Kinesiology 530 Blog

A reminder that next Tuesday is a holiday (Veterans Day), and therefore no Kin 530 class that day. However UMass is running a Tuesday schedule on Wednesday November 12…… the result is that next week our classes are on Wednesday and Thursday at 9:30 in Totman 156.

Also, Assignment 5 on static joint moments is due in class on Wednesday. Please note the importance of the free body diagram in setting up your equations. And remember: apply the foot segment equations first to compute the reaction forces and the joint moment at the proximal joint (i.e. the ankle). Then use the calculated ankle forces and moment as “distal joint” terms for the lower leg, which will allow you to compute the reaction forces and the joint moment at the proximal joint (i.e. the knee).  To get the correct knee forces and moment, be sure to apply Newton’s Law of Reaction to give the proper signs for the ankle terms as they apply to the lower leg.  You can handle this either in the equations themselves (by reversing the signs of the terms), OR you can leave the equations alone and multiply the ankle joint forces and moment that were computed for the foot by -1.0. Don’t do both! Details, details, details ……

Finally, I have posted on the website a new paper (Vaughan, 1996) that you should read over the weekend, and despite the title it has nothing to do with Monty Python (too bad). Brian will be discussing aspects of Vaughan (1996) and Umberger (2008) in class next week.

Ciao, have a great weekend.

A number of Kin 530 news tidbits today, starting with the great news from last night: the Kinesiology grad student flag football team won the Fall 2008 intramural championship! This powerful squad includes several current and former Kin 530 students. Excellent work, I’m not sure why it wasn’t on the TV news last night at 11.

I have finished grading Assignment 4, which I’ll hand back in class tomorrow. The Answer Key is posted on the website. Note that I found an error in the Robertson textbook that caused several people to get the wrong answer in one question (equation 3.18 on page 65 should say R_proximal instead of K_proximal); be assured that no one lost points for the textbook error. Also on the website is Assignment 5, which requires the calculation of static joint moments at the ankle and knee. It will be due in class next week (we can discuss Tuesday versus Thursday in class tomorrow).

We have also posted a new version of the Kinetics slides (cleverly called “Kinetics -Version 2”), one that includes both updated slides from the previously posted “Kinetics – Part 1” AND new slides. The new content is at the end of this file (slides 57-81), but there are also changes to the older material: the addition of slides 24 and 25, and some new material on slide 43 (slide numbers are from the new PDF). Anyone who printed out the slides from part 1, you only need to print out slides 24, 25, and 43 from “Kinetics -Version 2”, plus slides 57-81, which is the new material. I left the older Part 1 file on the website for those that wish to compare…….

Finally, be sure to read the Umberger (2008) paper for tomorrow, and re-read the Cavanagh & Gregor (1975) paper to be sure you understand the points that Brian was stressing yesterday in class. See you in class tomorrow.

I just posted the mid-term Answer Key on the website… check it over and compare to your answers. I would be happy to address any questions about the grading.

I also posted two new readings for the weekend, papers by Gregor & Cavanagh (1975) and Umberger (2008) … hmm, better read that last one for sure….. actually, between the Robertson text chapters, the Winter text chapter, and these two readings, you should have a great introduction to inverse dynamics in 2D; Brian will continue on this topic on Tuesday.

Happy trick or treating ….

As promised this morning, I posted the kinetics notes and a reading from Dave Winter’s 1990 book (Chapter 4: Kinetics) to the Kin 530 website …. these join Part 1 of the Kinetics slides that I posted earlier today before class.

Also, remember that Assignment 4 is due on Thursday in class.  Me? Back to grading mid-terms……

Well, we made it through the mid-term more or less intact. Congratulations on all your hard work.

Your reward? Yikes, more hard work……. sorry, the professors union makes us do that…..

I just posted Assignment 4 on the website, an exercise in calculating body segment parameters from different sources as shown in the Robertson textbook. It is due to be handed in next Thursday, October 30 in class. We will be starting the next section on Kinetics in class on Tuesday … please read Chapter 4 (Forces and Their Measurement, pp 73 to 102) and Chapter 5 (Two-dimensional Inverse Dynamics, pp 103 to 123)  of the Robertson text to get us started. This should be easier reading than the 3D kinematics or anthropometrics chapters, as you all have some background in mechanics, Newton’s Laws and in most cases, undergraduate biomechanics…… at least some of this will be review for you.

So have a great weekend, and we will see you in class on Tuesday. We should have notes and slides to post early next week.

Cheers.

Ross has informed me that the review session will be held today at 4 PM in Totman 153, which is just down the hall from our regular classroom (156).  Thanks again to Ross for doing this….. he gets 6472 bonus points, even though he’s not in the class….

Good luck tomorrow morning on the mid-term, see you at 9:30 sharp.

As promised , on the website I have posted the answers to Assignment #3 that was handed back in class today. A reminder that Ross will be holding a review session tomorrow (Wednesday) at 4 PM, either in Totman 156 (our classroom) or downstairs in the Biomechanics Lab (Totman 23). Many thanks to Ross for being so generous with his time. A further reminder that the mid-term exam will start promptly at 9:30 in class on Thursday, and will cover all the material in the course to date, as listed on the Mid-term Preparation sheet I handed out last week/today. Make sure you bring pens, pencils, erasers, etc to the mid-term (we will supply paper), and you may bring a one page “cheat sheet” ……. after reconsideration, we have decided that the “cheat sheet” can consist of written notes on BOTH sides of a standard 8.5 by 11 inch piece of paper. Remember that there will be NO numerical problems, so calculators will be unnecessary. Also, no internet surfing, “ask the audience”, “lifeline” phone calls, or “curb shout-outs” allowed during the test! Please remember to turn your cell phones and laptops OFF before getting to Totman 156.

Good luck on the mid-term, and try to get plenty of sleep on Wednesday night. See you on Thursday.

Tomorrow in class we will begin the relatively short section on Anthropometrics. Last week I alerted you to read the Robertson textbook chapter 3 on Body Segment Parameters, and the paper by Zatsiorsky & Seluyanov; today I added the Anthropometry Notes and another reading, a paper by deLeva (1996), to the website. Brian is still working on the slides for Anthropometry, and we will post them asap, either late tonight or early tomorrow. [asap just arrived, slides posted at 2:40 Wednesday]. Note that we will FINISH Anthropometry on Tuesday of next week (Oct. 21), and hold the MID-TERM exam on Thursday, October 23 in class. We will have more info on the mid-term in class tomorrow and/or Tuesday, but certainly you will want to put aside some preparation time this weekend.

We did it! We made our way through arguably the most challenging conceptual portion of the class…. take a 5 minute vacation, have a highly caffeinated beverage and smile to a job well done. To celebrate I have posted on the website the FINAL version of the 3D kinematic slides (no more changes, I promise), plus the figures & tables from the 3D readings that I used in class this week.  A reminder that Assignment 3 is due next Thursday in class, and that we have no class on Tuesday when the university is following a Monday schedule.

Each ending is a new beginning, so next Thursday we will start the section on Anthropometry. Readings to get you ready are Chapter 3 (Body Segment Parameters) in the Robertson et al textbook, and the Zatsiorsky & Seluyanov paper that is posted on the website. Next week we will post some notes and slides too.

Enjoy the great weather, and let’s hope it lasts through the Canadian Thanksgiving / American Columbus Day weekend.

Cheers…..

OK, we are coming to the end of 3D kinematics, which we will finish on Thursday, October 9. Be sure to read the remaining parts of the textbook chapter, and the papers to be discussed on Thursday, Cole et al (1993) and McClay & Manal (1997). Thursday would be a good day to bring any remaining questions on 3D kinematics. You should also be working on Assignment #3, which will be due next week in class. Speaking of next week, check your calendar and schedule, as there is NO CLASS on Tuesday, October 14, when the university will be following a Monday schedule. There will be readings posted later in the week for you to do before the class on Thursday, October 16, when Brian will start to present the section on Anthropometry.

Finally, check the Kin 530 website, where you will find the ISB recommendations for Joint Coordinate Systems for specific human joints, as Brian mentioned in class today. These are included in two articles, Part 1 (ankle, hip, and spine) from 2002 and Part 2 (shoulder, elbow, wrist and hand) from 2005.  Note that the recommended knee JCS from Grood & Suntay was presented in the original Wu & Cavanagh (1995) paper.

Cheers…… see you on Thursday.