Developed from a classic Notre Dame undergraduate course on the study of the motion of bodies, this volume stresses the history of science as well as the relevant physics and mathematics. Starting with ancient Greek celestial mechanics, topics include the Keplerian Revolution, displacement and kinematics, the special theory of relativity, and much more. 2013 edition.

1 We search the concepts and methods ) of the theory of deformable sonds from GALILEO to LAGRANGE. Neither of them achieved much in our subject, but their works serve as 2 termini: With GALILEO's Discorsi in 1638 our matter begins ) (for this is the history of mathematical theory), while LAGRANGE's Mechanique Analitique closed the mechanics of 1) There are three major historical works that bear on our subject. The first is A history of the theory of elasticity and of the strength of materials by I. ToDHUNTER, "edited and completed" by K. PEARSON, Vol. I, Cambridge, 1886. Unfortunately it is necessary to give warning that this book fails to meet the standard set by the histories ToDHUNTER lived to finish. Much of what ToDHUNTER left seems to be rather the rough notes for a book than the book itself; the parts due to PEARSON are fortunately distinguished by square brackets. Researches prior to 1800 are disposed of in the first chapter, 79 pages long and almost entirely the work of PEARSON; as frontispiece to a work whose title restricts it to theory he saw fit to supply a possibly original pen drawing entitled "Rupture. Sur faces of Cast-Iron".

Available for the first time in English, this two-volume course on theoretical and applied mechanics has been honed over decades by leading scientists and teachers, and is a primary teaching resource for engineering and maths students at St. Petersburg University. The course addresses classical branches of theoretical mechanics (Vol. 1), along with a wide range of advanced topics, special problems and applications (Vol. 2). This first volume of the textbook contains the parts “Kinematics” and “Dynamics”. The part “Kinematics” presents in detail the theory of curvilinear coordinates which is actively used in the part “Dynamics”, in particular, in the theory of constrained motion and variational principles in mechanics. For describing the motion of a system of particles, the notion of a Hertz representative point is used, and the notion of a tangent space is applied to investigate the motion of arbitrary mechanical systems. In the final chapters Hamilton-Jacobi theory is applied​ for the integration of equations of motion, and the elements of special relativity theory are presented. This textbook is aimed at students in mathematics and mechanics and at post-graduates and researchers in analytical mechanics.

This book presents a history of differential equations, both ordinary and partial, as well as the calculus of variations, from the origins of the subjects to around 1900. Topics treated include the wave equation in the hands of d’Alembert and Euler; Fourier’s solutions to the heat equation and the contribution of Kovalevskaya; the work of Euler, Gauss, Kummer, Riemann, and Poincaré on the hypergeometric equation; Green’s functions, the Dirichlet principle, and Schwarz’s solution of the Dirichlet problem; minimal surfaces; the telegraphists’ equation and Thomson’s successful design of the trans-Atlantic cable; Riemann’s paper on shock waves; the geometrical interpretation of mechanics; and aspects of the study of the calculus of variations from the problems of the catenary and the brachistochrone to attempts at a rigorous theory by Weierstrass, Kneser, and Hilbert. Three final chapters look at how the theory of partial differential equations stood around 1900, as they were treated by Picard and Hadamard. There are also extensive, new translations of original papers by Cauchy, Riemann, Schwarz, Darboux, and Picard. The first book to cover the history of differential equations and the calculus of variations in such breadth and detail, it will appeal to anyone with an interest in the field. Beyond secondary school mathematics and physics, a course in mathematical analysis is the only prerequisite to fully appreciate its contents. Based on a course for third-year university students, the book contains numerous historical and mathematical exercises, offers extensive advice to the student on how to write essays, and can easily be used in whole or in part as a course in the history of mathematics. Several appendices help make the book self-contained and suitable for self-study.

A First Course in Rational Continuum Mechanics, Volume 1: General Concepts describes general concepts in rational continuum mechanics and covers topics ranging from bodies and forces to motions and energies, kinematics, and the stress tensor. Constitutive relations are also discussed, and some definitions and theorems of algebra, geometry, and calculus are included. Exercises and their solutions are given as well. Comprised of four chapters, this volume begins with an introduction to rational mechanics by focusing on the mathematical concepts of bodies, forces, motions, and energies. Systems that provide possible universes for mechanics are described. The next chapter explores kinematics, with emphasis on bodies, placements, and motions as well as other relevant concepts like local deformation and homogeneous transplacement. The book also considers the stress tensor and Cauchy's fundamental theorem before concluding with a discussion on constitutive relations. This monograph is designed for students taking a course in mathematics or physics.