- Free-radical polymerization involves initiation, propagation, and termination reaction steps. - The kinetic chain length is defined as the average number of monomers consumed per primary radical and depends on the ratio of propagation to termination rates. - At steady state, the radical concentration remains constant, allowing the rate of polymerization to be expressed as proportional to the square root of initiator concentration and monomer concentration. - The number-average degree of polymerization can be calculated from the kinetic chain length and rates of propagation and termination.