Classical Mechanics: Point Particles and Relativity

ISBN-13: 9780387955865 / Angielski / Miękka / 2003 / 508 str.

Walter Greiner; Philip Mason

Opis

More than a generation of German-speaking students around the world have worked their way to an understanding and appreciation of the power and beauty of modern theoretical physics with mathematics, the most fundamental of sciences using Walter Greiner s textbooks as their guide. The idea of developing a coherent, complete presentation of an entire ?eld of science in a series of closely related textbooks is not a new one. Many older physicians remember with real pleasure their sense of adventure and discovery as they worked their ways through the classic series by Sommerfeld, by Planck, and by Landau and Lifshitz. From the students viewpoint, there are a great many obvious advantages to be gained through the use of consistent notation, logical ordering of topics, and coherence of presentation; beyond this, thecompletecoverageofthescienceprovidesauniqueopportunityfortheauthortoconvey his personal enthusiasm and love for his subject. These volumes on classical physics, ?nally available in English, complement Greiner s textsonquantumphysics, mostofwhichhavebeenavailabletoEnglish-speakingaudiences for some time. The complete set of books will thus provide a coherent view of physics that includes, in classical physics, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, classical dyn- ics, electromagnetism, and general relativity; and in quantum physics, quantum mechanics, symmetries, relativistic quantum mechanics, quantum electro- and chromodynamics, and the gauge theory of weak interactions."

Recenzje

From the reviews:

"What makes Greiner's volumes of particular value to the student and professor alike is their completeness ... Moreover, Greiner greatly increases the value of his presentation by including something like one hundred completely worked examples in each volume. Nothing is of greater importance to the student than seeing, in detail, how the theoretical concepts and tools under study are applied to actual problems of interest to working physicists ... Greiner's lectures ... are internationally noted for their clarity, for their completeness, and for the effort that he has devoted to making physics an integral whole. His enthusiasm for his sciences is contagious and shines through almost every page." D. Allan Bromley, Yale University

"This softcover publication ... is based on the author's courses at the J. W. Goethe University in Frankfurt. ... Although the textbook, by its remarkable completeness, seems to be intended for advanced students and aims to be a reference book for graduate students and teachers, it is sufficiently understandable and extensive to be used by beginners as a first introduction to theoretical physics. It does not only provide a survey of classical theoretical mechanics, but also a respectable amount of examples and problems ... ." (Georges Kohnen, Physicalia, Vol. 57 (3), 2005)

"This volume of lectures ... deals with the first and more elementary part of the important field of classical mechanics. The subject is presented in a manner that is both interesting to the student and easily accessible. The main text is therefore accompanied by many exercises and examples that have been worked out in great detail. This should make the book useful also for students wishing to study the subject on their own. ... A worthwhile purchase for graduate students in physics ... ." (Current Engineering Practice - online, Vol. 47, 2004)

Spis treści

Contents Foreword Preface I VECTOR CALCULUS 1 Introduction and Basic Definitions 2 The Scalar Product 3 Component Representation of a Vector 4 The Vector Product (Axial Vector) 5 The Triple Scalar Product 6 Application of Vector Calculus Application in mathematics: Application in physics: 7 Differentiation and Integration of Vectors 8 The Moving Trihedral (Accompanying Dreibein)-the Frenet Formulas Examples on Frenet's formulas: 9 Surfaces in Space 10 Coordinate Frames 11 Vector Differential Operations The operations gradient, divergence, and curl (rotation) Differential operators in arbitrary general (curvilinear) coordinates 12 Determination of Line Integrals 13 The Integral Laws of Gauss and Stokes Gauss Law: The Gauss theorem: Geometric interpretation of the Gauss theorem: Stokes law: 14 Calculation of Surface Integrals 15 Volume (Space) Integrals II NEWTONIAN MECHANICS 16 Newton's Axioms 17 Basic Concepts of Mechanics Inertial systems Measurement of masses Work Kinetic energy Conservative forces Potential Energy law Equivalence of impulse of force and momentum change Angular momentum and torque Conservation law of angular momentum Law of conservation of the linear momentum Summary The law of areas Conservation of orientation 18 The General Linear Motion 19 The Free Fall Vertical throw Inclined throw 20 Friction Friction phenomena in a viscous medium Motion in a viscous medium with Newtonian friction Generalized ansatz for friction: 21 The Harmonic Oscillator 22 Mathematical Interlude-Series Expansion, Euler's Formulas 23 The Damped Harmonic Oscillator 24 The Pendulum 25 Mathematical Interlude: Differential Equations 26 Planetary Motions 27 Special Problems in Central Fields The gravitational field of extended bodies The attractive force of a spherical mass shell The gravitational potential of a spherical shell covered with mass Stability of circular orbits 28 The Earth and our Solar System General notions of astronomy Determination of astronomic quantities Properties, position, and evolution of the solar system World views On the evolution of the universe Dark Matter What is the nature of the dark matter? III THEORY OF RELATIVITY 29 Relativity Principle and Michelson-Morley Experiment The Michelson-Morley experiment 30 The Lorentz Transformation Rotation of a three-dimensional coordinate frame The Minkowski space Group property of the Lorentz transformation 31 Properties of the Lorentz transformation Time dilatation Lorentz-Fitzgerald length contraction Note on the invisibility of the Lorentz-Fitzgerald length contraction The visible appearance of quickly moving bodies Optical appearance of a quickly moving cube Optical appearance of bodies moving with almost the speed of light Light intensity distribution of a moving isotropic emitter Doppler shift of quickly moving bodies Relativistic space-time structure-space-time events Relativistic past, present, future The causality principle The Lorentz transformation in the two-dimensional subspace of the Minkowski space 32 Addition Theorem of the Velocities Supervelocity of light, phase, and group velocity 33 The Basic Quantities of Mechanics in Minkowski Space Lorentz scalars Four-velocity in Minkowski space Momentum in Minkowski space Minkowski force (four-force) Kinetic energy The Tachyon hypothesis Derivation of the energy law in the Minkowski space The fourth momentum component Conservation of momentum and energy for a free particle Relativistic energy for free particles Examples on the equivalence of mass and energy 34 Applications of th

O autorze

Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Dr. h. c. mult. Walter Greiner, geb. Oktober 1935 im Thüringer Wald, Promotion 1961 in Freiburg im Breisgau, 1962-64 Assistent Professor an der University of Maryland, seit 1964/65 ordentlicher Professor für Theoretische Physik der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main und Direktor des Instituts für Theoretische Physik. Gastprofessuren unter anderem an der Florida State University, University of Virginia, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, University of California Berkeley, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Melbourne, Yale University, Vanderbilt University, University of Arizona. Hauptarbeitsgebiete sind die Struktur und Dynamik der elementaren Materie (Quarks, Gluonen, Mesonen, Baryonen, Atomkerne), Schwerionenphysik, Feldtheorie (Quantenelektrodynamik, Eichtheorie der schwachen Wechselwirkung, Quantenchromodynamik, Theorie der Gravitation), Atomphysik.
974 Empfänger des Max-Born-Preises und der Max-Born-Medaille des Institute of Physics (London) und der Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft, 1982 des Otto-Hahn-Preises der Stadt Frankfurt am Main, 1998 der Alexander von Humboldt-Medaille, 1999 Officier dans l'Ordre des Palmes Academiques.
Inhaber zahlreicher Ehrendoktorwürden (unter anderem der University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, der Universite Louis Pasteur Strasbourg, der UNAM Mexico, der Universitäten Bucharest, Tel Aviv, Nantes, St. Petersburg, Moskau, Debrecen, Dubna und anderen) sowie Ehrenprofessuren (University of Bejing, China, und Jilin University Changchun, China) und Ehrenmitglied vieler Akademien.