Elements of Newtonian Mechanics

In the second edition, a number of misprints that appeared in the first edition have been corrected. In addition to this, we have made improvements based on the experience gathered in the use of the first English edition of the book in the introductory course in physics at the University of Copenhagen. A chapter introducing nonlinear dynamics has been added. The purpose of this chapter is to provide supplementary reading for the students who are interested in this area of active research, where Newtonian mechanics plays an essential role. The students who wish to dig deeper, should consult texts dedicated to the study of nonlinear dynamical systems and chaos. The literature list at the end of this book contains several references for the topic. The book still contains a one-semester (15 weeks) first university course on Newtonian mechanics. This necessarily introduces some constraints on the choice of topics and the level of mathematical sophistication expected from the reader. If one looks for discussions of technical issues, such as the physics behind various manifestations of friction, or the tensorial nature of the rotation vector, one will look in vain. The book contains what we feel are the essential aspects of Newtonian Mechanics. It is a pleasure again to thank Springer-Verlag and in particular Dr. H. J. KOisch and the staff at the Heidelberg office for helpfulness and professional collaboration.