The Science Of Mechanics - A Critical And Historical Account Of Its Development [Paperback]

Ernst Mach (Author), Thomas McCormack (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2007

An Unabridged Printing To Include The Translator's Preface And Those Of The Third And Fourth Editions, With 250 Cuts And Illustrations - Chapter 1: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRINCIPLES OF STATICS - The Principle Of The Lever - The Principle Of The Inclined Plane - The Principle Of The Composition Of Forces - The Principle Of Virtual Velocities - Retrospect Of The Development Of Statics - The Principles Of Statics In Their Application To Fluids - The Principle Of Statics In Their Application To Gaseous Bodies - Chapter 2: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRINCIPLES OF DYNAMICS - Galileo's Achievements - The Achievements Of Huygens - The Achievements Of Newton - Discussion And Illustration Of The Principle Of Reaction - Criticism Of The Principle Of Reaction And Of The Concept Of Mass - Newton's Views Of Time, Space, And Motion - Synoptical Critique Of The Newtonian Enunciations - Retrospect Of The Development Of Dynamics - Chapter 3: THE EXTENDED APPLICATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF MECHANICS AND THE DEDUCTIVE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SCIENCE - Scope Of The Newtonian Principles - The Formulae And Units Of Mechanics - The Laws Of The Conservation Of Momentum, Of The Conservation Of The Center Of Gravity, And Of The Conservation Of Areas - The Laws Of Impact - D'Alembert's Principle - The Principle Of Vis Viva - The Principle Of Least Constraint - The Principle Of Least Action - Hamilton's Principle - Some Applications Of The Principles Of Mechanics To Hydrostatic And Hydrodynamic Questions - Chapter 4: THE FORMAL DEVELOPMENT OF MECHANICS - The Isoperimetrical problems - theological, animistic, and mystical points of view in mechanics - analytical mechanics - the economy of science - Chapter 5: THE RELATION OF MECHANICS TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS OF KNOWLEDGE - The Relations Of Mechanics To Physics - The Relations Of Mechanics To Physiology - Appendix - Chronological Table Of A Few Eminent Inquirers And Of Their More Important Mechanical Works - Comprehensive Index

Product Details

• Paperback: 628 pages
• Publisher: Merchant Books (July 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 160386024X
• ISBN-13: 978-1603860246
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,095,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A great book, but an awful printing..., October 13, 2007

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ANDREJS JANSONS "Andrejs" (Latvia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Science Of Mechanics - A Critical And Historical Account Of Its Development (Paperback)

Five stars for the content, three stars for this particular edition...

As far as this particular edition by Merchant Books of the famous Mach's "The Science of Mechanics" goes, the only excuse for the *very low* typographical quality is the low price (< $30). I always wanted to own a copy of this book, because, I believe, it is first book where the now famous "Mach's principle" (the debates among scientists have been ongoing for almost a century now !) has been stated. It is also famous for being a major influence to the young Albert Einstein in formulating the basic principles of his theory of general relativity. The price of the other editions seemed to be too steep for me, so, when this one came out, I instantly purchased it. Well, the major downside of the book is that the most of the formulas are printed terribly (for instance, most of the horizontal bars in formulas like A/B are missing, and they are also missing in most of the square root symbols (so they look more like the letter "V"). Fortunately, it requires only a couple of hours with a pencil and ruler in hand to correct all of these, as they all are self evident. The overall look of the text is like that of a photocopy of a photocopy of the original typographic text, which doesn't always please the eye. On the other hand it's <$30 vs. >$50, so it up to you to decide which edition to buy (and the $54 book is not ideal either)...