Introduction to Mechanics and Symmetry: A Basic Exposition of Classical Mechanical Systems (Texts in Applied Mathematics) (Hardcover)

by Jerrold E. Marsden (Author), Tudor S. Ratiu (Author) "Mechanics deals with the dynamics of particles, rigid bodies, continuous media (fluid, plasma, and elastic materials), and field theories such as electromagnetism and gravity..." (more)
Key Phrases: coadjoint orbit symplectic structure, fluid bracket, infinitesimal equivariance, Lie Poisson, Euler Lagrange, Hamilton Jacobi (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"The book is self-contained.It remains a good and solid introduction to this subject."Nieuw Archief voor Wiskunde, March 2001 "... This book takes the reader on one of the greatest journeys in modern mathematics that has as its roots a subject that is more than 300 years old. Armed with this knowledge a reader is ready to pursue numerous topics of active mathematical research, from the more pure domains of symplectic geometry and topology to the geometric analysis of the limitless supply of examples from mechanics."Newsletter of the Newzealand Mathematical Society, No. 81, April 2001 Second Edition J.E. Marsden and T.S. Ratiu Introduction to Mechanics and Symmetry A Basic Exposition of Classical Mechanical Systems "As the name of the book implies, a consistent theme running through the book is that of symmetry. Indeed the latter half of the book focuses on Poisson manifolds, momentum maps, Lie-Poisson reduction, co-adjoint orbits and the integrability of the rigid body. The discussion of reduction must be the most comprehensive yet given. A pleasant feature of the book is that most of the theory that relates to finite-dimensional mechanical systems is illustrated concretely in terms of local coordinates, thereby making the book accessible even to beginners in the field."—MATHEMATICAL REVIEWS

Product Description
Contains the basic theory of mechanics and symmetry. Designed to develop the basic theory and applications of mechanics with an emphasis on the role of symmetry. DLC: Mechanics, Analytic.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 584 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 2nd edition (December 13, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038798643X
• ISBN-13: 978-0387986432
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #355,126 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Style and Grace, April 26, 2006

By	Cole from Newcastle "Cannot believe what pass... - See all my reviews

As mathematically sophisticated as Arnold but, unlike Arnold, Marsden has the good grace to properly define fundamentals such as the various spaces and transformations used. The introductory exposition of similarities and differences of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics is most helpful and refreshing.

13 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars certainly not for self-study, April 13, 2005

By	Honest Thoughts "Honest Thoughts" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is for Engineers. The back cover of the book says that it is accessible to advanced undergrads... to engineers etc. I am doing PhD in engineering and I have taken many classes in Math (including differential geometry, topology, analysis, PDEs, abstract algebra) and Mechanics. With great difficulty
I read this book (about 50% of the book). It is not well-organized.

The theory is not carefully developed. For example, the first
chapter is one of the difficult chapters to understand all the
things as it tries to give the summary of the book. The Chapter
9 (on Lie groups) says that the definition on Lie Algebra is
in the Introduction (it is not clear whether it is in the Introduction of the chapter or in the Introduction of the
book). After seeing in the index, one can find that it is in the Introduction of the text. If a person is encountering this
kind of stuff for the first time, how will he remember what is given in the Chapter 1 (given the fact that Chapter 1 is the
one of the difficult chapters to read in this book). Do n't you think it is logical to give this important definition in Chapter 9 as the previous chapters does not require this definition.

The book may be suited for a class as the professor will guide
the students. But for self-study, I do not recommend this book.
Instead I recommend the book by Arnold. Though the book by
Arnold is not as sophisticated as Marsden, it gives nice
picture for an engineer.

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars whatch the index, June 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Introduction to Mechanics and Symmetry: A Basic Exposition of Classical Mechanical Systems (Texts in Applied Mathematics ; 17) (Paperback)

I truely liked the book, but in the edition I have got, the whole index is messed up, i.e. you find the keyword a few pages below the page given in the index. Probably this blunder will not be repeated in coming up editions...I hope so, because the book is worth being used.