Kinetics

Kinetics (with an "s" at the end) refers to the rate of change in a biochemical (or other) reaction, the study of reaction rates. Kinetics is a noun. It is distinct from "kinetic" (an adjective) meaning with movement. The opposite of kinetic is akinetic meaning without movement. In neurology, kinetic and akinetic serve to denote the presence or absence of movement. Kinetic comes from the Greek word "kinesis" for motion. The term "akinetic" is put together from the prefix "a-" meaning "without" + "kinesis" = without motion. Kinesis is verbatim from the Greek "kinesis."

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The study of motion, acceleration, or rate of change.

- chemical k. the study of the rates of chemical reactions.

- enzyme k. the study of the rates, and alterations in those rates, of enzyme-catalyzed reactions; includes the reactions catalyzed by synzymes, abzymes, and ribozymes.

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ki·net·ics kə-'net-iks, kī- n pl but sing or pl in constr

1 a) a branch of science that deals with the effects of forces upon the motions of material bodies or with changes in a physical or chemical system

b) the rate of change in such a system

2) the mechanism by which a physical or chemical change is effected

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ki·net·ics (kĭ-netґiks) [Gr. kinētikos of or for putting in motion] the branch of dynamics that pertains to the turnover, or rate of change, of a specific factor (e.g., erythrocytes—erythrokinetics, leukocytes—leukokinetics, or iron—ferrokinetics), commonly expressed as units of amount per unit time.