Dynamics is the study of the relationship between force and motion. Dynamic methods include Newtonian, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics. These methods investigate the forces that prompt objects to move and stay moving, including acceleration, gravity, momentum and inertia. Many of Newton's laws are used in this area of rheology. These methods are useful in the field of rheology as they allow rheologists to predict the influence of new forces on bodies of matter.
The method of kinematics in rheology focuses on movement itself. This method ignores the forces acting upon an object, analyzing only the translation and rotation of an object or set of objects. This method is especially important in describing systems of objects in which the objects themselves are interconnected. Methods in kinematics hope to correctly predict how such an object moves.
Static methods differ from both kinematic and dynamic methods in that they only focus on objects at equilibrium. At first it may not be clear why such methods are needed in rheology -- after all rheology is the study of flow, not stability. However, rheologists employ methods of statics because of these methods' abilities to describe not only objects at a resting equilibrium but also objects that are moving at a constant velocity. Methods in statics help rheologists know the directions and implications of those directions on moving objects.
Rheologists come from a variety of backgrounds. This diversity in the discipline of rheology has given the field of rheology a wealth of methods from other fields. Methods in physics, chemistry, mathematics and engineering all find themselves in the field of rheology. For example, mathematical equations describe the states and transformations of matter, allowing rheologists to use strictly mathematical methods to analyze and simulate real-world situations.