Notes On Mechanics

This publication is aimed at students, teachers, and researchers of Continuum Mechanics and focused extensively on stating and developing Initial Boundary Value equations used to solve physical problems. With respect to notation, the tensorial, indicial and Voigt notations have been used indiscriminately. The book is divided into twelve chapters with the following topics: Tensors, Continuum Kinematics, Stress, The Objectivity of Tensors, The Fundamental Equations of Continuum Mechanics, An Introduction to Constitutive Equations, Linear Elasticity, Hyperelasticity, Plasticity (small and large deformations), Thermoelasticity (small and large deformations), Damage Mechanics (small and large deformations), and An Introduction to Fluids. Moreover, the text is supplemented with over 280 figures, over 100 solved problems, and 130 references.

This book is for students who are familiar with an introductory course in mechanics at the freshman level. With an emphasis on perspectives that are more fundamental and techniques more advanced than those given in most introductory mechanics textbooks, the book illuminates on notions where vectors are coordinate free, presents the importance of reference frames (inertial and non-inertial) to mechanics problems, the role of Galilean Relativity on invariance and covariance of physical quantities, a framework to perform calculations — free from the constraint of a fixed axis — in rotational dynamics, and others. Moreover, it provides clear links between concepts in mechanics and other branches of physics, such as thermodynamics and electrodynamics, so that students can possess a more complete view of what they learn within the confines of physics.

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.

Based on the 1991 LMS Invited Lectures given by Professor Marsden, this book discusses and applies symmetry methods to such areas as bifurcations and chaos in mechanical systems.

Fracture mechanics is a vast and growing field. This book develops the basic elements needed for both fracture research and engineering practice. The emphasis is on continuum mechanics models for energy flows and crack-tip stress- and deformation fields in elastic and elastic-plastic materials. In addition to a brief discussion of computational fracture methods, the text includes practical sections on fracture criteria, fracture toughness testing, and methods for measuring stress intensity factors and energy release rates. Class-tested at Cornell, this book is designed for students, researchers and practitioners interested in understanding and contributing to a diverse and vital field of knowledge.

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.

This book provides a rapid overview of the basic methods and concepts in mechanics for beginning Ph.D. students and advanced undergraduates in applied mathematics or related fields. It is based on a graduate course given in 2006-07 at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Among other topics, the book introduces Newton's law, action principles, Hamilton-Jacobi theory, geometric wave theory, analytical and numerical statistical mechanics, discrete and continuous quantum mechanics, and quantum path-integral methods. The focus is on fundamental mathematical methods that provide connections between seemingly unrelated subjects. An example is Hamilton-Jacobi theory, which appears in the calculus of variations, in Fermat's principle of classical mechanics, and in the geometric theory of dispersive wavetrains. The material is developed in a sequence of simple examples and the book can be used in a one-semester class on classical, statistical, and quantum mechanics. Some familiarity with differential equations is required but otherwise the book is self-contained. In particular, no previous knowledge of physics is assumed. Titles in this series are co-published with the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University.

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.