One could make the claim that all branches of physics are basically generalizations of classical mechanics. It is also often the first course which is taught to physics students. The approach of this book is to construct an intermediate discipline between general courses of physics and analytical mechanics, using more sophisticated mathematical tools. The aim of this book is to prepare a self-consistent and compact text that is very useful for teachers as well as for independent study.

This textbook provides lecture materials of a comprehensive course in Classical Mechanics developed by the author over many years with input from students and colleagues alike. The richly illustrated book covers all major aspects of mechanics starting from the traditional Newtonian perspective, over Lagrangian mechanics, variational principles and Hamiltonian mechanics, rigid-body, and continuum mechanics, all the way to deterministic chaos and point-particle mechanics in special relativity. Derivation steps are worked out in detail, illustrated by examples, with ample explanations.Developed by a classroom practitioner, the book provides a comprehensive overview of classical mechanics with judicious material selections that can be covered in a one-semester course thus streamlining the instructor's task of choosing materials for their course. The usefulness for instructors notwithstanding, the primary aim of the book is to help students in their understanding, with detailed derivations and explanations, and provide focused guidance for their studies by repeatedly emphasizing how various topics are tied together by common physics principles.

The chapters are not independent, but build on one another. Subjects range from the failures of classical theory to second quantization, including chapters on the Dirac theory and Feynman diagrams."--Pub. desc.

How to see physics in its full picture? This book offers a new approach: start from math, in its simple and elegant tools: discrete math, geometry, and algebra, avoiding heavy analysis that might obscure the true picture. This will get you ready to master a few fundamental topics in physics: from Newtonian mechanics, through relativity, towards quantum mechanics.Thanks to simple math, both classical and modern physics follow and make a complete vivid picture of physics. This is an original and unified point of view to highlighting physics from a fresh pedagogical angle.Each chapter ends with a lot of relevant exercises. The exercises are an integral part of the chapter: they teach new material and are followed by complete solutions. This is a new pedagogical style: the reader takes an active part in discovering the new material, step by step, exercise by exercise.The book could be used as a textbook in undergraduate courses such as Introduction to Newtonian mechanics and special relativity, Introduction to Hamiltonian mechanics and stability, Introduction to quantum physics and chemistry, and Introduction to Lie algebras with applications in physics.

This exceptionally well-organized book uses solved problems and exercises to help readers understand the underlying concepts of classical mechanics; accordingly, many of the exercises included are of a conceptual rather than practical nature. A minimum of necessary background theory is presented, before readers are asked to solve the theoretical exercises. In this way, readers are effectively invited to discover concepts on their own. While more practical exercises are also included, they are always designed to introduce readers to something conceptually new. Special emphasis is placed on important but often-neglected concepts such as symmetries and invariance, especially when introducing vector analysis in Cartesian and curvilinear coordinates. More difficult concepts, including non-inertial reference frames, rigid body motion, variable mass systems, basic tensorial algebra, and calculus, are covered in detail. The equations of motion in non-inertial reference systems are derived in two independent ways, and alternative deductions of the equations of motion for variable mass problems are presented. Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations of mechanics are studied for non-relativistic cases, and further concepts such as inertial reference frames and the equivalence principle are introduced and elaborated on.

This first volume covers the mechanics of point particles, gravitation, extended systems (starting from the two-body system), the basic concepts of relativistic mechanics and the mechanics of rigid bodies and fluids. It is part of a four-volume textbook, which covers electromagnetism, mechanics, fluids and thermodynamics, and waves and light, and is designed to reflect the typical syllabus during the first two years of a calculus-based university physics program. Throughout all four volumes, particular attention is paid to in-depth clarification of conceptual aspects, and to this end the historical roots of the principal concepts are traced. Writings by the founders of classical mechanics, G. Galilei and I. Newton, are reproduced, encouraging students to consult them. Emphasis is also consistently placed on the experimental basis of the concepts, highlighting the experimental nature of physics. Whenever feasible at the elementary level, concepts relevant to more advanced courses in modern physics are included. Each chapter begins with an introduction that briefly describes the subjects to be discussed and ends with a summary of the main results. A number of “Questions” are included to help readers check their level of understanding. The textbook offers an ideal resource for physics students, lecturers and, last but not least, all those seeking a deeper understanding of the experimental basics of physics.

These lecture notes cover Classical Mechanics at the level of second-year undergraduates. The book offers comprehensive as well as self-contained material that can be taught in a one-semester course for students with the minimal background knowledge acquired in preuniversity education or in the usual first-year overview. The presentation does not skip the technical details which renders the book particularly well-suited for the self-studying student.

This advanced text is the first book to describe the subject of classical mechanics in the context of the language and methods of modern nonlinear dynamics. The organizing principle of the text is integrability vs. nonintegrability.

Classical mechanics is the basis for any university-level study of technical-scientific disciplines. But most existing manuals use a technological and engineering approach, with basic aspects sometimes insufficiently highlighted. This book introduces the concepts and applications of classical mechanics into Newtonian formalism. Newtonian dynamics is useful for solving applied physics and engineering problems, but also a fascinating theory anchored in questions posed since the times of the Greek philosophers, regarding space, the flow of time, measurable physical quantities, the physical principles with the mathematical structure needed to describe the Universe, etc. The author aims to encourage students to think about these fundamental aspects and how they will be addressed in modern physics, including the successes and limitations of Newton's mechanics. The book is designed to mirror the progress of the students using it, with earlier chapters assuming no more than basic high school instruction and later ones geared toward subsequent enhanced understanding. The book is designed for students of undergraduate programs in physics, mathematics, chemistry, and engineering who will deal with modern physics, as they will benefit from an approach in which the aspects of classical mechanics are introduced in a propaedeutic approach towards relativistic physics and quantum mechanics.