مکانیک کلاسیک برای دانشجویانی نوشته شده که پیش‌تر در یک دوره فیزیک مقدماتی، تا حدی مکانیک را مطالعه کرده‌اند. این کتاب با وضوحی کم‌نظیر، تقریباً تمام موضوعاتی را که معمولاً در کتاب‌های این سطح یافت می‌شود، پوشش می‌دهد.

جان تیلور در تازه‌ترین اثر خود، مکانیک کلاسیک، همان شفافیت و بینشی را به کار گرفته که کتاب پرفروش مقدمه‌ای بر تحلیل خطا را به موفقیت رساند. این کتاب برای دانشجویانی طراحی شده که پیش‌تر مکانیک را در دوره‌هایی مانند «فیزیک سال اول» گذرانده‌اند. با بیانی شفاف و روشن، مباحثی همچون قوانین پایستگی، نوسان‌ها، مکانیک لاگرانژی، مسائل دو‌جسمی، چارچوب‌های غیرلخت، اجسام صلب، مودهای نرمال، نظریه آشوب، مکانیک همیلتونی و مکانیک محیط‌های پیوسته را شامل می‌شود.

یکی از نقاط برجسته کتاب، فصل مربوط به آشوب است که با تمرکز بر چند سیستم ساده، معرفی‌ای واقعاً قابل‌درک از مفاهیمی ارائه می‌دهد که این روزها بسیار درباره آن‌ها شنیده می‌شود. در پایان هر فصل، مجموعه بزرگی از مسائل جالب برای دانشجو قرار دارد (در مجموع ۷۴۴ مسئله) که بر اساس موضوع و سطح دشواری دسته‌بندی شده‌اند و از تمرین‌های ساده تا پروژه‌های چالشی رایانه‌ای را در بر می‌گیرند. همچنین، دفترچه پاسخ‌نامه دانشجویی نیز در دسترس است.

این کتاب در بیش از ۴۵۰ کالج و دانشگاه در آمریکا و کانادا تدریس می‌شود و به شش زبان ترجمه شده است. مکانیک کلاسیک تیلور، معرفی‌ای جامع و خواندنی به موضوعی است که با وجود چهارصد سال قدمت، همچنان هیجان‌انگیز و زنده است. نویسنده موفق شده این هیجان را همراه با درکی عمیق و بینش علمی منتقل کند.

برخی نقدها و دیدگاه‌ها:

«یک متن بی‌نظیر. شفافیت و روانی کتاب به‌قدری از سایر کتاب‌های موجود در بازار بهتر است که مطمئنم به‌زودی به پرکاربردترین کتاب مکانیک کلاسیک در تمام دانشگاه‌های آمریکا و احتمالاً کانادا و اروپا تبدیل خواهد شد…» — مجله American Journal of Physics

«کتابی فوق‌العاده با نمونه‌ای عالی از وضوح و دقت…» — Ben Newling، دانشگاه نیوبرانزویک

«پس از تدریس این درس با کتاب‌های شناخته‌شده دیگر، به جرأت می‌گویم کتاب تیلور بسیار برتر است…» — Michael Cavagnero، دانشگاه کنتاکی

«این کتاب عشقم به مکانیک را دوباره زنده کرد…» — Dmitry، دانشجوی ریاضی و فیزیک، دانشگاه واترلو

«ترکیبی عالی از پوشش جامع و خوانایی بالا…» — Jonathan Friedman، کالج امهرست

«گزینه‌ای ایده‌آل بین کتاب‌های بسیار پرجزئیات یا بیش‌ازحد مختصر…» — Alma C. Zook، کالج پومونا

«کتابی عالی که هسته اصلی یک دوره مکانیک بی‌نقص را پوشش می‌دهد…» — Robert Pompi، دانشگاه ایالتی نیویورک، بینگهمتون

درباره نویسنده

جان تیلور مدرک کارشناسی ریاضیات خود را از دانشگاه کمبریج (۱۹۶۰) و دکترای فیزیک نظری را از دانشگاه برکلی (۱۹۶۳) دریافت کرد. او استاد ممتاز فیزیک و استاد نمونه ریاست‌جمهوری در دانشگاه کلرادو، بولدر است. تیلور نویسنده بیش از ۴۰ مقاله پژوهشی و چهار کتاب درسی است که یکی از آن‌ها (مقدمه‌ای بر تحلیل خطا) به یازده زبان ترجمه شده است. او در سال ۱۹۸۹ به‌عنوان «استاد سال کلرادو» انتخاب شد و مجموعه تلویزیونی او با عنوان Physics for Fun در سال ۱۹۹۰ برنده جایزه امی شد. وی در سال ۲۰۰۵ بازنشسته شد و اکنون در واشینگتن دی‌سی زندگی می‌کند.

ClassicalMechanics is intended for students who have studied some mechanics in anintroductory physics course.With unusual clarity, the book covers most of the topics normally found in books at this level.

John Taylor has brought to his most recent book, Classical Mechanics, all of the clarity and insight that made his Introduction to Error Analysis a best-selling text. Classical Mechanics is intended for students who have studied some mechanics in an introductory physics course, such as “freshman physics.” With unusual clarity, the book covers most of the topics normally found in books at this level, including conservation laws, oscillations, Lagrangian mechanics, two-body problems, non-inertial frames, rigid bodies, normal modes, chaos theory, Hamiltonian mechanics, and continuum mechanics. A particular highlight is the chapter on chaos, which focuses on a few simple systems, to give a truly comprehensible introduction to the concepts that we hear so much about. At the end of each chapter is a large selection of interesting problems for the student, 744 in all, classified by topic and approximate difficulty, and ranging for simple exercises to challenging computer projects. A Student Solutions Manual is also available.Adopted by more than 450 colleges and universities in the US and Canada and translated into six languages, Taylor’s Classical Mechanics is a thorough and very readable introduction to a subject that is four hundred years old but as exciting today as ever. The author manages to convey that excitement as well as deep understanding and insight.

Review

"A superb text. The clarity and readability of the book is so much better than anything else on the market, that I confidently predict this book will soon be the most widely used book on the subject in all American universities, and probably Canadian and European universities also. I judge it to be at least ten times better, maybe more, than the other two popular classical mechanics books on the market right now, the book by Fowles, which students say is too terse to understand, and the book by Marion and Thornton, which students say is so wordy and lengthy that they feel quickly lost." --American Journal of Physics

"I expect to use Professor Taylor’s book at every opportunity. It is a fabulous example of clarity and precision – one of my very favorite physics texts." --Ben Newling, University of New Brunswick

"I taught this same course several times using a different, but well known, textbook. In my estimation, Taylor’s book is far superior. It is very sensibly organized, and can be read without hopping back and forth between sections or chapters. The introduction of variational principles and Lagrangian mechanics is seamless, and conducted fairly early on. The students grasped it much more quickly than I anticipated…Kudos to Taylor." --Michael Cavagnero, University of Kentucky

"I will never sell this book. When I’m a strict, bitter old professor, it will be Classical Mechanics by John R. Taylor that I will remember as the book that renewed my love for such a beautiful subject." --Dmitry, Student of Mathematics and Physics at University of Waterloo

"Taylor’s book is unique among classical mechanics texts. It comprehensively covers the field at the Sophomore/Junior level. At the same time, it is immensely readable, a quality that comparable texts lack." --Jonathan Friedman, Amherst College

"Taylor’s Classical Mechanics is an excellent compromise between Marion, which contains too much material explained in too much detail for my tastes, and Fowles, which is much too terse. It is accessible for strong second-semester sophomores and is probably about right for first-semester juniors. The computer exercises in the end-of-chapter problems are particularly welcome." --Alma C. Zook, Pomona College

"The book is excellent. The core of a truly superb mechanics course is covered in Taylor’s text. I, personally, want this book now." --Robert Pompi, State University of New York, Binghamton

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1 — Newton's Laws of Motion

1.1 Classical Mechanics

1.2 Space and Time

1.3 Mass and Force

1.4 Newton's First and Second Laws; Inertial Frames

1.5 The Third Law and Conservation of Momentum

1.6 Newton's Second Law in Cartesian Coordinates

1.7 Two-Dimensional Polar Coordinates

CHAPTER 2 — Projectiles and Charged Particles

2.1 Air Resistance

2.2 Linear Air Resistance

2.3 Trajectory and Range in a Linear Medium

2.4 Quadratic Air Resistance

2.5 Motion of a Charge in a Uniform Magnetic Field

2.6 Complex Exponentials

2.7 Solution for the Charge in a B Field

CHAPTER 3 — Momentum and Angular Momentum

3.1 Conservation of Momentum

3.2 Rockets

3.3 The Center of Mass

3.4 Angular Momentum for a Single Particle

3.5 Angular Momentum for Several Particles

CHAPTER 4 — Energy

4.1 Kinetic Energy and Work

4.2 Potential Energy and Conservative Forces

4.3 Force as the Gradient of Potential Energy

4.4 The Second Condition that F be Conservative

4.5 Time-Dependent Potential Energy

4.6 Energy for Linear One-Dimensional Systems

4.7 Curvilinear One-Dimensional Systems

4.8 Central Forces

4.9 Energy of Interaction of Two Particles

4.10 The Energy of a Multiparticle System

CHAPTER 5 — Oscillations

5.1 Hooke's Law

5.2 Simple Harmonic Motion

5.3 Two-Dimensional Oscillators

5.4 Damped Oscillations

5.5 Driven Damped Oscillations

5.6 Resonance

5.7 Fourier Series*

5.8 Fourier Series Solution for the Driven Oscillator*

5.9 The RMS Displacement; Parseval's Theorem*

CHAPTER 6 — Calculus of Variations

6.1 Two Examples

6.2 The Euler–Lagrange Equation

6.3 Applications of the Euler–Lagrange Equation

6.4 More than Two Variables

CHAPTER 7 — Lagrange's Equations

7.1 Lagrange's Equations for Unconstrained Motion

7.2 Constrained Systems; an Example

7.3 Constrained Systems in General

7.4 Proof of Lagrange's Equations with Constraints

7.5 Examples of Lagrange's Equations

7.6 Generalized Momenta and Ignorable Coordinates

7.7 Conclusion

7.8 More about Conservation Laws*

7.9 Lagrange's Equations for Magnetic Forces*

7.10 Lagrange Multipliers and Constraint Forces*

CHAPTER 8 — Two-Body Central-Force Problems

8.1 The Problem

8.2 CM and Relative Coordinates; Reduced Mass

8.3 The Equations of Motion

8.4 The Equivalent One-Dimensional Problem

8.5 The Equation of the Orbit

8.6 The Kepler Orbits

8.7 The Unbounded Kepler Orbits

8.8 Changes of Orbit

CHAPTER 9 — Mechanics in Noninertial Frames

9.1 Acceleration without Rotation

9.2 The Tides

9.3 The Angular Velocity Vector

9.4 Time Derivatives in a Rotating Frame

9.5 Newton's Second Law in a Rotating Frame

9.6 The Centrifugal Force

9.7 The Coriolis Force

9.8 Free Fall and the Coriolis Force

9.9 The Foucault Pendulum

9.10 Coriolis Force and Coriolis Acceleration

CHAPTER 10 — Rotational Motion of Rigid Bodies

10.1 Properties of the Center of Mass

10.2 Rotation about a Fixed Axis

10.3 Rotation about Any Axis; the Inertia Tensor

10.4 Principal Axes of Inertia

10.5 Finding the Principal Axes; Eigenvalue Equations

10.6 Precession of a Top due to a Weak Torque

10.7 Euler's Equations

10.8 Euler's Equations with Zero Torque

10.9 Euler Angles*

10.10 Motion of a Spinning Top*

CHAPTER 11 — Coupled Oscillators and Normal Modes

11.1 Two Masses and Three Springs

11.2 Identical Springs and Equal Masses

11.3 Two Weakly Coupled Oscillators

11.4 Lagrangian Approach: The Double Pendulum

11.5 The General Case

11.6 Three Coupled Pendulums

11.7 Normal Coordinates*

CHAPTER 12 — Nonlinear Mechanics and Chaos

12.1 Linearity and Nonlinearity

12.2 The Driven Damped Pendulum (DDP)

12.3 Some Expected Features of the DDP

12.4 The DDP: Approach to Chaos

12.5 Chaos and Sensitivity to Initial Conditions

12.6 Bifurcation Diagrams

12.7 State-Space Orbits

12.8 Poincaré Sections

12.9 The Logistic Map

CHAPTER 13 — Hamiltonian Mechanics

13.1 The Basic Variables

13.2 Hamilton's Equations for One-Dimensional Systems

13.3 Hamilton's Equations in Several Dimensions

13.4 Ignorable Coordinates

13.5 Lagrange's Equations vs. Hamilton's Equations

13.6 Phase-Space Orbits

13.7 Liouville's Theorem*

CHAPTER 14 — Collision Theory

14.1 The Scattering Angle and Impact Parameter

14.2 The Collision Cross Section

14.3 Generalizations of the Cross Section

14.4 The Differential Scattering Cross Section

14.5 Calculating the Differential Cross Section

14.6 Rutherford Scattering

14.7 Cross Sections in Various Frames*

14.8 Relation of the CM and Lab Scattering Angles*

CHAPTER 15 — Special Relativity

15.1 Relativity

15.2 Galilean Relativity

15.3 The Postulates of Special Relativity

15.4 The Relativity of Time; Time Dilation

15.5 Length Contraction

15.6 The Lorentz Transformation

15.7 The Relativistic Velocity-Addition Formula

15.8 Four-Dimensional Space–Time; Four-Vectors

15.9 The Invariant Scalar Product

15.10 The Light Cone

15.11 The Quotient Rule and Doppler Effect

15.12 Mass, Four-Velocity, and Four-Momentum

15.13 Energy, the Fourth Component of Momentum

15.14 Collisions

15.15 Force in Relativity

15.16 Massless Particles; the Photon

15.17 Tensors*

15.18 Electrodynamics and Relativity

CHAPTER 16 — Continuum Mechanics

16.1 Transverse Motion of a Taut String

16.2 The Wave Equation

16.3 Boundary Conditions; Waves on a Finite String*

16.4 The Three-Dimensional Wave Equation

16.5 Volume and Surface Forces

16.6 Stress and Strain: The Elastic Moduli

16.7 The Stress Tensor

16.8 The Strain Tensor for a Solid

16.9 Relation between Stress and Strain: Hooke's Law

16.10 The Equation of Motion for an Elastic Solid

16.11 Longitudinal and Transverse Waves in a Solid

16.12 Fluids: Description of the Motion*

16.13 Waves in a Fluid*

About the Author

John Taylor received his B.A. in math from Cambridge University in 1960 and his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Berkeley in 1963. He is professor emeritus of physics and Presidential Teaching Scholar at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He is the author of some 40 articles in research journals; a book, Classical Mechanics; and three other textbooks, one of which, An Introduction to Error Analysis, has been translated into eleven foreign languages. He received a Distinguished Service Citation from the American Association of Physics Teachers and was named Colorado Professor of the Year in 1989. His television series Physics for Fun won an Emmy Award in 1990. He retired in 2005 and now lives in Washington, D.C.