Physics, Biomechanics and Articular Kinesiology
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
The course provides knowledge in the basics of biomechanics, fluid mechanics, and their implications. The course provides an introduction to the theoretical foundations of analytical techniques and instruments in biomechanics used in sports. The course provides knowledge about the static and dynamic effects of forces involved in posture and movement, body behavior in relation to its barycenter, and polygon of support. The course covers the kinesiology of major body joints and human locomotion, and instruments for analyzing movement.
Expected learning outcomes
The student will be able to solve simple Physics problems and provide quantitative evaluations of the physical phenomena under investigation. The student will understand physics aspects involved in human locomotion and will be able to face biomechanical problems during exercise and sport activities. The student will know how to analyze human body movements in relation to mechanics and its components: statics, dynamics, and kinematics. Fundamental skills on kinesiology and human locomotion will be also provided. Analysis of postural control, human locomotion, and best kinesiology interventions in exercise and sports will be also faced.
Lesson period: Activity scheduled over several sessions (see Course syllabus and organization section for more detailed information).
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
LINEA A
Responsible
Lesson period
year
Course syllabus
Physics module program:
Mechanics. One dimension motion. Average and instantaneous speed. Average and instantaneous acceleration. Trajectory and law of uniform motion and uniformly accelerated motion. Free fall motion, jump and vertical throw. Vectors and operations with vectors. Motions in multiple dimensions. Bullet motion and distance. Mass. The three laws of dynamics. Gravitational force and weight force. Elastic force. Normal and frictional surface forces. The inclined plane. Ropes and pulleys. Centripetal acceleration. Centripetal force. Impulse of a force and impulse theorem. Impulse production stages in sports. Vertical jump effectiveness. Conservation of momentum. Collisions. Effective mass in shots and 'throws' in sport.
Energy. Mechanical work. Power. Conservative and dissipative forces. Kinetic energy. Kinetic energy theorem. Potential energy. Gravitational potential energy and elastic potential energy. Mechanical energy conservation law. Applications to altitude gains, throws and elastic/inelastic collisions.
Extended bodies. Center of mass and center of gravity. Rotation of large bodies. Angular kinematics. Twisting moment of a force. Moment of inertia. Rotation dynamics. Angular momentum and conservation law. Static. Balance conditions for an extended body. Levers. Levers in the human body. Rotations in the human body. Variation of the moment of inertia in the articulated human body.
Fluids. Density and pressure. Static: Stevin, Pascal and Archimedes. Basics of fluid dynamics. Flow rate and its conservation for fluids in laminar motion. Ideal fluids and Bernoulli's theorem. Viscous fluids. Hydraulic resistance and Poiseuille's law for cylindrical ducts. Fluid resistance. Effects on motion in air and water. Limiting speed. Elements of air flight dynamics, applications in sport.
Physics practice on the field.
· Balance of forces as vectors. Evaluation of the 'squat-jump' effectiveness.
· Evaluation of the elastic constant of gym elastic bands.
Angular velocity measurements and centripetal force evaluation for uniform circular motions.
· Evaluation of the position of the gravity center of the human body in an upright position.
Evaluation of the force applied by the biceps and triceps muscles in training activities in the gym.
· Evaluation of the variation of the moment of inertia in the articulated human body, through angular velocity measurements.
Biomechanics syllabus (ENG)
1. TECHNOLOGIES FOR SPORTS AND CLINICAL BIOMECHANICS ASSESSMENT
Tools and devices to capture human movement kinematics: markerless and marker-based optical systems, inertial systems. Basic working principles, extraction of the main parameters and their applications.
Tools and devices to capture human movement kinetics: force platforms and dynamometers. Basic working principles, extraction of the main parameters and their applications.
2. GAIT ANALYSIS, BIOMECHANICS OF WALKING AND RUNNING
Step cycle evaluation: definition and spatio-temporal parameters. Tools and instruments to obtain such variables. Joint kinematics in healthy subjects, ground reaction forces and joint moments of force in walking and running.
Computation of joint moments in simple static and dynamic cases.
3. POSTURE AND BALANCE
Instrumental analysis of postural stability in upright posture: parameters obtained from the Center of Pressure, comparison between stabilograms, Rombert test.
4. ENERGETICS OF LOCOMOTION
Center of mass kinematics in locomotion. Mechanical work efficiency, inverted pendulum and spring model in walking and running, respectively.
5. JUMP BIOMECHANICS
Squat Jump, drop jump and Counter movement jump. Assessment of asymmetries, specific use of tools to evaluate performance and injury risk.
6. INJURY BIOMECHANICS
Definition of injury, incidence and severity. Description of ACL and Achilles Tendon injury mechanisms. Development of biomechanically informed preventive measures.
Program of the Articular Kinesiology module.
Elements of general kinesiology
Kinesiology of the upper limb joints: shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist and hand
Kinesiology of the lower limb joints: pelvis and sacroiliac, hip, knee, ankle and foot.
Kinesiology of the spine and trunk: cervical, thoracic, lumbar spine.
Mechanics. One dimension motion. Average and instantaneous speed. Average and instantaneous acceleration. Trajectory and law of uniform motion and uniformly accelerated motion. Free fall motion, jump and vertical throw. Vectors and operations with vectors. Motions in multiple dimensions. Bullet motion and distance. Mass. The three laws of dynamics. Gravitational force and weight force. Elastic force. Normal and frictional surface forces. The inclined plane. Ropes and pulleys. Centripetal acceleration. Centripetal force. Impulse of a force and impulse theorem. Impulse production stages in sports. Vertical jump effectiveness. Conservation of momentum. Collisions. Effective mass in shots and 'throws' in sport.
Energy. Mechanical work. Power. Conservative and dissipative forces. Kinetic energy. Kinetic energy theorem. Potential energy. Gravitational potential energy and elastic potential energy. Mechanical energy conservation law. Applications to altitude gains, throws and elastic/inelastic collisions.
Extended bodies. Center of mass and center of gravity. Rotation of large bodies. Angular kinematics. Twisting moment of a force. Moment of inertia. Rotation dynamics. Angular momentum and conservation law. Static. Balance conditions for an extended body. Levers. Levers in the human body. Rotations in the human body. Variation of the moment of inertia in the articulated human body.
Fluids. Density and pressure. Static: Stevin, Pascal and Archimedes. Basics of fluid dynamics. Flow rate and its conservation for fluids in laminar motion. Ideal fluids and Bernoulli's theorem. Viscous fluids. Hydraulic resistance and Poiseuille's law for cylindrical ducts. Fluid resistance. Effects on motion in air and water. Limiting speed. Elements of air flight dynamics, applications in sport.
Physics practice on the field.
· Balance of forces as vectors. Evaluation of the 'squat-jump' effectiveness.
· Evaluation of the elastic constant of gym elastic bands.
Angular velocity measurements and centripetal force evaluation for uniform circular motions.
· Evaluation of the position of the gravity center of the human body in an upright position.
Evaluation of the force applied by the biceps and triceps muscles in training activities in the gym.
· Evaluation of the variation of the moment of inertia in the articulated human body, through angular velocity measurements.
Biomechanics syllabus (ENG)
1. TECHNOLOGIES FOR SPORTS AND CLINICAL BIOMECHANICS ASSESSMENT
Tools and devices to capture human movement kinematics: markerless and marker-based optical systems, inertial systems. Basic working principles, extraction of the main parameters and their applications.
Tools and devices to capture human movement kinetics: force platforms and dynamometers. Basic working principles, extraction of the main parameters and their applications.
2. GAIT ANALYSIS, BIOMECHANICS OF WALKING AND RUNNING
Step cycle evaluation: definition and spatio-temporal parameters. Tools and instruments to obtain such variables. Joint kinematics in healthy subjects, ground reaction forces and joint moments of force in walking and running.
Computation of joint moments in simple static and dynamic cases.
3. POSTURE AND BALANCE
Instrumental analysis of postural stability in upright posture: parameters obtained from the Center of Pressure, comparison between stabilograms, Rombert test.
4. ENERGETICS OF LOCOMOTION
Center of mass kinematics in locomotion. Mechanical work efficiency, inverted pendulum and spring model in walking and running, respectively.
5. JUMP BIOMECHANICS
Squat Jump, drop jump and Counter movement jump. Assessment of asymmetries, specific use of tools to evaluate performance and injury risk.
6. INJURY BIOMECHANICS
Definition of injury, incidence and severity. Description of ACL and Achilles Tendon injury mechanisms. Development of biomechanically informed preventive measures.
Program of the Articular Kinesiology module.
Elements of general kinesiology
Kinesiology of the upper limb joints: shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist and hand
Kinesiology of the lower limb joints: pelvis and sacroiliac, hip, knee, ankle and foot.
Kinesiology of the spine and trunk: cervical, thoracic, lumbar spine.
Prerequisites for admission
Teaching prerequisites are knowledge of mathematics methods and principles of elementary physics, as detailed in the admission test programs, along with the notions of osteo-articular and musculoskeletal anatomy deriving from the 1st year course of "Human anatomy and applied morphology".
Teaching methods
For the Physics module, teaching will be provided through frontal lectures and field exercises based on group work. The tutorials will use didactic guides available to students on the Ariel website, classic measuring instruments as well as smart-phone applications for measurements and image analysis.
For the Biomechanics module, teaching will consist of frontal lectures in which theoretical explanation phases will alternate with examples of operation of the main instruments that are used in biomechanical assessments in field and laboratory, especially aimed at the study of sports gestures.
For the articular kinesiology module, the teaching will consist of frontal lectures.
For the Biomechanics module, teaching will consist of frontal lectures in which theoretical explanation phases will alternate with examples of operation of the main instruments that are used in biomechanical assessments in field and laboratory, especially aimed at the study of sports gestures.
For the articular kinesiology module, the teaching will consist of frontal lectures.
Teaching Resources
The following texts are recommended for the Physics module program.
1) F. Borsi, A. Lascialfari, Principi di fisica. Per indirizzo biomedico e farmaceutico. Edises.
2) D. C. Giancoli. Fisica. Principi e applicazioni. Casa Editrice Ambrosiana.
The didactic material is also available on the Ariel website: teaching cards, course slides and exercises with results.
The following texts are recommended for the program of the Biomechanics module:
1) R. Bartlett. Introduction to Sports Biomechanics. E&FN SPON, 1997.
2) B.F. Leveau: Biomeccanica del movimento umano. William & Lissner's, Verduci Editore, 1993.
The following texts are recommended for the program of the Kinesiology module:
1) Kendall F., Kendall McCreary E. I muscoli. Funzioni e test con postura e dolore. Verduci Editore, 2005
1) F. Borsi, A. Lascialfari, Principi di fisica. Per indirizzo biomedico e farmaceutico. Edises.
2) D. C. Giancoli. Fisica. Principi e applicazioni. Casa Editrice Ambrosiana.
The didactic material is also available on the Ariel website: teaching cards, course slides and exercises with results.
The following texts are recommended for the program of the Biomechanics module:
1) R. Bartlett. Introduction to Sports Biomechanics. E&FN SPON, 1997.
2) B.F. Leveau: Biomeccanica del movimento umano. William & Lissner's, Verduci Editore, 1993.
The following texts are recommended for the program of the Kinesiology module:
1) Kendall F., Kendall McCreary E. I muscoli. Funzioni e test con postura e dolore. Verduci Editore, 2005
Assessment methods and Criteria
The annual course includes three ongoing tests on portions of the exam program which, if successfully passed, will be used for the final assessment. Written exam will be performed, consisting of multiple choice questions test and oral tests. The assignments delivered in-itinere about practice on the field will be evaluated.
The student will use the calculator during the test.
The student will use the calculator during the test.
BIO/09 - PHYSIOLOGY - University credits: 3
FIS/07 - APPLIED PHYSICS - University credits: 3
MED/34 - PHYSICAL AND REHABILITATION MEDICINE - University credits: 3
FIS/07 - APPLIED PHYSICS - University credits: 3
MED/34 - PHYSICAL AND REHABILITATION MEDICINE - University credits: 3
Practicals: 12 hours
Lessons: 56 hours
Lessons: 56 hours
Shifts:
LINEA B
Responsible
Lesson period
year
Course syllabus
Mechanics. One dimension motion. Average and instantaneous speed. Average and instantaneous acceleration. Trajectory and law of uniform motion and uniformly accelerated motion. Free fall motion, jump and vertical throw. Vectors and operations with vectors. Motions in multiple dimensions. Bullet motion and distance. Mass. The three laws of dynamics. Gravitational force and weight force. Elastic force. Normal and frictional surface forces. The inclined plane. Ropes and pulleys. Centripetal acceleration. Centripetal force. Impulse of a force and impulse theorem. Impulse production stages in sports. Vertical jump effectiveness. Conservation of momentum. Collisions. Effective mass in shots and 'throws' in sport.
Energy. Mechanical work. Power. Conservative and dissipative forces. Kinetic energy. Kinetic energy theorem. Potential energy. Gravitational potential energy and elastic potential energy. Mechanical energy conservation law. Applications to altitude gains, throws and elastic/inelastic collisions.
Extended bodies. Center of mass and center of gravity. Rotation of large bodies. Angular kinematics. Twisting moment of a force. Moment of inertia. Rotation dynamics. Angular momentum and conservation law. Static. Balance conditions for an extended body. Levers. Levers in the human body. Rotations in the human body. Variation of the moment of inertia in the articulated human body.
Fluids. Density and pressure. Static: Stevin, Pascal and Archimedes. Basics of fluid dynamics. Flow rate and its conservation for fluids in laminar motion. Ideal fluids and Bernoulli's theorem. Viscous fluids. Hydraulic resistance and Poiseuille's law for cylindrical ducts. Fluid resistance. Effects on motion in air and water. Limiting speed. Elements of air flight dynamics, applications in sport.
Physics practice on the field.
· Balance of forces as vectors. Evaluation of the 'squat-jump' effectiveness.
· Evaluation of the elastic constant of gym elastic bands.
Angular velocity measurements and centripetal force evaluation for uniform circular motions.
· Evaluation of the position of the gravity center of the human body in an upright position.
Evaluation of the force applied by the biceps and triceps muscles in training activities in the gym.
· Evaluation of the variation of the moment of inertia in the articulated human body, through angular velocity measurements.
Biomechanics syllabus
1. TECHNOLOGIES FOR SPORTS AND CLINICAL BIOMECHANICS ASSESSMENT
Tools and devices to capture human movement kinematics: markerless and marker-based optical systems, inertial systems. Basic working principles, extraction of the main parameters and their applications.
Tools and devices to capture human movement kinetics: force platforms and dynamometers. Basic working principles, extraction of the main parameters and their applications.
2. GAIT ANALYSIS, BIOMECHANICS OF WALKING AND RUNNING
Step cycle evaluation: definition and spatio-temporal parameters. Tools and instruments to obtain such variables. Joint kinematics in healthy subjects, ground reaction forces and joint moments of force in walking and running.
Computation of joint moments in simple static and dynamic cases.
3. POSTURE AND BALANCE
Instrumental analysis of postural stability in upright posture: parameters obtained from the Center of Pressure, comparison between stabilograms, Rombert test.
4. ENERGETICS OF LOCOMOTION
Center of mass kinematics in locomotion. Mechanical work efficiency, inverted pendulum and spring model in walking and running, respectively.
5. JUMP BIOMECHANICS
Squat Jump, drop jump and Counter movement jump. Assessment of asymmetries, specific use of tools to evaluate performance and injury risk.
6. INJURY BIOMECHANICS
Definition of injury, incidence and severity. Description of ACL and Achilles Tendon injury mechanisms. Development of biomechanically informed preventive measures.
Program of the Articular Kinesiology module.
Elements of general kinesiology
Kinesiology of the upper limb joints: shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist and hand
Kinesiology of the lower limb joints: pelvis and sacroiliac, hip, knee, ankle and foot.
Kinesiology of the spine and trunk: cervical, thoracic, lumbar spine.
Energy. Mechanical work. Power. Conservative and dissipative forces. Kinetic energy. Kinetic energy theorem. Potential energy. Gravitational potential energy and elastic potential energy. Mechanical energy conservation law. Applications to altitude gains, throws and elastic/inelastic collisions.
Extended bodies. Center of mass and center of gravity. Rotation of large bodies. Angular kinematics. Twisting moment of a force. Moment of inertia. Rotation dynamics. Angular momentum and conservation law. Static. Balance conditions for an extended body. Levers. Levers in the human body. Rotations in the human body. Variation of the moment of inertia in the articulated human body.
Fluids. Density and pressure. Static: Stevin, Pascal and Archimedes. Basics of fluid dynamics. Flow rate and its conservation for fluids in laminar motion. Ideal fluids and Bernoulli's theorem. Viscous fluids. Hydraulic resistance and Poiseuille's law for cylindrical ducts. Fluid resistance. Effects on motion in air and water. Limiting speed. Elements of air flight dynamics, applications in sport.
Physics practice on the field.
· Balance of forces as vectors. Evaluation of the 'squat-jump' effectiveness.
· Evaluation of the elastic constant of gym elastic bands.
Angular velocity measurements and centripetal force evaluation for uniform circular motions.
· Evaluation of the position of the gravity center of the human body in an upright position.
Evaluation of the force applied by the biceps and triceps muscles in training activities in the gym.
· Evaluation of the variation of the moment of inertia in the articulated human body, through angular velocity measurements.
Biomechanics syllabus
1. TECHNOLOGIES FOR SPORTS AND CLINICAL BIOMECHANICS ASSESSMENT
Tools and devices to capture human movement kinematics: markerless and marker-based optical systems, inertial systems. Basic working principles, extraction of the main parameters and their applications.
Tools and devices to capture human movement kinetics: force platforms and dynamometers. Basic working principles, extraction of the main parameters and their applications.
2. GAIT ANALYSIS, BIOMECHANICS OF WALKING AND RUNNING
Step cycle evaluation: definition and spatio-temporal parameters. Tools and instruments to obtain such variables. Joint kinematics in healthy subjects, ground reaction forces and joint moments of force in walking and running.
Computation of joint moments in simple static and dynamic cases.
3. POSTURE AND BALANCE
Instrumental analysis of postural stability in upright posture: parameters obtained from the Center of Pressure, comparison between stabilograms, Rombert test.
4. ENERGETICS OF LOCOMOTION
Center of mass kinematics in locomotion. Mechanical work efficiency, inverted pendulum and spring model in walking and running, respectively.
5. JUMP BIOMECHANICS
Squat Jump, drop jump and Counter movement jump. Assessment of asymmetries, specific use of tools to evaluate performance and injury risk.
6. INJURY BIOMECHANICS
Definition of injury, incidence and severity. Description of ACL and Achilles Tendon injury mechanisms. Development of biomechanically informed preventive measures.
Program of the Articular Kinesiology module.
Elements of general kinesiology
Kinesiology of the upper limb joints: shoulder, elbow, forearm, wrist and hand
Kinesiology of the lower limb joints: pelvis and sacroiliac, hip, knee, ankle and foot.
Kinesiology of the spine and trunk: cervical, thoracic, lumbar spine.
Prerequisites for admission
Teaching prerequisites are knowledge of mathematics methods and principles of elementary physics, as detailed in the admission test programs, along with the notions of osteo-articular and musculoskeletal anatomy deriving from the 1st year course of "Human anatomy and applied morphology".
Teaching methods
For the Physics module, teaching will be provided through frontal lectures and field exercises based on group work. The tutorials will use didactic guides available to students on the Ariel website, classic measuring instruments as well as smart-phone applications for measurements and image analysis.
For the Biomechanics module, teaching will consist of frontal lectures in which theoretical explanation phases will alternate with examples of operation of the main instruments that are used in biomechanical assessments in field and laboratory, especially aimed at the study of sports gestures.
For the articular kinesiology module, the teaching will consist of frontal lectures.
For the Biomechanics module, teaching will consist of frontal lectures in which theoretical explanation phases will alternate with examples of operation of the main instruments that are used in biomechanical assessments in field and laboratory, especially aimed at the study of sports gestures.
For the articular kinesiology module, the teaching will consist of frontal lectures.
Teaching Resources
For the Physics module program, some basic Physics texts are recommended such as:
1) F. Borsi, A. Lascialfari, Principi di fisica. Per indirizzo biomedico e farmaceutico. Edises.
2) D. C. Giancoli. Fisica. Principi e applicazioni. Casa Editrice Ambrosiana.
The material necessary for the study is also made available on the Ariel website, such as: teaching sheets, course slides and exercises with results.
For the Biomechanics module program, the following texts are recommended:
1) R. Bartlett. Introduction to Sports Biomechanics. E&FN SPON, 1997.
2) B.F. Leveau: Biomeccanica del movimento umano. William & Lissner's, Verduci Editore, 1993
The following texts are recommended for the Kinesiology module program:
1) Kendall F., Kendall McCreary E. I muscoli. Funzioni e test con postura e dolore. Verduci Editore, 2005
1) F. Borsi, A. Lascialfari, Principi di fisica. Per indirizzo biomedico e farmaceutico. Edises.
2) D. C. Giancoli. Fisica. Principi e applicazioni. Casa Editrice Ambrosiana.
The material necessary for the study is also made available on the Ariel website, such as: teaching sheets, course slides and exercises with results.
For the Biomechanics module program, the following texts are recommended:
1) R. Bartlett. Introduction to Sports Biomechanics. E&FN SPON, 1997.
2) B.F. Leveau: Biomeccanica del movimento umano. William & Lissner's, Verduci Editore, 1993
The following texts are recommended for the Kinesiology module program:
1) Kendall F., Kendall McCreary E. I muscoli. Funzioni e test con postura e dolore. Verduci Editore, 2005
Assessment methods and Criteria
The annual course includes three ongoing tests on portions of the exam program which, if successfully passed, will be used for the final assessment. Written exam will be performed, consisting of multiple choice questions test and oral tests. The assignments delivered in-itinere about practice on the field will be evaluated.
The student will use the calculator during the test.
The student will use the calculator during the test.
BIO/09 - PHYSIOLOGY - University credits: 3
FIS/07 - APPLIED PHYSICS - University credits: 3
MED/34 - PHYSICAL AND REHABILITATION MEDICINE - University credits: 3
FIS/07 - APPLIED PHYSICS - University credits: 3
MED/34 - PHYSICAL AND REHABILITATION MEDICINE - University credits: 3
Practicals: 12 hours
Lessons: 56 hours
Lessons: 56 hours
Shifts:
Educational website(s)
Professor(s)