Preface
Welcome to Introduction to Biomechanics, an open access PressBooks resource. This textbook is adaptation of existing open access texts in the field of physics. In keeping with the intentions of previous authors, this text will provide undergraduate kinesiology students access to high-quality learning materials, while maintaining the highest standards of academic rigor at little to no cost.
About Introduction to Biomechanics
Introduction to Biomechanics is designed for a typical one-semester, undergraduate biomechanics course in kinesiology. For most students, this course would be their first in-depth exposure to biomechanics. While it assumes students are familiar with high school algebra, most math is straightforward – for instance, involving equations with one unknown and/or right angle trigonometry – and examples are provided throughout. It does not require familiarity with calculus. The book provides an important opportunity for students to learn the core concepts of biomechanics and understand how those concepts apply to human movement.
Open access resources used to develop this text
For clarity, and out of acknowledgement of the tremendous contributions of previous authors, below is a brief summary of the nature and extent of adaptations to previous open access materials used in this text.
The primary source used for adaptation was College Physics, an OpenStax and PressBooks resource developed by Peter Urone and Roger Hinrichs. Some chapters were also adapted from University Physics, an OpenStax resource developed by Samuel Ling, Jeff Sanny, and Williams Moebs. Both texts are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY) license. (see also the original texts for additional contributing authors and reviewers). Some images were sourced from Unsplash, an online repository of free images. For specific attribution and copyright please refer to individual chapters.
Adaptation of this text involved altering the language and presentation of the above resources to be suitable for biomechanics. In many cases, the underlying physics content and pedagogical structure established by original authors remains similar, but with alterations to wording, images, and problems suitable for the study of human movement. In some cases more extensive revisions were required to adapt to conventions in biomechanics and/or mathematical approaches common to undergraduate kinesiology. Extensive adaptations were required to update to the PressBooks hosting system.
Errata
Many of the resources used to develop this text have undergone a rigorous review process when they were first published. However, like any professional-grade textbook, errors sometimes occur. Since this text is web based, updates can happen more quickly than in conventional print textbooks. If you have a correction to suggest, please submit it by contacting Rob Pryce at r.pryce@uwinnipeg.ca. For detailed information on changes and revisions, see ‘Version History’.
Pedagogical approach
Each chapter contains a number of different aids to learning. First, in-chapter Examples generally follow a three-part format of Strategy, Solution, and Discussion to emphasize how to approach a problem, how to work with the equations, and how to check and generalize the result. Examples are often followed by Check Your Understanding questions and answers to help reinforce for students the important ideas of the examples. Problem-Solving Strategies in each chapter break down methods of approaching various types of problems into steps students can follow for guidance.
At the end of chapter a summary of key information, glossary of terms and exercises are provided so students can practice what they’ve learned. Exercises include Conceptual questions do not require calculation but test student learning of the key concepts. Problems categorized by section test student problem-solving skills and the ability to apply ideas to practical situations.
Contributors
The primary adaptation was authored by Rob Pryce (Associate Professor, University of Winnipeg) and Alix Blacklin (MSc Biomechanics, Research Coordinator, University of Manitoba).
This text would not have been possible without the guidance of Brianne Selmann, Scholarly Communications and Copyright Librarian at The University of Winnipeg. The authors would also like to acknowledge the generous support of Campus Manitoba and The University of Winnipeg for this resource.
Invitation to Participate
If you are biomechanics educator or student and would like to contribute to open access education resources, you are welcome to use, adapt, etc this text under xx license. If you’d like to contribute to further development of this resource, we are actively seeking contributors and are always open to working with the broader biomechanics community to further improve open educational resources. Rob Pryce can be reached at: r.pryce@uwinnipeg.ca.
