Classical Textbooks of celestial mechanics

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on a request for classical mechanics resources, particularly those with a focus on celestial mechanics and mathematical rigor. The original poster expresses interest in understanding Kepler orbits and seeks textbooks that provide rigorous mathematical derivations, such as why orbits around the sun are elliptical. However, a response cautions that while Abraham and Marsden's "Foundations of Mechanics" offers a highly abstract and sophisticated mathematical treatment, it may not effectively teach practical physics or problem-solving skills. The conversation also highlights the necessity of understanding Hamiltonian formalism and perturbation theories for a serious study of celestial mechanics, suggesting that many existing textbooks in this area are challenging and somewhat outdated.
Santiago24
Messages
32
Reaction score
6
Hi I'm reading classical mechanics by Taylor and there is a section about Kepler orbits that i find very interesting so i'd like to see more of classical mechanics with space applications. I appreciate rigouros mathematical books, thanks
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Are you sure you're after mathematical rigour? Abraham and Marsden's book Foundations of Mechanics contains a ridiculously abstract and mathematically-sophisticated exposition of celestial mechanics but it won't teach you much physics, or indeed how to solve many practical problems (!).
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes Santiago24 and vanhees71
Well, mathematical rigor and mathematical sophistication are not the same things.

In any case, I'm also interested in introductory textbooks for Celestial mechanics. I'm under the impression that any serious study of celestial mechanics requires a lot of knowledge of the Hamiltonian formalism and Hamiltonian perturbation theories (but that comes from reading books on analytical mechanics). The few books I know on celestial mechanics are quite hard and somewhat old.
 
Reply
  • Like
Likes ergospherical, vanhees71 and Santiago24
ergospherical said:
Are you sure you're after mathematical rigour? Abraham and Marsden's book Foundations of Mechanics contains a ridiculously abstract and mathematically-sophisticated exposition of celestial mechanics but it won't teach you much physics, or indeed how to solve many practical problems (!).
I want to see the mathematical derivation of things like why orbits around the sun are elliptical in Taylor book, thanks for the recommendations!
 

Thread 'Opinions/personal experiences on the following four CompSci books'

For the following four books, has anyone used them in a course or for self study? Compiler Construction Principles and Practice 1st Edition by Kenneth C Louden Programming Languages Principles and Practices 3rd Edition by Kenneth C Louden, and Kenneth A Lambert Programming Languages 2nd Edition by Allen B Tucker, Robert E Noonan Concepts of Programming Languages 9th Edition by Robert W Sebesta If yes to either, can you share your opinions about your personal experience using them. I...
View full post »

Thread 'Ashcroft and Mermin: revised edition'

Hi, I have notice that Ashcroft, Mermin and Wei worked at a revised edition of the original solid state physics book (here). The book, however, seems to be never available. I have also read that the reason is related to some disputes related to copyright. Do you have any further information about it? Did you have the opportunity to get your hands on this revised edition? I am really curious about it, also considering that I am planning to buy the book in the near future... Thanks!
View full post »

Thread 'How is Jackson’s Electrodynamics taught during undergraduate?'

I’ve heard that in some countries (for example, Argentina), the curriculum is structured differently from the typical American program. In the U.S., students usually take a general physics course first, then move on to a textbook like Griffiths, and only encounter Jackson at the graduate level. In contrast, in those countries students go through a general physics course (such as Resnick-Halliday) and then proceed directly to Jackson. If the slower, more gradual approach is considered...
View full post »

Similar threads

Classical The best introductory mechanics textbook
Replies
39
Views
7K
Classical Trying to pinpoint the name of an old mechanics textbook
Replies
11
Views
2K
Classical Source recommendation on Differential Geometry
Replies
6
Views
3K
Quantum Identifying an old quantum mechanics textbook
Replies
47
Views
5K
Advice on Resources -- A really good classical mechanics book?
Replies
9
Views
3K
Books to read before Arnold's Classical Mechanics
Replies
5
Views
2K
Classical Which books are good for reviewing classical mechanics?
Replies
17
Views
2K
Algebra Find Algebraic Physics Courses Starting with Classical Mechanics - Dan
Replies
14
Views
4K
Classical What are the best intermediate Newtonian mechanics textbooks?
Replies
23
Views
5K
Topics in Young & Friedman's University Physics
Replies
1
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top