The Mechanical Universe

Mechanics and Heat, Advanced Edition

Steven C. Frautschi, Richard P. Olenick, Tom M. Apostol, David L. Goodstein

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2008
• Print ISBN:
  9780521715904
• eBook ISBN:
  9781139632232
• Topic: Physical Sciences
• Subtopic: Physics
• Index: Physics

This innovative physics textbook intended for science and engineering majors develops classical mechanics from a historical perspective. The presentation of the standard course material includes a discussion of the thought processes of the discoverers and a description of the methods by which they arrived at their theories. However the presentation proceeds logically rather than strictly chronologically, so new concepts are introduced at the natural moment. The book assumes a familiarity with calculus, includes a discussion of rigid body motion, and contains numerous thought-provoking problems. It is largely based in content on The Mechanical Universe: Introduction to Mechanics and Heat, a book designed in conjunction with a tele-course to be offered by PBS in the Fall of 1985. The advanced edition, however, does not coincide exactly with the video lessons, contains additional material, and develops the fundamental ideas introduced in the lower-level edition to a greater degree.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION TO THE MECHANICAL UNIVERSE (Program 1)
• Chapter 2 THE LAW OF FALLING BODIES (Program 2)
• Chapter 3 THE LANGUAGE OF NATURE: DERIVATIVES AND INTEGRALS
• Chapter 4 INERTIA
• Chapter 5 VECTORS
• Chapter 6 NEWTON'S LAWS AND EQUILIBRIUM
• Chapter 7 UNIVERSAL GRAVITATION AND CIRCULAR MOTION
• Chapter 8 FORCES
• Chapter 9 FORCES IN ACCELERATING REFERENCE FRAMES
• Chapter 10 ENERGY: CONSERVATION AND CONVERSION
• Chapter 11 THE CONSERVATION OF MOMENTUM
• Chapter 12 OSCILLATORY MOTION
• Chapter 13 ANGULAR MOMENTUM
• Chapter 14 ROTATIONAL DYNAMICS FOR RIGID BODIES
• Chapter 15 GYROSCOPES
• Chapter 16 KEPLER'S LAWS AND THE CONIC SECTIONS
• Chapter 17 SOLVING THE KEPLER PROBLEM
• Chapter 18 NAVIGATING IN SPACE
• Chapter 19 TEMPERATURE AND THE GAS LAWS
• Chapter 20 THE ENGINE OF NATURE
• Chapter 21 ENTROPY
• Chapter 22 THE QUEST FOR LOW TEMPERATURE
• Appendix A THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM OF UNITS
• Appendix 8 CONVERSION FACTORS
• Appendix C FORMULAS FROM ALGEBRA, GEOMETRY, AND TRIGONOMETRY
• Appendix D ASTRONOMICAL DATA
• Appendix E PHYSICAL CONSTANTS
• SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Index