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mechanics

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The branch of physics that is concerned with the analysis of the action of forces on matter or material systems.
  • noun Design, construction, and use of machinery or mechanical structures.
  • noun The functional and technical aspects of an activity.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The science which explains natural phenomena by depicting them with mathematical precision as dependent solely upon relations of motion.
  • noun The theory of machines.
  • noun The mathematical doctrine of the motions and tendencies to motion of particles and systems under the influence of forces and constraints; in a narrower sense, this doctrine as applied to systems of rigid bodies.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun That science, or branch of applied mathematics, which treats of the action of forces on bodies.
  • noun (Physiol.) that portion of physiology which has for its object the investigation of the laws of equilibrium and motion in the animal body. The most important mechanical principle is that of the lever, the bones forming the arms of the levers, the contractile muscles the power, the joints the fulcra or points of support, while the weight of the body or of the individual limbs constitutes the weight or resistance.
  • noun the principles of abstract mechanics applied to human art; also, the practical application of the laws of matter and motion to the construction of machines and structures of all kinds.
  • noun the principles governing the motion of bodies in orbit around other bodies under gravitational influence, such as artificial Earth satellites.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun physics The branch of physics that deals with the action of forces on material objects with mass
  • noun The design and construction of machines.
  • noun writing Spelling and punctuation.
  • noun operation in general; workings
  • noun Plural form of mechanic.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the branch of physics concerned with the motion of bodies in a frame of reference
  • noun the technical aspects of doing something

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin mechanicus, from Ancient Greek μηχανικός (mēkhanikos), from μηχανή (mēkhanē, "machine, tool")

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Examples

  • The term mechanics generally refers to the motion of large objects, whereas the study of motion at the level of the atom or smaller is the domain of quantum mechanics.

    mechanics 2002

  • Having made a fortunate and happy marriage, Saint-Simon was almost constantly at Versailles until the death of the King, and obtained the most intimate acquaintance with what he terms the mechanics of the court.

    A History of French Literature Short Histories of the Literatures of the World: II. Edward Dowden 1878

  • The other talk dealing with what I term the mechanics and risks.

    unknown title 2009

  • Imaginary time in quantum statistical mechanics is a similar computational trick.

    A Trend? 2009

  • I don't see any problem with it: quantum mechanics is statistical.

    A Biologos Position 2010

  • I know hardly anything about climate models: anything involving fluid mechanics is pretty much a closed book to me.

    Climate Bet Details, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009

  • So I knew the Tab A Slot B mechanics from a very early age, and how women got pregnant, and the anatomical specifics of birth, etc.

    On Censorship « Tales from the Reading Room 2010

  • Police have confirmed that 19 of the abducted men were mechanics from the western city of Morelia and apparently had been vacationing together in the Pacific resort city, said Jesus Montejano, the state attorney general of Michoacan state, were Morelia is located.

    20 Acapulco Men May Have Been Abducted By Mistake AP 2010

  • Instructing them in the game mechanics is tricky and it often feels like what should be a creative restraint is more of a brick wall than it should be.

    Unfolding a rules system « Games, gaming, gamers. 2010

  • The EPR paradox, an attempt to show that quantum mechanics is internally inconsistent, was an outgrowth of that metaphysical skepticism.

    A Trend? 2009

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