Classical Dynamics: A Contemporary Approach

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 696 pages
• Published by: Cambridge University Press August 13, 1998
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0521636361
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0521636360
• Book Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1.7 inches
• Weighs: 2.6 pounds

Product Review
"strikes the right balance between physical reasoning and mathematical sophistication, at the same time as it takes the reader to the forefront of active research in the fieldcan be used as a textbook and as a reference on newer topics in mechanics.The book is nicely typeset and printed on an ivory-colored, heavy-textured paper that is pleasant to the sight and touch, and the illustrations are very goodI highly recommend this book to instructors and students alike." Physics Today

"well writtenwould serve as an great resource for students and faculty alike who wish to learn many of the most important aspects of the mathematical physics behind the renaissance of classical mechanics." American Journal of Physics

"Two hundred homework problems amplify the content and usefulness of the bookClassical Dynamics is great for extending one's horizon into nonlinear dynamics, progressing from a very pratical discussion of geographical mpast into discrete maps, He'non maps, the twist map, and the Devil's staircase. Indeed, the strength of the text, the emphasis upon 'the language of modern differential geometry,' shows clearly in these areas." Applied Mechanical Review

Product Description
Recent advances in the study of dynamical systems have revolutionized the way that classical mechanics is taught and understood. This new and comprehensive textbook provides a complete description of this fundamental branch of physics. The authors cover all the material that one would expect to find in a standard graduate course: Lagrangian and Hamiltonian dynamics, canonical transformations, the Hamilton-Jacobi equation, perturbation methods, and rigid bodies. They also deal with more advanced topics such as the relativistic Kepler problem, Liouville and Darboux theorems, and inverse and chaotic scattering. A key feature of the book is the early introduction of geometric (differential manifold) ideas, as well as detailed treatment of topics in nonlinear dynamics (such as the KAM theorem) and continuum dynamics (including solitons). Over 200 homework exercises are included. It will be an ideal textbook for graduate students of physics, applied mathematics, theoretical chemistry, and engineering, as well as a useful reference for researchers in these fields. A solutions manual is available exclusively for instructors.

Reader Reviews
Classical mechanics often falls by the wayside in a modern physics curriculum. However, there are times when an understanding of subtle issues in this field are simply necessary for progress in current research directions. At times like these, one is all-too-often forced to turn to older texts such as Goldstein or directly to the literature of a field with which one is rarely intimately familiar. It is therefore a great pleasure to find a text such as Jose and Saletan's, a highly modern, extremely complete and very readable textbook on mechanics at an advanced level. The book covers all of the standard topics of a graduate mechanics course (Lagrangian and Hamiltonian dynamics, rigid bodies, etc.) as well as more modern topics such as chaotic dynamics. All these subjects are treated in great detail and both in very physical and very formal languages. Most importantly, all of these discussions (including the formal ones!) are packed with completely worked examples which allow one to begin to use these techniques without attempting to decipher formal proofs. The breadth of topics covered and the quality of the writing make this book a valuable addition to any physicist's workbench.