How Can I Improve My Understanding of Dynamics and Statics of Non-Rigid Bodies?

[Physicist-Writer]

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Hi, I'm currently looking to improve my understanding (mostly conceptually) on Dynamics (such as colllisions)and Statics of Bodies that aren't perfectly rigid, while considering mass, density, thickness, shape , kinetic energy, momentum and material stiffness/strength/toughness.

 

[berkeman]

Welcome to PF.

 

[berkeman]

These intro threads are supposed to just be for brief introductions, but can you say what your background so far is in science and math? Have you taken Calculus? Do you have any university degrees yet? That will help us suggest avenues that you can pursue to start to gain some of that knowledge you mentioned.

 

[Physicist-Writer]

These intro threads are supposed to just be for brief introductions, but can you say what your background so far is in science and math? Have you taken Calculus? Do you have any university degrees yet? That will help us suggest avenues that you can pursue to start to gain some of that knowledge you mentioned.

Yeah no problem, I actually think I didn't give enough info actually lol. I've graduated college already and have an engineering bachelor's degree but focused on mostly biomedical engineering and specialized moreso in biology and chemisty, but I did get a well-rounded introduction to materials science mechanics etc, and I took calculus and all that stuff. I remember a decent amount and have reviewed concepts here and there since then for fun, but realized I always end up with more questions than answers, particularly when it comes to ballistics and dynamics in the real world.

I'm interested in learning more about this in my spare time for both intellectual curosity, but also just to make myself a better writer and more informed reader- I really like when authors try to put a little effort of physics into their work, and I want to do that. I want to have more intuition about how collisions would work in a variety of hypothetical scenarios, like say a clash between a ironsand tsunami and a gold dust tsunami, or a clash between an iron block and an gold block with consideration of various extensive properties and collision speeds etc, and also have an understanding of the relevant physics and biomechanics for human bodies as it relates to combat sports principles.

Before coming here, I've used random articles online, various Youtube channels, e-textbooks, I got different books ( such as Fight like a Physicist) and (Materials, Theory, and Design by Paul Hazell) that address these issues and try to work through these things myself but there's also benefit in discussing with other people and connecting some dots that are not always easy to make from just reading textbooks, and I haven't gotten through all the material yet. But it's always nice to have other reading suggestions too that may present the information in a way that clicks for me.

 

[berkeman]

Well, you definitely came to the right place!

It sounds like many of your questions will fit in the ME forum, the Material Science/Engineering forum, and the Physics/Mechanics forum. Also feel free to post in the Academic Advising forum if you have questions about how to find info on the subjects you are interested in learning.

 

[Physicist-Writer]

Well, you definitely came to the right place!

It sounds like many of your questions will fit in the ME forum, the Material Science/Engineering forum, and the Physics/Mechanics forum. Also feel free to post in the Academic Advising forum if you have questions about how to find info on the subjects you are interested in learning.

Thanks! Yeah, I realize that it's quite a lot that I'm asking about, so trying to figure out what is the best way to start asking about these topics in a way that's not overwhelming to those who can provide answers, and the multi-disciplinary nature of it may mean I would need different answers from different threads and figure out how to coalesce the understandings to get an intuitive, big picture grasp of the subject. I was thinking it would be first be helpful to start with breaking down the practical difference between momentum and kinetic energy. I think Jason Thalken's Book Fight like a Physicist gave me an intuitive breakdown to start that helped me reframe the hazy understanding I had in high school and college, where most of the problems assumed perfectly rigid bodies and such.

 

[DeBangis21]

Welcome to PF.