This book presents an updated treatment of the dynamics of particles and particle systems suitable for students preparing for advanced study of physics and closely related fields, such as astronomy and the applied engineering sciences. Compared to older books on this subject, the mathematical treatment has been updated for the study of more advanced topics in quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and nonlinear and orbital mechanics." Hamiltonian dynamics and the concept of phase space are introduced early on. This allows integration of the concepts of chaos and other nonlinear effects into the main flow of the text. The role of symmetries and the underlying geometric structure of space-time is a key theme. In the latter chapters, the connection between classical and quantum mechanics is examined in detail.
Chapter 1 Review of Newtonian Particle Mechanics
Chapter 2 Vector Spaces and Coordinate Systems
Chapter 3 Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Dynamics
Chapter 4 Hamilton's Principle
Chapter 5 Central Force Motion
Chapter 6 Small Oscillations
Chapter 7 Rotational Geometry and Kinematics
Chapter 8 Rigid Body Motion
Chapter 9 Canonical Transformation Theory
Chapter 10 Hamilton-Jacobi Theory
Chapter 11 Special Relativity
Chapter 12 Waves, Particles, and Fields