Introduction to Mechanics

History of Mechanics. Newton’s Laws of Motion. Forces. Kinematics vs. Dynamics. Motion in One Dimension. Phase Space Description of Mechanical Systems. Symmetry Properties of Newton’s Equation. Two-Dimensional Motion; Central Force Problem. Three-Dimensional Mtion. Motion in a Nninertial Reference Frame. Energy. Conservation of Linear Momentum and Centre of Mass. Collisions. Simple Harmonic Motion. Nonlinear Oscillations and Chaos. Waves: Oscillations in Continuous Media. Angular Momentum. Rigid Body Dynamics. Special Theory of Relativity: Kinematics. Relativistic Dynamics. Epilogue. Appendix A: Present Paradigm of Physics and Science. Appendix B: Dimensional Analysis and Estimation. Appendix C: Numerical Solution of Differential Equations. Appendix D: Matlab and Octave. Appendix E: Vectors and Tensors. Appendix F: Vector Operations on Vector and Scalar Fields. Appendix G: Important Astronomical Data. Appendix H: Important Physical Constants. References. Index.