Overview

This textbook provides a thorough coverage of classical mechanics. Meant for undergraduate and graduate physics students, it contains discussions on topics beneficial for researchers also. Along with standard graduate-level topics, it highlights and demonstrates the applications of classical mechanics in various areas of physics, astronomy, and astrophysics, thus emphasizing the subject's relevance to current research. Detailed explanations are provided throughout to support self-study and ensure clear understanding of concepts. The text begins with preliminary topics and then proceeds to Lagrange's equation of motion, Hamilton's principle of stationary action, and conservation principles in classical mechanics. It then extends to topics like Hamiltonian formulation of laws of mechanics, two-body central force problem, and restricted three-body problem, among others. Lagrange and Poisson brackets are discussed in exclusive chapters. The book concludes with expositions on Hamilton–Jacobi formulation of dynamics, perturbation theory in Hamiltonian mechanics, dynamics of rigid bodies, and nonlinear dynamics and chaos.

Full Product Details

Author:   Subir Sarkar (Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India)
Publisher:   Cambridge University Press
Imprint:   Cambridge University Press
ISBN:  

9781009631686

ISBN 10:   1009631683
Pages:   378
Publication Date:   30 June 2026
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. Preliminaries; 2. From Newton's second law to Lagrange's equation of motion; 3. Lagrange's equation and Hamilton's principle of stationary action; 4. Symmetries and conservation principles in Classical Mechanics; 5. Hamiltonian formulation of the laws of mechanics; 6. Two-body central force problem: Part I; 7. Two-body central force problem: Part II; 8. The restricted three-body problem: Lagrange points; 9. Virial theorem in non-relativistic Classical Mechanics; 10. Small oscillations; 11. The Special Theory of Relativity in Classical Mechanic; 12. Canonical transformations in Hamiltonian Mechanics; 13. Lagrange bracket and Poisson bracket; 14. Poisson brackets: Dynamics and symmetry; 15. Hamilton-Jacobi formulation of dynamics; 16. Perturbation theory in Hamiltonian Mechanics; 17. Adiabatic invariants; 18. Dynamics of rigid bodies; 19. Non-linear dynamics and Chaos; Appendix A. Linear stability analysis of the Lagrange points; Appendix B. Statistical Mechanics and Computational Classical Mechanics; References; Index.

Reviews

Author Information

Subir Kumar Sarkar is Professor at School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Countries Available

All regions