Classical Mechanics

‘Beautifully clear explanations of famously “difficult” things … It almost makes you think you could have been a Newton yourself’ John Gribbin

Here is the ultimate master class in modern physics. World-class physicist and father of string theory Leonard Susskind and citizen-scientist George Hrabovsky combine forces in a primer that teaches the skills you need to do physics yourself.

Combining crystal-clear explanations of the laws of the universe with basic exercises (including essential equations and maths), the authors cover the minimum that readers should master. They introduce the key concepts of modern physics, from classical mechanics to general relativity to quantum theory, and provide a practical toolkit that you won’t find in any other popular science book.

‘A good and noble book’ Sunday Times

‘A wonderful and unique resource. For anyone who is determined to learn physics for real, looking beyond conventional popularizations, this is the ideal place to start’ Sean Carroll, physicist and author of The Particle at the End of the Universe

‘Very readable … provides a clear description of advanced classical physics concepts, and gives readers who want a challenge the opportunity to exercise their brain’ Physics World

Table of Contents

LECTURE 1 The Nature of Classical Physics

Interlude 1 Spaces, Trigonometry, and Vectors

LECTURE 2 Motion

Interlude 2 Integral Calculus

LECTURE 3 Dynamics

Interlude 3 Partial Differentiation

LECTURE 4 Systems of More Than One Particle

LECTURE 5 Energy

LECTURE 6 The Principle of Least Action

LECTURE 7 Symmetries and Conservation Laws

LECTURE 8 Hamiltonian Mechanics and Time-Translation Invariance

LECTURE 9 The Phase Space Fluid and the Gibbs- Liouville Theorem

LECTURE 10 Poisson Brackets, Angular Momentum, and Symmetries

LECTURE 11 Electric and Magnetic Forces

About the Author

George Hrabovsky is the president of Madison Area Science and Technology (MAST), a nonprofit organization dedicated to scientific and technological research and education. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin.