engineering.

2. How is mechanics classified?

The mechanics are subdivided into four large blocks of content:

• Classical Mechanics . Also known as Newtonian mechanics, since it is based on the studies of Isaac Newton (especially with regard to vector mechanics), it deals with macroscopic bodies at rest or moving at small speeds compared to that of light. It can be said that it aspires to form a system that explains the movement of bodies and relates it to the causes that originate it (causality).
• Relativistic mechanics . Its name comes from the famous Theory of Relativity formulated by Albert Einstein, whose studies revolutionized the field of physics by trying to combine Newton’s theories with the phenomenon of electromagnetism (1905) and then by proposing a new explanation of gravity (1915 ). This entire field is based on the principle that the dimensions of time and space, which in classical mechanics are considered fixed and universal, really depend on the movement of the observer, therefore they are relative.
• Quantum mechanics . This branch of physics deals with the relationships between particles of infinitesimal size, that is, the laws of nature regarding the atom and its fundamental particles: protons, neutrons and electrons . This theory does not mathematically contemplate what Einstein described in Relativity, and has nevertheless been able to explain all the fundamental interactions of matter, with the exception of gravitational force.
• Quantum Field Theory . This branch of mechanics is the most recent (first half of the twentieth century) and its approach attempts to apply the principles of quantum mechanics to classical continuous field systems, such as electromagnetic fields. It is also able to incorporate the principles of relativity in regard to high energy physics, used to study the interactions between subatomic particles.