Kinematics derives its name from the Greek word for “motion,” kinema. Before we can make any headway in physics, we have to be able to describe how bodies move. Kinematics provides us with the language and the mathematical tools to describe motion, whether the motion of a charging pachyderm or a charged particle. As such, it provides a foundation that will help us in all areas of physics. Kinematics is most intimately connected with dynamics: while kinematics describes motion, dynamics explains the causes for this motion.