Classical Mechanics: Systems of Particles and Hamiltonian Dynamics

The series of texts on Classical Theoretical Physics is based on the highly successful series of courses given by Walter Greiner at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Intended for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students, the volumes in the series provide not only a complete survey of classical theoretical physics but also an enormous number of worked examples and problems to show students clearly how to apply the abstract principles to realistic problems.

Written for:


Graduate students in physics, physicists

Table of contents

Part I. Newtonian mechanics in moving co-ordinate systems Chap 1. Newton's equations in a rotating co-ordinate system 2. Free fall on the rotating earth 3. Foucault's pendulum Part II. Chap 4. Degrees of Freedom 5. Centre of gravity 6. Mechanical fundamental quantities of systems of mass points Part III. Vibrating systems Chap 7. Vibrations of coupled mass points 8. The vibrating string 9. Fourier series 10. The vibrating membrane Part IV. Mehcanics of Rigid Bodies Chap 11. Rotation about fixed axis 12. Rotation about a point 13. Theory of the top Part V. Lagrange equations Chap 14. Generalised co-ordinates 15. D'Alembert principle and derivtion of the Lagrange equations 16. Lagrange equatins for non-holonomic constraints 17. Special problems (for deepening) Part VI. Hamilton Theory 18. Hamilton's equations 19. Canonical transformations 20. Hamilton-Jacobi theory Part VII. Nonlinear Dynamics Chap 21. Dynamical systems 22. Stability of time-dependent paths 23. Bifurcations 24. Lyapunov exponents and chaos 25. Systems with chaotic dynamics Part VIII From history of mechanics