An object with the property that it does not change shape whatever forces are applied to it. It is used in a mathematical model to represent an object in the real world. It may be a system of particles held in a rigid formation, or it may be a distribution of mass in the form of a rod, a lamina, or some 3-dimensional shape. In general, a rigid body has six degrees of freedom—three to determine the body’s centre of mass and three more to specify the body’s orientation about its centre of mass. The equations of motion for a rigid body are
where m denotes the mass of the body, rG is the position vector of the centre of mass, LG is the angular momentum about the centre of mass, Fk are the external forces acting on the body, and rk × Fk is the moment of the force Fk (so that rk is the position vector of a point on the line of action of the force Fk). See also inertia tensor.