What Is the Physics of the Human Body?

The physics of the human body describe all of the movements that take place in a physical sense. Physics can be applied to almost any object, from the most massive geographical mass to the most minute subatomic particle. The laws of physics are thought to be universal, applicable to all objects lying therein. While more advanced laws of this discipline are reserved for highly educated individuals, there still remains a relatively simple description of the physics of the human body.

Scientists use the physics of the human body to describe the body as a whole, a system of the body, an organ, a cell, or even a single atom. All of these units are affected by physical laws. Physics attempts to explain the interactions between objects. A force, for example, which is a common term in physics, describes an influence that causes an object to undergo a change in motion. If a body is at rest, a force must be incurred to cause this body to go into motion — once in motion, forces must occur to cause it to go to rest again.

Some physical laws seem to ignore the realities of the world we live in. For example, if, in a thought experiment a ball rolled and no external force was applied, theoretically, the ball would roll forever. In the real world, there are things like friction and wind resistance that may cause the ball to stop rolling. Many scientific disciplines rely on models to develop theories that are then applied to the real world. This is one difficulty of creating a practical use for some theories.

There are many people whose jobs rely on or are affected by the physics of the human body. Athletes, for one, are able to manipulate their bodies in ways that allow the physics of the human body to favor them in particular tasks. The physics of the human body can also be negative, with gravity over time causing aging and compounding pressure on a person's joints, ultimately leading to pain and disease in many cases.

Due to the complexities of the physics of the human body, understanding each detail can require a lifetime of study. When looked at in a more simplistic point of view, however, it simply describes the body under the laws of physics. Everything is affected by physics, from the way a body's organs work to the way a star shines.