Elements of Newtonian Mechanics

The book still contains a one-semester (15 weeks) first university course on Newtonian mechanics. The book contains what we feel are the essential aspects of Newtonian Mechanics. This textbook provides a thorough introduction to Newtonian Mechanics and is intended for university students in physics, astronomy and engineering. It is based on a course for which Dr Knudsen earned an award as the best introductory course at the university of Copenhagen, Denmark. About 190 problems with solutions and 84 worked examples help the student to grasp the essential aspects of the subject, and to develop proficiency in using the powerful methods of Newtonian mechanics. Moreover, the problem of motion and the concept of inertial frames is faced from the very beginning, and runs through the entire development of classical mechanics. This new and fresh approach is presented in its second edition, which has been revised and enlarged by a new chapter on nonlinear dynamics. In the second edition, a number of misprints that appeared in the first edition have been corrected. In addition to this, we have made improvements based on the experience gathered in the use of the first English edition of the book in the introductory course in physics at the University of Copenhagen. A chapter introducing nonlinear dynamics has been added. The purpose of this chapter is to provide supplementary reading for the students who are interested in this area of active research, where Newtonian mechanics plays an essential role. The students who wish to dig deeper, should consult texts dedicated to the study of nonlinear dynamical systems and chaos. The literature list at the end of this book contains several references for the topic. The book still contains a one-semester (15 weeks) first university course on Newtonian mechanics. This necessarily introduces some constraints on the choice of topics and the level of mathematical sophistication expected from the reader. If one looks for discussions of technical issues, such as the physics behind various manifestations of friction, or the tensorial nature of the rotation vector, one will look in vain. The book contains what we feel are the essential aspects of Newtonian Mechanics. It is a pleasure again to thank Springer-Verlag and in particular Dr. H. J. KOisch and the staff at the Heidelberg office for helpfulness and professional collaboration.

In the third edition a number of minor misprints that appeared in the second edition have have been corrected. JMK €9 PGH Copenhagen May 2000 Preface to the Second Edition In the second edition, a number of misprints that appeared in the first edition have been corrected. This textbook provides a thorough introduction to Newtonian Mechanics and is intended for university students in physics, astronomy and engineering. It is based on a course for which Dr. Knudsen earned an award for the best teaching at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. More than 100 problems with solutions and 89 worked examples help the student to grasp the essential aspects of the subject, and to develop proficiency in using the powerful methods of Newtonian mechanics. Moreover, the fundamental problem of motion and the concept of inertial frames is faced from the very beginning, and runs through the entire development of classical mechanics. This new and fresh approach is presented in its third edition, which has been revised and enlarged. In the third edition a number of minor misprints that appeared in the second edition have have been corrected. Furthermore, 17 new problems have been added, at the end of chapters 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, and 14. The answers to these 17 problems have not been listed in the 'Answers' section at the end of the book. This will permit the problems to be used as hand-in problems or perhaps in mid-term exams. JMK €9 PGH Copenhagen May 2000 Preface to the Second Edition In the second edition, a number of misprints that appeared in the first edition have been corrected. In addition to this, we have made improvements based on the experience gathered in the use of the first English edition of the book in the introductory course in physics at the University of Copenhagen. A chapter introducing nonlinear dynamics has been added. The purpose of this chapter is to provide supplementary reading for the students who are interested in this area of active research, where Newtonian mechanics plays an essential role. The students who wish to dig deeper, should consult texts dedicated to the study of nonlinear dynamical systems and chaos. The literature list at the end of this book contains several references for the topic.