Modern Approach To Classical Mechanics A Second Edition

The approach to classical mechanics adopted in this book includes and stresses recent developments in nonlinear dynamical systems. The concepts necessary to formulate and understand chaotic behavior are presented. Besides the conventional topics (such as oscillators, the Kepler problem, spinning tops and the two centers problem) studied in the frame of Newtonian, Lagrangian, and Hamiltonian mechanics, nonintegrable systems (the H‚non-Heiles system, motion in a Coulomb force field together with a homogeneous magnetic field, the restricted three-body problem) are also discussed. The question of the integrability (of planetary motion, for example) leads finally to the KAM-theorem.This book is the result of lectures on 'Classical Mechanics' as the first part of a basic course in Theoretical Physics. These lectures were given by the author to undergraduate students in their second year at the Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria. The book is also addressed to lecturers in this field and to physicists who want to obtain a new perspective on classical mechanics.

In this book we describe the evolution of Classical Mechanics from Newton's laws via Lagrange's and Hamilton's theories with strong emphasis on integrability versus chaotic behavior.In the second edition of the book we have added historical remarks and references to historical sources important in the evolution of classical mechanics.

Applications not usually taught in physics courses include theory of space-charge limited currents, atmospheric drag, motion of meteoritic dust, variational principles in rocket motion, transfer functions, much more. 1960 edition.

The text covers the entire domain of basic classical mechanics and relativity theory (special and general) and has been revised mainly for the purpose of adding exercises without worked solutions that were missing in the first edition. To retain the format of a readable, yet advanced introductory text that can serve as the companion text for a course in mechanics, the more than 100 new exercises on diverse topics are of moderate range; answers are given and occasionally hints are provided. As before, the text aims to cover the entire spectrum of theoretical mechanics from Newton to Einstein. The reader can observe how in the course of time, deeper and deeper insights were achieved with the development of the basic equations of Newton to those of Euler and Lagrange, and to the geodesic equations of space-time and Einstein's relativity. To include diverse problems, a small section on this topic has been added.

The new edition of a classic text that concentrates on developing general methods for studying the behavior of classical systems, with extensive use of computation. We now know that there is much more to classical mechanics than previously suspected. Derivations of the equations of motion, the focus of traditional presentations of mechanics, are just the beginning. This innovative textbook, now in its second edition, concentrates on developing general methods for studying the behavior of classical systems, whether or not they have a symbolic solution. It focuses on the phenomenon of motion and makes extensive use of computer simulation in its explorations of the topic. It weaves recent discoveries in nonlinear dynamics throughout the text, rather than presenting them as an afterthought. Explorations of phenomena such as the transition to chaos, nonlinear resonances, and resonance overlap to help the student develop appropriate analytic tools for understanding. The book uses computation to constrain notation, to capture and formalize methods, and for simulation and symbolic analysis. The requirement that the computer be able to interpret any expression provides the student with strict and immediate feedback about whether an expression is correctly formulated. This second edition has been updated throughout, with revisions that reflect insights gained by the authors from using the text every year at MIT. In addition, because of substantial software improvements, this edition provides algebraic proofs of more generality than those in the previous edition; this improvement permeates the new edition.

A comprehensive graduate-level textbook on classical dynamics with many worked examples and over 200 homework exercises, first published in 1998.

Classical Mechanics, Second Edition presents a complete account of the classical mechanics of particles and systems for physics students at the advanced undergraduate level. The book evolved from a set of lecture notes for a course on the subject taught by the author at California State University, Stanislaus, for many years. It assumes the reader has been exposed to a course in calculus and a calculus-based general physics course. However, no prior knowledge of differential equations is required. Differential equations and new mathematical methods are developed in the text as the occasion demands. The book begins by describing fundamental concepts, such as velocity and acceleration, upon which subsequent chapters build. The second edition has been updated with two new sections added to the chapter on Hamiltonian formulations, and the chapter on collisions and scattering has been rewritten. The book also contains three new chapters covering Newtonian gravity, the Hamilton-Jacobi theory of dynamics, and an introduction to Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations for continuous systems and classical fields. To help students develop more familiarity with Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations, these essential methods are introduced relatively early in the text. The topics discussed emphasize a modern perspective, with special note given to concepts that were instrumental in the development of modern physics, for example, the relationship between symmetries and the laws of conservation. Applications to other branches of physics are also included wherever possible. The author provides detailed mathematical manipulations, while limiting the inclusion of the more lengthy and tedious ones. Each chapter contains homework problems of varying degrees of difficulty to enhance understanding of the material in the text. This edition also contains four new appendices on D'Alembert's principle and Lagrange's equations, derivation of Hamilton’s principle, Noether’s theorem, and conic sections.