Book with a good Introduction to Lagrangian Mechanics?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around recommendations for introductory books on Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics suitable for undergraduate students. Participants share their views on various texts and resources, considering the needs of beginners in the subject.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest Goldstein’s book on Classical Mechanics as a standard reference but note it may not be easy for self-study.
  • Others recommend Marion’s book on Classical Dynamics, although it is also considered more suitable for advanced undergraduates.
  • One participant highlights Morin’s book, mentioning a free chapter online that provides valuable insights not found in other texts.
  • A suggestion is made for Greiner’s book, which is said to be aligned with a more theoretical approach from the beginning of undergraduate studies.
  • Concerns are raised about Goldstein’s treatment of non-holonomic constraints, suggesting caution when using this text.
  • Participants discuss the relevance of online courses as supplementary resources for learning the material.
  • There is confusion regarding the academic level of the original poster, with some participants questioning whether they are in their first or third semester.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on the suitability of various textbooks for beginners, with no consensus on a single recommended book. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the best resources for introductory learning in Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note that previous recommendations may not align with the needs of a beginner, indicating a potential mismatch in the suggested resources. There is also uncertainty regarding the curriculum structure at different universities, particularly concerning the timing of analytical mechanics courses.

Who May Find This Useful

Undergraduate students seeking introductory resources on Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics, particularly those in their early semesters of study.

isher_mondal
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Hi, I am an undergraduate student in the 3rd sem, we have Lagrangian Mechanics in our course but I am unable to follow it properly. Can you please suggest me a book that will introduce me to Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Mechanics and slowly teach me how to do problems. I am beginner, so please answer the question keeping this in mind
 
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The gold standard here is Goldstein’s book on Classical Mechanics but I wouldn’t consider it to easy to self study from though I knew several students who did.

The second would be Marion’s book on Classical Dynamics but again it is for junior senior level undergrad physics.

Have you also considered online courses? They could be used to augment what you learn in the book.

some of our past threads shown below have some good references too. Here’s one such thread with several recommendations for books.

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/good-book-for-lagrangian-and-hamiltonian-mechanics.885257/
 
Morin, definitely. He also wrote a free chapter online about Hamiltonians. Includes valuable insights that I haven’t seen in other textbooks, even Goldstein.

Highly recommended.
 
jedishrfu said:
The gold standard here is Goldstein’s book on Classical Mechanics but I wouldn’t consider it to easy to self study from though I knew several students who did.

The second would be Marion’s book on Classical Dynamics but again it is for junior senior level undergrad physics.

Have you also considered online courses? They could be used to augment what you learn in the book.

some of our past threads shown below have some good references too. Here’s one such thread with several recommendations for books.

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/good-book-for-lagrangian-and-hamiltonian-mechanics.885257/

Thank you for answering. Well as far as the link to the thread you posted is concerned, the books suggested there were for a student in final year of bsc...and i am just a beginner here. So the link could not help me.
Regarding the online courses thing that you talked about, can you suggest me some links please?
 
How about the Book by Greiner? It comes out of the Frankfurt tradition, where theoretical physics was taught from the 1st semester on and analytical (Hamilton-Lagrange) mechanics thus was the subject of the theory lecture in the 2nd semester:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F758Q7M/?tag=pfamazon01-20

I'm a bit careful with respect to recommend Goldstein. Though it's a standard textbook for many years, there are some quibbles concerning non-holonomous constraints within the least-action-principle approach, leading to wrong equations. If you read this book, be careful when it comes to non-holonomous constraints. As far as I remember the equations Goldstein derives using d'Alembert's principle are the correct ones, but not those from the least-action principle (though both are equivalent as soon as you do the correct variations, which are those of the "virtual displacements" as in d'Alembert's principle).
 
isher_mondal said:
Thank you for answering. Well as far as the link to the thread you posted is concerned, the books suggested there were for a student in final year of bsc...and i am just a beginner here. So the link could not help me.
Regarding the online courses thing that you talked about, can you suggest me some links please?

Morin's chapter on Lagrangian mechanics is here:

http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~djmorin/chap6.pdf
 
I'm not too familiar with the theory curricular at non-German universities, but isn't "Analytical Mechanics" a subject in the first year of the undergraduate studies? AFAIK in the final year isn't there the theory subject not rather quantum mechanics and electrodynamics (including special relativity)?
 
  • #10
isher_mondal said:
I am an undergrad 1st year student in Physics
isher_mondal said:
I am an undergraduate student in the 3rd sem,

Which is it?

isher_mondal said:
Can you suggest me a basic Classical Mechanics book of undergrad level that will help to learn about Newton's law,...
isher_mondal said:
an you please suggest me a book that will introduce me to Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Mechanics

Again, which is it?
 

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