Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics

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The book "Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics" employs the Scheme programming language to present classical mechanics concepts in a functional manner, suitable for graduate-level study. Readers with a strong programming background may find the material more accessible. The author expresses admiration for the elegance of Scheme and its impact on coding simulations and understanding mechanics. There is interest in finding supplementary video lectures related to the book, though none are available from MIT. The full text and additional resources on Scheme are accessible online.
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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!
 
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Do you know of any video lectures to go with this book? I know that none exists from MIT, but maybe another school uses this book and posted lectures.

Chris
 

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