Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics

navaburo

This is an unusual book which uses the Scheme programming language to functionally describe the various components of classical mechanics. I would say it is at the level of a graduate mechanics course (think Goldstein), however students with a strong programming background will find it easier.

I read some of this text online and then quickly decided I needed a real copy. So far I have read 1/3 of it and am simply in awe at the power of Scheme and functional notation (another technique it uses heavily). I feel I now write more elegant and generic code when I write simulations, as well as have a more powerful understanding of mechanics. Some day I would love to teach a course based on this text.

I can only imagine that many others would find this fascinating.

The FULL TEXT is available for viewing at this url:
http://mitpress.mit.edu/SICM/

And, if you are curious about the Scheme language, here is the best resource:
http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book.html

Enjoy!