This is the fifth edition of a well-established textbook. It is intended to provide a thorough coverage of the fundamental principles and techniques of classical mechanics, an old subject that is at the base of all of physics, but in which there has also in recent years been rapid development. The book is aimed at undergraduate students of physics and applied mathematics. It emphasizes the basic principles, and aims to progress rapidly to the point of being able to handle physically and mathematically interesting problems, without getting bogged down in excessive formalism. Lagrangian methods are introduced at a relatively early stage, to get students to appreciate their use in simple contexts. Later chapters use Lagrangian and Hamiltonian methods extensively, but in a way that aims to be accessible to undergraduates, while including modern developments at the appropriate level of detail. The subject has been developed considerably recently while retaining a truly central role for all students of physics and applied mathematics. This edition retains all the main features of the fourth edition, including the two chapters on geometry of dynamical systems and on order and chaos, and the new appendices on conics and on dynamical systems near a critical point. The material has been somewhat expanded, in particular to contrast continuous and discrete behaviours. A further appendix has been added on routes to chaos (period-doubling) and related discrete maps. The new edition has also been revised to give more emphasis to specific examples worked out in detail. Classical Mechanics is written for undergraduate students of physics or applied mathematics. It assumes some basic prior knowledge of the fundamental concepts and reasonable familiarity with elementary differential and integral calculus. Contents: Linear MotionEnergy and Angular MomentumCentral Conservative ForcesRotating FramesPotential TheoryThe Two-Body ProblemMany-Body SystemsRigid BodiesLagrangian MechanicsSmall Oscillations and Normal ModesHamiltonian MechanicsDynamical Systems and Their GeometryOrder and Chaos in Hamiltonian SystemsAppendices:VectorsConicsPhase Plane Analysis Near Critical PointsDiscrete Dynamical Systems — Maps Readership: Undergraduates in physics and applied mathematics.

Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems presents a modern and reasonably complete account of the classical mechanics of particles, systems of particles, and rigid bodies for physics students at the advanced undergraduate level. The book aims to present a modern treatment of classical mechanical systems in such a way that the transition to the quantum theory of physics can be made with the least possible difficulty; to acquaint the student with new mathematical techniques and provide sufficient practice in solving problems; and to impart to the student some degree of sophistication in handling both the formalism of the theory and the operational technique of problem solving. Vector methods are developed in the first two chapters and are used throughout the book. Other chapters cover the fundamentals of Newtonian mechanics, the special theory of relativity, gravitational attraction and potentials, oscillatory motion, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian dynamics, central-force motion, two-particle collisions, and the wave equation.

Gregory's Classical Mechanics is a major new textbook for undergraduates in mathematics and physics. It is a thorough, self-contained and highly readable account of a subject many students find difficult. The author's clear and systematic style promotes a good understanding of the subject: each concept is motivated and illustrated by worked examples, while problem sets provide plenty of practice for understanding and technique. Computer assisted problems, some suitable for projects, are also included. The book is structured to make learning the subject easy; there is a natural progression from core topics to more advanced ones and hard topics are treated with particular care. A theme of the book is the importance of conservation principles. These appear first in vectorial mechanics where they are proved and applied to problem solving. They reappear in analytical mechanics, where they are shown to be related to symmetries of the Lagrangian, culminating in Noether's theorem.

This outstanding volume in the McGraw-Hill International Series in Pure and Applied Physics provides solid coverage of the principles of mechanics in a well-written, accessible style. Topic coverage for the second edition of Classical Mechanics: A Modern Perspective includes linear motion, energy conservation, Lagrange's equations, momentum conservation, as well as discussions of nonlinear mechanics and relativity. The text is comprehensive and designed to be appropriate for one- or two-semester introductory mechanics courses. Drs. Barger and Olsson have taken great care to provide readers with the most understandable presentation possible, including an abundance of new and relevant examples, problems, and interesting applications. In order to develop the most up-to-date coverage of mechanics in the second edition, the authors have included modern coverage of topics in chaos and cosmology, as well as numerous discussions of numerical techniques.

ClassicalMechanics is intended for students who have studied some mechanics in anintroductory physics course.With unusual clarity, the book covers most of the topics normally found in books at this level.

This textbook covers all the standard introductory topics in classical mechanics, including Newton's laws, oscillations, energy, momentum, angular momentum, planetary motion, and special relativity. It also explores more advanced topics, such as normal modes, the Lagrangian method, gyroscopic motion, fictitious forces, 4-vectors, and general relativity. It contains more than 250 problems with detailed solutions so students can easily check their understanding of the topic. There are also over 350 unworked exercises which are ideal for homework assignments. Password protected solutions are available to instructors at www.cambridge.org/9780521876223. The vast number of problems alone makes it an ideal supplementary text for all levels of undergraduate physics courses in classical mechanics. Remarks are scattered throughout the text, discussing issues that are often glossed over in other textbooks, and it is thoroughly illustrated with more than 600 figures to help demonstrate key concepts.

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.