Introduction to Mechanics

A modern introduction to Newtonian dynamics and the basics of special relativity, this book discusses standard topics such as Newton?s laws of motion, energy, linear and angular momentum, rigid body dynamics, and oscillations, then goes on to introduce modern topics such as symmetries, phase space, nonlinear dynamics and chaos. The author presents Newton?s equation of motion as a differential equation, bringing out key issues such as phase space and determinism in mechanical systems and helps introduce modern research topics such as chaos theory in a natural way. He highlights key assumptions of Newtonian mechanics and incorporates numerical solutions of many mechanical systems using MATLAB®.

History of Mechanics. Newton’s Laws of Motion. Forces. Kinematics vs. Dynamics. Motion in One Dimension. Phase Space Description of Mechanical Systems. Symmetry Properties of Newton’s Equation. Two-Dimensional Motion; Central Force Problem. Three-Dimensional Mtion. Motion in a Nninertial Reference Frame. Energy. Conservation of Linear Momentum and Centre of Mass. Collisions. Simple Harmonic Motion. Nonlinear Oscillations and Chaos. Waves: Oscillations in Continuous Media. Angular Momentum. Rigid Body Dynamics. Special Theory of Relativity: Kinematics. Relativistic Dynamics. Epilogue. Appendix A: Present Paradigm of Physics and Science. Appendix B: Dimensional Analysis and Estimation. Appendix C: Numerical Solution of Differential Equations. Appendix D: Matlab and Octave. Appendix E: Vectors and Tensors. Appendix F: Vector Operations on Vector and Scalar Fields. Appendix G: Important Astronomical Data. Appendix H: Important Physical Constants. References. Index.