Lectures in Classical Mechanics

Book excerpt: 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.