Customer Reviews

Classical Mechanics: 2nd Edition (Dover Books on Physics)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just bought this wonderful book recently for my recent theoretical mechanics course and I must say its a jewel. Although its not in the same level as Goldstein's classical text book (a long and very precise description of classical mechanics), Corben's book examines with Dover-like detail the basic concepts surrounding the laws basic physics (everything, from Lagrange's equations to rigid body systems). Packed with useful examples (most of them textbook like motions in a central force field), Corben's "Classical Mechanics" is a great reference in any intermediate course.

Although there have been several excellent intermediate and graduate textbooks on classical mechanics written during the last few decades, this book, which is pitched at the advanced undergraduate/beginning graduate level, is one of the best. The writing throughout is mathematically lucid, and the problems, though not large in number, are stimulating. While the important topics of advanced theoretical mechanices are not shorted, several interesting related subjects in general physics and theoretical engineering are concisely treated.

I am an undergraduate electrical engineering student. I have 2 years of math (basic calc through ODE) and got an A in general physics. I wanted a book that would introduce the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian techniques and prepare me for more advanced physics, and this is not that book. As another reader pointed out the implied summation notation is confusing and gets in the way. The author also defines most concepts using generalized coordinates (instead of say... cartesian coordinates), which is cool if you are applying the concepts to complicated systems and need generalized coordinates, but I think it confuses the actual physics that are going on, at least for the beginner. Perhaps this is a great reference, but I do not see how you could learn the topic of classical mechanics from this book unless you are already very good at math, physics and mechanics to begin with.

Bought the book based upon the glowing reviews and got burned.

The book employs cryptic notation and lacks examples. It makes the simplest concepts confusing.

If you are a physics professor and already know the subject inside and out and want a book to torment students with -- this book is the one.