Classical mechanics / by Tai L. Chow.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Chow, Tai L., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mechanics.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvii, 621 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Boca Raton, FL : CRC Press, an imprint of Taylor and Francis, 2013.

Summary:

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.

Contents:

chapter 1 - Kinematics: Describing the Motion

chapter 2 - Newtonian Mechanics

chapter 3 - Integration of Newton’s Equation of Motion

chapter 4 - Lagrangian Formulation of Mechanics: Descriptions of Motion in Configuration Space

chapter 5 - Hamiltonian Formulation of Mechanics: Descriptions of Motion in Phase Spaces

chapter 6 - Motion Under a Central Force

chapter 7 - Harmonic Oscillator

chapter 8 - Coupled Oscillations and Normal Coordinates

chapter 9 - Nonlinear Oscillations

chapter 10 - Collisions and Scatterings

chapter 11 - Motion in Non-Inertial Systems

chapter 12 - Motion of Rigid Bodies

chapter 13 - Theory of Special Relativity

chapter 14 - Newtonian Gravity and Newtonian Cosmology

chapter 15 - Hamilton–Jacobi Theory of Dynamics

chapter 16 - Introduction to Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Formulations for Continuous Systems and Classical Fields.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-04-005781-0

0-429-10142-2

1-4665-7000-8

9780429101427

OCLC:

824183050