Classical Mechanics [Hardcover]

John R. Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005 | ISBN-10: 189138922X | ISBN-13: 978-1891389221

John Taylor has brought to his new 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 and covers such topics as 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, classified by topic and approximate difficulty, and ranging from simple exercises to challenging computer projects. 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. He manages to convey that excitement as well as deep understanding and insight.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A superb text. The clarity and readability of the book is so much better than anything else on the market." -- American Journal of Physics, April 2004

"Many of my students thought that Taylor's Classical Mechanics was the clearest textbook that they had ever used." -- Joel Fajans, University of California, Berkeley

"The book is excellent. The core of a truly superb mechanics course is covered in Taylor's text." -- Robert Pompi, State University of New York, Binghamton

About the Author

JOHN R. TAYLOR is Professor of Physics and Presidential Teaching Scholar at the University of Colorado, where he has won numerous teaching awards, served as Associate Editor of the American Journal of Physics, and received an Emmy Award for his television series called 'Physics 4 Fun'. He is also the author of three best-selling textbooks, including Introduction to Error Analysis.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 786 pages
• Publisher: University Science Books (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 189138922X
• ISBN-13: 978-1891389221
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #111,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #40 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Mechanics

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of them all, May 30, 2005

By 

Mark Semon (Lewiston, ME United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Classical Mechanics (Hardcover)

The five "reviews" before mine are all from undergraduate physics majors at Amherst College. All five students were in the same class, which used a pre-publication edition of Taylor's book. I think their reviews reflect these facts, and say more about the students than they do about the book.

That being said, I also used pre-publication editions, but as a professor teaching the class. Before this book I had used the other "standards" (Marion and Thorton, etc). Taylor's book is by far the best of all of them. In fact I enjoyed it so much that I gave the author a lot of feedback about the material covered in the chapters and the problems. I wouldn't have spent all that time on the book if I didn't believe it was one of the best physics books I've ever read.

I use the book in the Jr-Sr mechanics course at Bates College. Since our students have already had a semester of classical mechanics from the book by Kleppner and Kolenkow, I begin with Chapter Six in Taylor's book (Calculus of Variations). The presentation is meticulous, the concepts are explained clearly and correctly (not always the case in other books), and the examples are carefully chosen. The problems are carefully chosen and carefully worded. Sometimes they present new material, e.g., the Thomas Precession, the rapidity, etc., using examples that clearly illustrate the essential points.

I also have taught the first six chapters and they are very refreshing and well-written. They are at just the right level for a student coming out of a calculus-based introductory physics course and, in addition, give a wonderful discussion of air resistance and viscious forces as they apply to automobiles, oil drops in the Millikan experiment, and many other practical situations. The examples are quite interesting and informative, and it was refreshing to read Taylor's original treatment of this important yet often short-changed subject.

Although this is a "first" edition, it comes after several pre-publication editions, all of which were class tested. Consequently, material that students found hard to understand was rewritten, hints were added to some of the problems, and essentially all the typographical errors were discovered and corrected. So the book has none of the drawbacks usually associated with first editions.

I especially enjoyed the optional chapter on Chaos. It is one of the best presentations of this potentially confusing subject I have ever read.

I have assigned chapters for independent study to undergraduate senior thesis majors. All of them have commented on how helpful the book was to them and how easy it was to understand on their own.

In a post-use review in the American Journal of Physics (April 2004, Vol. 72, Issue 4, p. 559), Professor Gayle Cook said "I find this a superb text. The clarity and readability of the book is so much better than anything else on the market that I confidently predict it will soon be the most widely used book on the subject." The rest of her review is very informative and well worth reading.

Finally, to get an idea of the the clarity and excellence of John Taylor's work, be sure to look at the reviews on amazon.com of his book "An Introduction to Error Analysis."

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good for self-study, June 30, 2008

By 

M. Sergio (Italy) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Classical Mechanics (Hardcover)

I strongly recommend this book, it is well written, clear, without typographical errors, with many excercises which you can really do after having studied the text. Some people say it is verbose: sometimes it is true, BUT when you study alone it is a lot better to have more rather than less explanations. I wish there was a similar book on quantum mechanics. The binding is good and this adds to the good feeling of studying it. This book should become soon a bestseller. I suggest only to add the answers of the even-numbered problems, sometimes it may help.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, thorough, and enjoyable, July 12, 2007

By 

Mark Shapiro (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Classical Mechanics (Hardcover)

"Classical mechanics" is a brilliant book, certainly one of the very best at this level. The author doesn't save space when a thorough introduction to a topic or problem is needed. Very often an intuitive explanation is given first, followed by a formal exposition, and then comes the real gem - a qualitative discussion of the mathematical results which brings physics again in the picture with full force. The chapters on oscillations are outstanding, same as the exposition of generalized coordinates and generalized forces. Of course, not every detail in derivations has to be given, and it is the choice of what to include and what to skip that makes the flow of exposition logical and coherent. This book is a joy to read, it is excellent for self-study.