Analytical Mechanics

This new edition of a proven and enduring textbook introduces the fundamentals of classical mechanics to students with a calculus background. Understanding and insight are enhanced through the adoption of the historical perspective. Examples follow derivations and discussions of concepts, enabling students to make instant connections between concepts and their applications to practical problem solving. This edition includes an extended presentation of Lagrangian formalism, including D'Alembert's principle. Lagrange multipliers, forces of constraint and generalised forces, as well as a new section on invariance of Lagrangian under exchange operations and relation to normal modes. The explanation of harmonic motion, including the discussion of phase space and chaotic motion, has also been expanded for this edition.