Readings

This course deal with the Newtonian, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations of classical mechanics.

Resources

The main book used in this course is

Classical Mechanics, by John R. Taylor, University Science Books (2005)

ISBN 1-891389-22-X

Another excellent resource is the book Classical Dynamics by David Tong, Professor at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, UK. (Professor Tong made these lectures available to the public via the website linked above. The author’s copyright stipulates: “Lecture notes copyright © 2004 David Tong unless otherwise credited. Permission is granted to copy and distribute freely, so long as proper attribution is given, no alterations are made, and no monetary profit is gained.”)

Students should also visit and explore Professor Tong’s Lectures on Classical Dynamics website.

Class notes

Here you can find links to some of the lecture notes used in class. The notes primarily cover material in the way in which it is discussed in the textbook. The links and the notes are added, edited, and updated during the semester. (The class notes are written and edited by Andrea Ferroglia.)

Newtonian mechanics

Lagrangian mechanics

Hamiltonian mechanics

Mechanics of the Rigid Bodies