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I came across this article about the near absence of continuum mechanics in university-level physics education:
http://www.troian.caltech.edu/papers/Gollub_PhysToday_Dec03.pdf
I have wondered this issue myself: why is continuum mechanics mainly studied by engineers rather than physicists, even though it is a fundamental field of physics?
The strange outcome is that classical mechanics appears to be the only branch of physics where the engineering approach is more complex than that of the physicists. Of course, continuum mechanics is merely an approximation, but it is certainly a more advanced approximation than point masses, rigid bodies and springs which the physicists are more familiar with when dealing with classical mechanics.
Any thoughts on this?
http://www.troian.caltech.edu/papers/Gollub_PhysToday_Dec03.pdf
I have wondered this issue myself: why is continuum mechanics mainly studied by engineers rather than physicists, even though it is a fundamental field of physics?
The strange outcome is that classical mechanics appears to be the only branch of physics where the engineering approach is more complex than that of the physicists. Of course, continuum mechanics is merely an approximation, but it is certainly a more advanced approximation than point masses, rigid bodies and springs which the physicists are more familiar with when dealing with classical mechanics.
Any thoughts on this?
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