John Taylor has brought to his most recent book, Classical Mechanics, all of the clarity and insight that made his Introduction to Error Analysis a best-selling text. Classical Mechanics is intended for students who have studied some mechanics in an introductory physics course, such as “freshman physics". With unusual clarity, the book covers most of the topics normally found in books at this level, including conservation laws, oscillations, Lagrangian mechanics, two-body problems, non-inertial frames, rigid bodies, normal modes, chaos theory, Hamiltonian mechanics, and continuum mechanics. A particular highlight is the chapter on chaos, which focuses on a few simple systems, to give a truly comprehensible introduction to the concepts that we hear so much about. At the end of each chapter is a large selection of interesting problems for the student, 744 in all, classified by topic and approximate difficulty, and ranging from simple exercises to challenging computer projects. Adopted by more than 450 colleges and universities in the USA and Canada and translated into six languages, Taylor's Classical Mechanics is a thorough and very readable introduction to a subject that is four hundred years old but as exciting today as ever. The author manages to convey that excitement as well as deep understanding and insight. Ancillaries A detailed Instructors' Manual is available for adopting professors. Art from the book may be downloaded by adopting professors.

Table of Contents:
PART I: THE ESSENTIALS Chapter 1: Newton's Laws of Motion 1.1 Classical Mechanics 1.2 Space and Time 1.3 Mass and Force 1.4 Newton's First and Second Laws; Inertial Frames 1.5 The Third Law and Conservation of the Momentum 1.6 Newton's Second Law in Cartesian Coordinates 1.7 Two-Dimensional Polar Coordinates 1.8 Problems for Chapter 1 Chapter 2: Projectiles and Charged Particles 2.1 Air Resistance 2.2 Linear Air Resistance 2.3 Trajectory and Range in a Linear Motion 2.4 Quadratic Air Resistance 2.5 Motion of a Charge in a Uniform Magnetic Field 2.6 Complex Exponentials 2.7 Solution for the Charge in a B Field 2.8 Problems for Chapter 2 Chapter 3: Momentum and Angular Momentum 3.1 Conservation of Momentum 3.2 Rockets 3.3 The Center of Mass 3.4 Angular Momentum for a Single Particle 3.5 Angular Momentum for Several Particles 3.6 Problems for Chapter 3 Chapter 4: Energy 4.1 Kinetic Energy and Work 4.2 Potential Energy and Conservative Forces 4.3 Force as the Gradient of Potential Energy 4.4 The Second Condition that F be Conservative 4.5 Time-Dependent Potential Energy 4.6 Energy for Linear One-Dimensional Systems 4.7 Curvilinear One-Dimensional Systems 4.8 Central Forces 4.9 Energy of Interaction of Two Particles 4.10 The Energy of a Multiparticle System 4.11 Problems for Chapter 4 Chapter 5: Oscillations 5.1 Hooke's Law 5.2 Simple Harmonic Motion 5.3 Two-Dimensional Oscillators 5.4 Damped Oscillators 5.5 Driven Damped Oscillations 5.6 Resonance 5.7 Fourier Series 5.8 Fourier Series Solution for the Driven Oscillator 5.9 The RMS Displacement; Parseval's Theorem 5.10 Problems for Chapter 5 Chapter 6: Calculus of Variations 6.1 Two Examples 6.2 The Euler-Lagrange Equation 6.3 Applications of the Euler-Lagrange Equation 6.4 More than Two Variables 6.5 Problems for Chapter 6 Chapter 7: Lagrange's Equations 7.1 Lagrange's Equations for Unconstrained Motion 7.2 Constrained Systems; an Example 7.3 Constrained Systems in General 7.4 Proof of Lagrange's Equations with Constraints 7.5 Examples of Lagrange's Equations 7.6 Conclusion 7.7 Conservation Laws in Lagrangian Mechanics 7.8 Lagrange's Equations for Magnetic Forces 7.9 Lagrange Multipliers and Constraint Forces 7.10 Problems for Chapter 7 Chapter 8: Two-Body Central Force Problems 8.1 The Problem 8.2 CM and Relative Coordinates; Reduced Mass 8.3 The Equations of Motion 8.4 The Equivalent One-Dimensional Problems 8.5 The Equation of the Orbit 8.6 The Kepler Orbits 8.7 The Unbonded Kepler Orbits 8.8 Changes of Orbit 8.9 Problems for Chapter 8 Chapter 9: Mechanics in Noninertial Frames 9.1 Acceleration without Rotation 9.2 The Tides 9.3 The Angular Velocity Vector 9.4 Time Derivatives in a Rotating Frame 9.5 Newton's Second Law in a Rotating Frame 9.6 The Centrifugal Force 9.7 The Coriolis Force 9.8 Free Fall and The Coriolis Force 9.9 The Foucault Pendulum 9.10 Coriolis Force and Coriolis Acceleration 9.11 Problems for Chapter 9 Chapter 10: Motion of Rigid Bodies 10.1 Properties of the Center of Mass 10.2 Rotation about a Fixed Axis 10.3 Rotation about Any Axis; the Inertia Tensor 10.4 Principal Axes of Inertia 10.5 Finding the Principal Axes; Eigenvalue Equations 10.6 Precession of a Top Due to a Weak Torque 10.7 Euler's Equations 10.8 Euler's Equations with Zero Torque 10.9 Euler Angles 10.10 Motion of a Spinning Top 10.11 Problems for Chapter 10 Chapter 11: Coupled Oscillators and Normal Modes 11.1 Two Masses and Three Springs 11.2 Identical Springs and Equal Masses 11.3 Two Weakly Coupled Oscillators 11.4 Lagrangian Approach; the Double Pendulum 11.5 The General Case 11.6 Three Coupled Pendulums 11.7 Normal Coordinates 11.8 Problems for Chapter 11 PART II: FURTHER TOPICS Chapter 12: Nonlinear Mechanics and Chaos 12.1 Linearity and Nonlinearity 12.2 The Driven Damped Pendulum or DDP 12.3 Some Expected Features of the DDP 12.4 The DDP; Approach to Chaos 12.5 Chaos and Sensitivity to Initial Conditions 12.6 Bifurcation Diagrams 12.7 State-Space Orbits 12.8 Poincare Sections 12.9 The Logistic Map 12.10 Problems for Chapter 12 Chapter 13: Hamiltonian Mechanics 13.1 The Basic Variables 13.2 Hamilton's Equations for One-Dimensional Systems 13.3 Hamilton's Equations in Several Dimensions 13.4 Ignorable Coordinates 13.5 Lagrange's Equations vs. Hamilton's Equations 13.6 Phase-Space Orbits 13.7 Liouville's Theorem 13.8 Problems for Chapter 13 Chapter 14: Collision Theory 14.1 The Scattering Angle and Impact Parameter 14.2 The Collision Cross Section 14.3 Generalizations of the Cross Section 14.4 The Differential Scattering Cross Section 14.5 Calculating the Differential Cross Section 14.6 Rutherford Scattering 14.7 Cross Sections in Various Frames 14.8 Relation of the CM and Lab Scattering Angles 14.9 Problems for Chapter 14 Chapter 15: Special Relativity 15.1 Relativity 15.2 Galilean Relativity 15.3 The Postulates of Special Relativity 15.4 The Relativity of Time; Time Dilation 15.5 Length Contraction 15.6 The Lorentz Transformation 15.7 The Relativistic Velocity-Addition Formula 15.8 Four-Dimensional Space-Time; Four-Vectors 15.9 The Invariant Scalar Product 15.10 The Light Cone 15.11 The Quotient Rule and Doppler Effect 15.12 Mass, Four-Velocity, and Four-Momentum 15.13 Energy, the Fourth Component of Momentum 15.14 Collisions 15.15 Force in Relativity 15.16 Massless Particles; the Photon 15.17 Tensors 15.18 Electrodynamics and Relativity 15.19 Problems for Chapters 15 Chapter 16: Continuum Mechanics 16.1 Transverse Motion of a Taut String 16.2 The Wave Equation 16.3  Boundary Conditions; Waves on a Finite String 16.4 The Three-Dimensional Wave Equation 16.5 Volume and Surface Forces 16.6 Stress and Strain: the Elastic Moduli 16.7 The Stress Tensor 16.8 The Strain Tensor for a Solid 16.9 Relation between Stress and Strain: Hooke's Law 16.10 The Equation of Motion for an Elastic Solid 16.11 Longitudinal and Transverse Waves in a Solid 16.12 Fluids: Description of the Motion 16.13 Waves in a Fluid 16.14 Problems for Chapter 16