Classical Mechanics

CLASSICAL MECHANICS Gregory’s Classical Mechanics is a major new textbook for undergraduates in mathematics and physics. It is a thorough, self-contained and highly readable account of a subject many students find difficult. The author’s clear and systematic style promotes a good understanding of the subject: each concept is motivated and illustrated by worked examples, while problem sets provide plenty of practice for understanding and technique. Computer assisted problems, some suitable for projects, are also included. The book is structured to make learning the subject easy; there is a natural progression from core topics to more advanced ones and hard topics are treated with particular care. A theme of the book is the importance of conservation principles. These appear first in vectorial mechanics where they are proved and applied to problem solving. They reappear in analytical mechanics, where they are shown to be related to symmetries of the Lagrangian, culminating in Noether’s theorem. • Suitable for a wide range of undergraduate mechanics courses given in mathematics and physics departments: no prior knowledge of the subject is assumed • Profusely illustrated and thoroughly class-tested, with a clear direct style that makes the subject easy to understand: all concepts are motivated and illustrated by the many worked examples included • Good, accurately-set problems, with answers in the book: computer assisted problems and projects are also provided. Model solutions for problems available to teachers from www.cambridge.org/Gregory The author Douglas Gregory is Professor of Mathematics at the University of Manchester. He is a researcher of international standing in the field of elasticity, and has held visiting positions at New York University, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Washington. He is highly regarded as a teacher of applied mathematics: this, his first