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  1. Home
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  3. A Student's Guide to Lagrangians and Hamiltonians
  • Cited by 4
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Online publication date:
June 2014
Print publication year:
2013
Online ISBN:
9781107337572
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107337572
Series:
Student's Guides
Subjects:
Physics and Astronomy, Engineering, General and Classical Physics, Engineering: General Interest
Information

Book description

A concise but rigorous treatment of variational techniques, focussing primarily on Lagrangian and Hamiltonian systems, this book is ideal for physics, engineering and mathematics students. The book begins by applying Lagrange's equations to a number of mechanical systems. It introduces the concepts of generalized coordinates and generalized momentum. Following this the book turns to the calculus of variations to derive the Euler–Lagrange equations. It introduces Hamilton's principle and uses this throughout the book to derive further results. The Hamiltonian, Hamilton's equations, canonical transformations, Poisson brackets and Hamilton–Jacobi theory are considered next. The book concludes by discussing continuous Lagrangians and Hamiltonians and how they are related to field theory. Written in clear, simple language and featuring numerous worked examples and exercises to help students master the material, this book is a valuable supplement to courses in mechanics.

Reviews

'… in a logically clear and physically rigorous way the book highlights the landmarks of the analytical mechanics so that the attentive student can be easily prepared for the exam. It is suitable for studying in intermediate and upper-level undergraduate courses of classical mechanics …'

Vladimir I. Pulov Source: Journal of Geometry and Symmetry in Physics

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Contents

Contents
References
Further reading
Alexander L., Fetter and John Dirk, Walecka, Theoretical Mechanics of Particles and Continua, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1980.
Herbert, Goldstein, Classical Mechanics, Addison-Wesley Pub. Co., Reading MA, USA, 1950.
Herbert, Goldstein, Classical Mechanics, 2nd Edn, Addison-Wesley Pub. Co., Reading MA, USA, 1980.
Louis N., Hand and Janet D., Finch, Analytical Mechanics, Cambridge University Press, 1998.
Jorge V., Jose and Eugene J., Saletan, Classical Dynamics, A Contemporary Approach, Cambridge University Press, 1998.
L. D., Landau and E. M., Lifshitz, Mechanics, Vol 1 of A Course of Theoretical Physics, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1976.
Cornelius, Lanczos, The Variational Principles of Mechanics, The University of Toronto Press, 1970. Reprinted by Dover Press, New York, 1986.
K. F., Riley, M. P., Hobson and S. J., Bence, Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering, 2nd Edn, Cambridge University Press, 2002.
Stephen T., Thornton and Jerry B., Marion, Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems, Brooks/Cole, Belmont CA, 2004.

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