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An Introduction To Mechanics
In the years since it was first published in 1973 by McGraw-Hill, this classic introductory textbook has established itself as one of the best-known and most highly regarded descriptions of Newtonian mechanics. Intended for undergraduate students with foundation skills in mathematics and a deep interest in physics, it systematically lays out the principles of vectors, Newton's laws, momentum, energy, rotational motion, angular momentum and noninertial systems, and includes chapters on central force motion, the harmonic oscillator, and relativity. Numerous worked examples demonstrate how the principles can be applied to a wide range of physical situations, and more than 600 figures illustrate methods for approaching physical problems. The book also contains over 200 challenging problems to help the student develop a strong understanding of the subject. Password-protected solutions are available for instructors at www.cambridge.org/9780521198219.
600 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1973
83 people are currently reading
498 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Kleppner
14 books4 followersDaniel Kleppner was an American physicist who was the Lester Wolfe Professor Emeritus of Physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and co-founder and co-director of the MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms. His areas of science included atomic, molecular, and optical physics, and his research interests included experimental atomic physics, laser spectroscopy, and high precision measurements.
Together with Robert J. Kolenkow, he authored a popular textbook An Introduction to Mechanics for advanced students.
Together with Robert J. Kolenkow, he authored a popular textbook An Introduction to Mechanics for advanced students.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 7, 2013
I just saw the movie, Gravity. They took some liberties with physics in order to move the plot along and I'm not going to post any spoilers here.
However, I gotta recommend the appendix at the end of this book about satellite orbits and the minimum energy path to boost a satellite into (nearly) circular orbit. It's a must-read. There are newer editions, but I have the old first edition. Classical mechanics doesn't change much. ;-)
I found a pdf of the old version here:
http://www.maths.tcd.ie/~kovacs/Teach...
Gravity (the movie) got some science right, and a lot of it wrong. With this book, you can figure out what is what. But suspend disbelief and enjoy the movie anyway.
However, I gotta recommend the appendix at the end of this book about satellite orbits and the minimum energy path to boost a satellite into (nearly) circular orbit. It's a must-read. There are newer editions, but I have the old first edition. Classical mechanics doesn't change much. ;-)
I found a pdf of the old version here:
http://www.maths.tcd.ie/~kovacs/Teach...
Gravity (the movie) got some science right, and a lot of it wrong. With this book, you can figure out what is what. But suspend disbelief and enjoy the movie anyway.
January 11, 2015
This is a college-level, book covering the principles of basic classical and relativistic mechanics. Usually covering the first year of a Physics/Engineering course, without the treatment of wave motion.
Well wirtten and organized, the explanations are quite clear and easy to understand. It begins with the most fundamental aspects, such as Newton's Laws of Motion and gradualy builds up to more complicated fenomena. Most theorical notions are explained in two or three different ways that require different mathematical knowledge, because of that, and the existence of an introductory chapter on mathematics, it shouldn't be too difficult to understand even with only high-school mathematics. However, some explanations do require basic differentiation and intagration, and because there is no need for clever arguments to get to the point they tend to be more easy to follow.
Together with the theorical text there is a plethora of examples each describing a new aspect of said theory, and these are really well chosen and carried out, the only deficiency is that the sometimes the reader only is informed on the objective at the end. The notations used is quite clear and leaves very few to interpretation. Also there are several exercises at the end of each chapter with varying degrees of difficulty, having the only major flaw in the book, these do not come with solutions, only a handfull of them have a complete solution.
Another good aspect is the philosofical discussion present, teaching too critical reasoning and to try to see hidden consequences of some theories.
Overall it is a great book to begin learning physics.
Well wirtten and organized, the explanations are quite clear and easy to understand. It begins with the most fundamental aspects, such as Newton's Laws of Motion and gradualy builds up to more complicated fenomena. Most theorical notions are explained in two or three different ways that require different mathematical knowledge, because of that, and the existence of an introductory chapter on mathematics, it shouldn't be too difficult to understand even with only high-school mathematics. However, some explanations do require basic differentiation and intagration, and because there is no need for clever arguments to get to the point they tend to be more easy to follow.
Together with the theorical text there is a plethora of examples each describing a new aspect of said theory, and these are really well chosen and carried out, the only deficiency is that the sometimes the reader only is informed on the objective at the end. The notations used is quite clear and leaves very few to interpretation. Also there are several exercises at the end of each chapter with varying degrees of difficulty, having the only major flaw in the book, these do not come with solutions, only a handfull of them have a complete solution.
Another good aspect is the philosofical discussion present, teaching too critical reasoning and to try to see hidden consequences of some theories.
Overall it is a great book to begin learning physics.
August 9, 2015
Such A great book for mechanic .
The base of physics can be taught in it, And it's Even Magnificent for Astronomy Readers.
I've read The First 5,6 Chapters and Chapter 8 and It was Unbelievable And I enjoyed Reading it , Every second of it.
The Exercises at the end were Totally Helpful , And the Examples During the lessons helped To understand the main things, much more.
I also Recommend Arya the books for mechanics for mechanical Lessons or physics.
The base of physics can be taught in it, And it's Even Magnificent for Astronomy Readers.
I've read The First 5,6 Chapters and Chapter 8 and It was Unbelievable And I enjoyed Reading it , Every second of it.
The Exercises at the end were Totally Helpful , And the Examples During the lessons helped To understand the main things, much more.
I also Recommend Arya the books for mechanics for mechanical Lessons or physics.
July 17, 2025
it was alright..
August 19, 2019
Read this beautiful book back in late 2014/early 2015. Very well written. It's at the right level for freshmen, who know some univariate calculus, know some precalc physics, but haven't yet been exposed to multivariate calculus. This book is kind of like another one of my favourites, Purcell's Electricity and Magnetism, in that it introduces vector calculus in an essentially self-contained way, intertwined with the physics. The way it teaches problem solving is phenomenal - this book sort of took me up a gear. If you're a physics or engineering freshman, or if you're just a bright kid wanting to learn some real physics, you might want to give this a go. Especially recommended for the freshmen though - before you learn Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics, you should first learn to appreciate the elegance of the good ol' Newtonian mechanics.
May 25, 2022
Very good introductory text for Classical Mechanics. Slightly more rigorous than the standard books used for beginning undergrads.
September 17, 2022
Extremely difficult/intense introductory text but I suppose it taught me well.
December 31, 2022
O MAIORAL!!!!!
December 4, 2023
This book got me crying all the semester hahah lol
December 8, 2023
it's a classic
December 31, 2023
Comically difficult problem sets.
March 7, 2024
Standard for a reason.
June 4, 2024
This book violated me
November 29, 2024
A solidly reliable textbook for classical mechanics at the intermediate level. It uses mathematics up to multivariable and vector calculus. Diagrams are elaborately drawn. The authors take care to explain the concepts really well. Its discussion of special relativity is, however, outdated. Today, the use of imaginary numbers in the Minkowski spacetime has fallen out of favor and been replaced by four-vector notation.
March 19, 2016
Solid textbook. It was required for my course General Physics I, but I found myself using more the 'good ol' Berkeley', which is imho, the better one as it provided much better explanations and much more math.
March 7, 2014
Great book for mechanics.
February 29, 2020
Valuable source of knowledge. I enjoyed.
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June 29, 2007there are many examples for each title and i think it is perfect
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews