A concise treatment of variational techniques, focussing on Lagrangian and Hamiltonian systems, ideal for physics, engineering and mathematics students.

A concise but rigorous treatment of variational techniques, focussing primarily on Lagrangian and Hamiltonian systems, this book is ideal for physics, engineering and mathematics students. The book begins by applying Lagrange's equations to a number of mechanical systems. It introduces the concepts of generalized coordinates and generalized momentum. Following this the book turns to the calculus of variations to derive the Euler–Lagrange equations. It introduces Hamilton's principle and uses this throughout the book to derive further results. The Hamiltonian, Hamilton's equations, canonical transformations, Poisson brackets and Hamilton–Jacobi theory are considered next. The book concludes by discussing continuous Lagrangians and Hamiltonians and how they are related to field theory. Written in clear, simple language and featuring numerous worked examples and exercises to help students master the material, this book is a valuable supplement to courses in mechanics.

A concise but rigorous treatment of variational techniques, focussing primarily on Lagrangian and Hamiltonian systems, this book is ideal for physics, engineering and mathematics students. The book begins by applying Lagrange's equations to a number of mechanical systems. It introduces the concepts of generalized coordinates and generalized momentum. Following this the book turns to the calculus of variations to derive the Euler-Lagrange equations. It introduces Hamilton's principle and uses this throughout the book to derive further results. The Hamiltonian, Hamilton's equations, canonical transformations, Poisson brackets and Hamilton-Jacobi theory are considered next. The book concludes by discussing continuous Lagrangians and Hamiltonians and how they are related to field theory. Written in clear, simple language and featuring numerous worked examples and exercises to help students master the material, this book is a valuable supplement to courses in mechanics.

This book contains the exercises from the classical mechanics text Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Mechanics, together with their complete solutions. It is intended primarily for instructors who are using Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Mechanics in their course, but it may also be used, together with that text, by those who are studying mechanics on their own.

Geometric integrators are time-stepping methods, designed such that they exactly satisfy conservation laws, symmetries or symplectic properties of a system of differential equations. In this book the authors outline the principles of geometric integration and demonstrate how they can be applied to provide efficient numerical methods for simulating conservative models. Beginning from basic principles and continuing with discussions regarding the advantageous properties of such schemes, the book introduces methods for the N-body problem, systems with holonomic constraints, and rigid bodies. More advanced topics treated include high-order and variable stepsize methods, schemes for treating problems involving multiple time-scales, and applications to molecular dynamics and partial differential equations. The emphasis is on providing a unified theoretical framework as well as a practical guide for users. The inclusion of examples, background material and exercises enhance the usefulness of the book for self-instruction or as a text for a graduate course on the subject.

Striving to explore the subject in as simple a manner as possible, this book helps readers understand the elusive concept of entropy. Innovative aspects of the book include the construction of statistical entropy from desired properties, the derivation of the entropy of classical systems from purely classical assumptions, and a statistical thermodynamics approach to the ideal Fermi and ideal Bose gases. Derivations are worked through step-by-step and important applications are highlighted in over 20 worked examples. Around 50 end-of-chapter exercises test readers' understanding. The book also features a glossary giving definitions for all essential terms, a time line showing important developments, and list of books for further study. It is an ideal supplement to undergraduate courses in physics, engineering, chemistry and mathematics.

Written to complement course textbooks, this book focuses on the topics that undergraduates in physics and engineering find most difficult.

The book introduces classical mechanics. It does so in an informal style with numerous fresh, modern and inter-disciplinary applications assuming no prior knowledge of the necessary mathematics. The book provides a comprehensive and self-contained treatment of the subject matter up to the forefront of research in multiple areas.

The aim of this work is to bridge the gap between the well-known Newtonian mechanics and the studies on chaos, ordinarily reserved to experts. Several topics are treated: Lagrangian, Hamiltonian and Jacobi formalisms, studies of integrable and quasi-integrable systems. The chapter devoted to chaos also enables a simple presentation of the KAM theorem. All the important notions are recalled in summaries of the lectures. They are illustrated by many original problems, stemming from real-life situations, the solutions of which are worked out in great detail for the benefit of the reader. This book will be of interest to undergraduate students as well as others whose work involves mechanics, physics and engineering in general.

Master Newton's laws of motion, the basis of modern science and engineering, with this intuitive and accessible text.