ClassicalMechanics

HerbertGoldstein? Classical Mechanics 2nd Ed. [ISBN 0201029693 (amazon.com, search)]

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Begins one page 1 with the mechanics of a particle, with Newton's Second Law of Motion, proceedes through sucessively more sophisticated analyses of more complicated systems, works its way up to special relativistic field theory and Noether's Theorem. It contains along the way one of the most lucid introductions to tensors available.

It closes on page 596 with these words: ''Having come full circle, as it were, and rederived by sophisticated techniques symmetry theorems found in the first chapters, it seems an appropriate point to end our discussions."

Then text is never less than clear, even when discussing the most abstruse topics. Goldstein is even prepared to joke about the incomprehensibility that many treatments of mechanics fall into. A fine example of textbook writing.

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A BookOnTheBookshelf.