Which book is best for getting started on mechanics?

[Telemachus]

Hi there. I'm about to start my first course on mechanics. I'm a physics student just starting, and is the first time I'll study physics with some profundity. So I wanted your opinion and advices for my course. In the first place I wanted you to recommend me a book. Which book you think is the best for getting started on mechanics? I'm not sure which topics I'm going to see in this course, but I think it mustn't differ too much from one course to another, what we could call a "standard course".

So, what you say? thanks for participating.

Read you later!

 

[Curl]

I remember reading a book by Serway back when I was doing intro physics. Title was "physics for scientists and engineers". Make sure you get the calculus based version.

Also, if you are new to physics, how did you decide you want to be a physics major without knowing what physics is all about?

 

[cragar]

It also wouldn't be a bad idea to watch walter lewin's mit lectures on mechanics
8.01 is the course number . You can find them on youtube .

 

[Telemachus]

I remember reading a book by Serway back when I was doing intro physics. Title was "physics for scientists and engineers". Make sure you get the calculus based version.

Also, if you are new to physics, how did you decide you want to be a physics major without knowing what physics is all about?

Well, I have a general idea about classical mechanics, the Newtons laws, also about relativity and quantum mechanics, but now is my first time on a serious course. I had some little courses of physics at school before I've started college, and when I entered at the school. But now I'm going to see all this with a base on calculus. The topics I've seen before where the typical: cinematic, dynamics, even some thermodynamics. But the courses wasn't too "deep". In many cases we've learned some formulas but we never knew where that formulas came from. This was before I've started college, and then I had an exam on physics like that, but as I said this is the first time I considerate I'll be really "in touch" with physics.

Thanks you both.

Bye there.

 

[Pinu7]

Ahhh, so you mean like Lagrangian and Hamiltonian dynamics? These subjects are actually one of the hardest a physics student will encounter, and my personal favorite.

There are many great books on the subject, I suggest "Classical Mechanics" by Gregory as an introduction. It is a very modern introductory text.

However, if you want a "rigorous" Newtonian mechanics text, you can get the classic book from Kleppnar.