Brossura

ISBN 10: 038752715X ISBN 13: 9780387527154

Casa editrice: Springer-Verlag, 1991

A course in mechanics is of primary importance in any physics teaching program. Scheck's book integrates the various aspects of classical mechanics, relativistic mechanics, and modern topics such as deterministic chaos. Both the physical approach to mechanics and its mathematical foundations are emphasised. With elementary Newtonian mechanics as a starting point, the principles of canonical mechanics in Hamiltonian and Lagrangian formulations are outlined. Rigid bodies are treated in detail, and the basic concepts of special relativity are given. Particular emphasis is put on the geometrical aspects of mechanics, such as geometrical objects on manifolds. A chapter on stability and chaos concludes the book, introducing topics such as the long-time behavior of dynamical flows, deterministic chaos, and chaotic motion in celestial mechanics.

From the Back Cover:

This updated and revised fourth edition covers all topics in mechanics from elementary Newtonian mechanics, canonical and rigid body mechanics to relativistic mechanics and nonlinear dynamics.

In particular, symmetries and invariance principles, geometrical structures and continuum mechanics play an important role. This book will enable the reader to develop general principles from which equations of motions may be derived, to understand the importance of symmetries as a basis for quantum mechanics and to get practice in using theoretical tools and concepts that are essential for all branches of physics.

The book contains numerous problems with complete solutions, and some practical examples.This will be appreciated in particular by students using the text to accompnay lectures on mechanics. The book ends with some historical remarks on important pioneers in mechanics.

About the Author:

Florian A. Scheck, professor emeritus at University of Mainz, Germany.Born in 1936, diploma degree 1962 , Ph.D. (Dr. rer.nat) 1964, both at U. Freiburg, Germany. Habilitation at U. Heidelberg 1968. Guest scientist at the Weizmann Instituteof Science, Rehovoth, (1964 – 1966), research assistant U. Heidelberg, (1966 – 1968), research fellow at CERN, Geneva, (1968 – 1970), head of theory groupSIN/PSI, lecturer and titular professor at ETH Zurich (1970 – 1976). Professor of theoretical Physics U. Mainz (1976 – 2005). Numerous visits as guest scientist or guest professor, Helsinki, Montpellier, Marseille, San José (Costa Rica), Bogota (Columbia).