Foundations of Mechanics: Part 1

Welcome to this blog series designed to guide you on an exciting journey through the realm of mechanics. This area of physics is pivotal in shaping our grasp of the physical Universe, ranging from the basic machines of ancient times to the intricate research methods of biomechanics today. In this series, I'll delve into the core principles of mechanics, charting its historical development from the brilliant revelations of Aristotle and Archimedes, through the ground-breaking ideas of Newton, to its crucial role in modern biomechanics research. Each post will enhance your understanding of essential concepts and link those notions to innovative uses that are changing our world, especially in biomechanics. Join me as I explore the mechanics underlying everything from the equilibrium of forces to the movement of bodies.

Mechanics is the branch of physics that studies the motion of bodies and the effects of forces acting upon these bodies. It's important to understand that mechanics can happen without any human involvement. Physics is divided into multiple areas, and there are even more specialisations within the broader category we call science. The focus of this blog series is specifically on the physics of mechanics. However, as you will learn through reading the posts, mechanics is an incredibly widespread concept. It is so prevalent that it influences nearly every other area of scientific research and profoundly impacts the structure of the Universe and human life.

Science is frequently described as understanding acquired through practical experience, suggesting that it formulates theories researchers can test and potentially prove false through experiments. Therefore, science is deeply connected to experimental work, and nearly all experiments require observing and recording the movements of objects. From this, it follows that mechanics is crucial to all scientific disciplines. As we will see in this blog series, mechanics might well be considered the most ancient of all sciences. These points help explain why the field of mechanics is so prevalent in our modern world.

The first time I came across the term "mechanics" was when I was taking karate classes as a young boy. Being very hyperactive as a child, I was enrolled in martial arts to help me use my extra energy and to teach me how to concentrate better. I spent time growing up in the United States, and one of my earliest and most prominent teachers was Bill "Superfoot" Wallace. It's been over 35 years since then, and I continue training with Bill weekly. Bill holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in physical education and kinesiology (which is the study of how humans move), and biomechanics was a significant part of his education. He has always incorporated this knowledge into his teaching. (Side note: It was training with Bill that eventually led to me earning my own bachelor's and master's degrees in kinesiology.)

In every class and seminar, Bill consistently discussed key methods to enhance the body's mechanics, particularly in kicking, so that practitioners execute techniques with the utmost speed, accuracy, and sneakiness. I was hooked right from the start. From this perspective, I have studied biomechanics for over thirty years. In recent years, I have deepened my understanding further by obtaining additional university degrees in cell biomechanics and biological physics.

After many years of studying this intriguing area, I have come to comprehend how much the science of mechanics has influenced our world. We label different historical periods – Stone Age, Bronze Age, Industrial Age, etc. Some argue we are now in the Information Age. Yet, it's more accurate to call our current era the Electromagnetic Age. Until the mid-nineteenth century, the world was primarily mechanical until James Clerk Maxwell, a Scottish physicist famous for his crucial contributions to electromagnetism, changed everything. His most significant achievement was creating Maxwell's differential equations, which explained how electric and magnetic fields behave and interact.

Maxwell's equations showed that electricity, magnetism, and light are all different forms of the same thing: the electromagnetic field. This was a major discovery in physics that set the stage for Einstein's theory of relativity. Maxwell also made important discoveries in thermodynamics, and his studies on colour vision and gas dynamics were very influential. His theory proving the stability of Saturn's rings is another example of his wide-ranging scientific impact. Maxwell's ideas and theories remain fundamental in physics – including mechanics – and influence many technologies related to electromagnetic radiation and electrical engineering (including the phone, tablet, or computer you're reading this post on).

Even though we live in the Electromagnetic Age, electromagnetism – and, indeed, mechanics – have existed since the beginning of the Universe. Our estimates of the Universe's age keep growing. Over the last fifty years, scientists have agreed that the Big Bang, the explosion that started the spread of matter across the Universe, happened about 13.8 billion years ago. Similarly, scientists now think our Solar System, including Earth, formed around 4.5 billion years ago when gravitational forces pulled together enough mass for our Sun to start nuclear reactions. Just 150 years ago, these timescales seemed not only unlikely but impossible to most people. Yet geological and astrophysical evidence now supports these figures.

Now let's think about this vast amount of time compared to the existence of Homo sapiens. There are three key time measures related to our species: the length of a heartbeat, the time for gestation, and the length of a human life. All of these are much shorter than the ages of our Universe or our Solar System. So, compared to the timescales of astrophysics, we humans live for only a brief time. Of course, these time measures can all be connected to planetary time measures: the length of the Earth spinning on its axis (a day), the Earth's moon orbiting around it (about 29.5 days), and the Earth orbiting around the Sun (a year). All these periods are measured using mechanics.

As we delve further into the history of our species, we become more aware of how our evolution differs from the evolution of the Universe. Around 15,000 years ago, archaeological findings indicate that we primarily lived as hunters and gatherers, not unlike other animals on Earth, striving to survive on a daily basis. It seems probable that human lives back then ended similarly to how many animals' lives end today – being consumed by predators. Thus, it's unlikely that we will discover vast, ancient burial sites of human remains on this planet.

In other words, an event of great importance occurred on this Earth within the past 15,000 years, as the activities of our species are different from what they were in that period. In contrast, nearly all other species behave as they did back then, even though the majority have much shorter breeding cycles than humans (suggesting they could have evolved at a quicker genetic pace than we have).

What occurred? And how could it take place so swiftly, merely a moment's glance in terms of the vast stretches of astronomical time? If beings from another world had visited Earth 15,000 years ago, they might have decided that this planet lacked intelligent life forms. How did one species (ourselves) manage to dominate an entire planet in such a brief period, an event that, as far as we know, is unmatched in the history of the cosmos?

The solution to this query represents one of humanity's most significant accomplishments. Roughly 13,000 years ago - though the exact timing is uncertain due to the limitations of carbon dating - some individuals, likely in the region now known as Iraq near the flowing Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, tried to use the river for watering crops. They possibly created and used a tool to dig channels and redirect water from the river to water plants, which would help grow food for their community.

On a personal note, it's fascinating now to reflect on this particular event in what is known as modern-day Iraq, especially since I was standing in that very region more than 20 years ago while serving in the military. Ironically, my time in Iraq and experiences there drove me back towards pursuing a career in studying and teaching the science of flexibility and mechanics (but that's a story for another time). I find it intriguing how events in life appear to loop and come full circle. Anyway, let's return to the discussion of the historical origins of mechanics.

Up until 13,000 years ago, it was impractical to sustain villages with more than around 400 people using just hunting and gathering methods. There wasn't sufficient wildlife available within the distance a person could cover on foot in one day to support more people. However, with the introduction of agriculture, cities housing possibly up to 5000 individuals emerged rapidly within a hundred years.

Organised agriculture laid the foundations for civilisation. Those individuals, whoever they might have been, are now considered the earliest engineers on Earth. Indeed, ingenious individuals (from whom the word 'engineer' originates) existed before this. Still, without a civilisation, there was no one inventing things for the sake of civilisation  - which is the essential role of an engineer. Thus, this marks the beginning when the pioneers of agricultural engineering sparked civilisation on our planet.

Archaeologists and anthropologists have discovered that the creation of agriculture quickly shifted humans away from hunting and gathering behaviours, leading to a rapid increase in population at locations of historical settlements in Iraq. Within a few hundred years, cities with populations exceeding ten thousand people emerged in the Middle East. This population growth made it possible for people in these cities to focus on specific professions, paving the way for new technologies as more individuals dedicated themselves to innovating new concepts. Consequently, the innovation of new ideas required some form of education, and the need to spread these advancements across society led to the development of advanced forms of communication, including spoken and written language and mathematics.

Following those events, things started happening faster and faster, as though each moment was getting shorter. New inventions were created more often because people increasingly needed technology to support their lives, and the rapidly growing population drove this demand. There were indeed setbacks and declines, such as in the Middle Ages, but overall, the progress of human beings is an outstanding example of Darwin's Universal Law of Natural Selection. As far as we know, this law seems to apply better to humans than any other species in the Universe. The number of significant inventions in the past hundred years far exceeds all the inventions made in the previous 4.5 billion years on Earth. Remarkably, the average human lifespan has almost doubled in just over a century, and much of this success is due to technological advancements. There's no denying the deep impact this has had on the world we live in today.

And yet, experts in the study of human cultures and histories explain that because of how microbes behave statistically, the nine-month development period of human babies, and the intricate makeup of our DNA, it takes our species about 10,000 years to experience considerable physical changes through evolution. In simpler terms, those individuals 13,000 years ago who were hunters and gatherers were fundamentally the same as us on a genetic level. Their brains were the same size as ours are today.  They were clever; they probably had the same level of intelligence as we, their modern-day descendants, do.

So, why didn't people simply create everything immediately once they had enough food? Why did it take 13,000 years? One reason is that only about 1 million people were on the planet 13,000 years ago. Now, there are over 8 billion people on Earth. We can confidently state that there has been a massive increase in population, which is still happening in many areas of the world. This surge in population has promoted and sustained specialisation, which, in turn, has accelerated technology development.

What is happening here? What explains the profound transformation in how humans exist, in contrast to other species that have remained relatively unchanged? Our genetic evolution has not significantly advanced, yet here we are, dominating the planet more than any other species known to archaeologists. The explanation is, quite simply, education. As far as we know, we are the first species to surpass the pace of our biological evolution through education. Through this remarkable process, we have achieved this incredible achievement.

Darwin's law has played a crucial part in our efforts to educate ourselves, even though it wasn't adopted until the middle of the nineteenth century. You might think that Darwin's law is only relevant to genetics. However, it actually relates to any form of evolution, and in the case of humans, we have surpassed the genetic timeline by applying Darwin's law to education. We have been living our lives (and learning) in line with Darwin's law, whether we realise it or not. Indeed, a new area of study known as genetic programming has recently started to lead to many new technological advancements.

Inventions inevitably brought about the growth of education, which is essential for human survival. In the past, humans struggled against other species to stay alive. Now, we must compete with others in our own species to survive. Although the advanced educational institutions on Earth are less than 1000 years old - the University of Bologna began awarding diplomas in about 1088 - our educational systems date back several thousand years. One could argue that education is truly the most significant invention in the history of humans.

As I mentioned, I decided to focus my education on various topics, such as kinesiology, cellular biomechanics, and biological physics. In these subjects, the concept of mechanics plays a fundamental role. Regardless of the lectures I attended, the books I read, the audiobooks I listened to, or the videos I watched, mechanics was always at the core of everything I was learning. The realm of mechanics is continually broadening and developing, from the microscopic to the theoretical—for instance, the concept of mental mechanics helps explain how emotions and consciousness emerge. This field keeps growing. By consistently and diligently studying mechanics, I have managed to challenge and correct many false beliefs and errors often spread in the health and fitness industry, particularly concerning stretching and flexibility.

My initial reaction when people ask how they can better understand the complex science of flexibility training is to suggest they sign up for a university course in mechanics. I recommend this because the factors driving adaptations to flexibility are primarily mechanical. There is no better arena for studying mechanics than at university, where the smartest biomechanists in the world lead the best biomechanics labs. However, not everyone is keen on this idea, and many are deterred by the prospect of returning to school. Studying mechanics is considered difficult because it involves a lot of mathematics, which is the fundamental language of physics. Regrettably, there are now frauds without formal training in mechanics who run weekend workshops, claiming they can turn participants into experts in biomechanics. When challenged, the individuals who organise these courses cannot logically or coherently explain their outlandish and biologically implausible ideas.

This blog series aims to counteract the damaging effects of charlatans profiteering from the reputation of mechanics. I want to equip you, the reader, with a solid understanding of the basic principles of mechanics. This series won't make you an expert – becoming an expert involves attending university, dedicating countless hours to lectures, immersing yourself in research papers and textbooks, understanding complex equations, working diligently in labs, and doing myriad experiments. Only then might you start approaching something resembling an expert in mechanics. I have immersed myself in the study of mechanics for over thirty years, have multiple master's degrees in the field, and I don't even see myself as an expert! However, I have acquired enough knowledge and practical experience to believe sharing it with you will enhance your skills and understanding. By reading this blog series and applying the principles it teaches, your knowledge and ability in mechanics will improve. Moreover, you will also be helping to combat the overwhelming amount of misinformation about biomechanics that is currently proliferating in the fitness industry.

Mechanics represents an important stage in human history, making it beneficial to begin this series by exploring the history of this advancement. If you are willing to follow along, I trust that by its conclusion, you will concur that mechanics stands out as the most significant foundational discipline of science, one that has profoundly moulded the world we live in today.

Come back next time for Part 2, where we will examine the founding of mechanics in ancient Egypt.

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