Q.Define the term degrees of freedom.

Definition. The degree of freedom of a system is the minimum number of independent coordinates needed to completely specify its position and configuration in space. For $N$ free point particles, the maximum possible total is $f=3N$ (three spatial coordinates per particle); if the system carries $q$ independent constraints (such as atoms within a molecule being held at fixed separations from one another), the count is reduced to $f=3N-q$. …