Product Description

This best-selling classical mechanics text, written for the advanced undergraduate one- or two-semester course, provides a complete account of the classical mechanics of particles, systems of particles, and rigid bodies. Vector calculus is used extensively to explore topics.The Lagrangian formulation of mechanics is introduced early to show its powerful problem solving ability.. Modern notation and terminology are used throughout in support of the text's objective: to facilitate students' transition to advanced physics and the mathematical formalism needed for the quantum theory of physics. CLASSICAL DYNAMICS OF PARTICLES AND SYSTEMS can easily be used for a one- or two-semester course, depending on the instructor's choice of topics.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #122819 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 672 pages

Review
"An excellent balance of basic and advanced level classical mechanics, ideal for a junior level Physics courses."

"I like the order of topics: the early discussion of linear and non-linear oscillations and the early presentation of Lagrangian/Hamiltonian dynamics. I also like the problems at the end of the chapters."

"Good discussion of classical subjects."

About the Author
Stephen Thornton is Professor of Physics at the University of Virginia. He has over 120 research publications in experimental nuclear physics and served as the initial Director of the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics. He has been a Fulbright fellow (twice) and a Max Planck fellow to do research in Germany. In recent years he has become more involved in physics and science education, having served as Chair of AAPT's Committee on Science Education for the Public and as President of the Virginia Association of Science Teachers. He has developed distance learning physics and physical science courses for K-12 teachers and taught courses and workshops for thousands of K-12 teachers, including many websites with hands-on activities. He has revitalized the lab/workshop taken by engineering students. He is the author of three physics textbooks, including CLASSICAL DYNAMICS with Jerry Marion and MODERN PHYSICS with Andrew Rex, both published by Thomson - Brooks/Cole.

Customer Reviews

It was not a book!!!!!
They just sent me a CD, not a book. I wanted to have a hard copy!!!! The .pdf file is not worth for the price I paid for.

Like so many other science books, not worth the money
I used this book as a physics undergrad in the mid '90s. Like so many others on this site, my copy of M&T split in half before the semester was even half over. I'd sure love my $80 back plus interest...

I thought some of the later chapters were quite good -- particularly the one on Lagrangian dynamics -- but the first few chapters didn't strike me as particularly well written. More than a decade later, I can still recall a problem in Chapter 2 that wasn't even remotely covered anywhere in the chapter itself. It somehow managed to survive to the 4th edition, and I'd be willing to bet it's in the 5th as well.

There were lots of things I liked about Marion and Thornton, but generally speaking, if students are expected to plunk down this kind of money for texts on fairly venerable topics, the content should be QA-tested, and the book itself should be reasonably well-constructed.

Great Reference text
Pros: Great reference text. The examples are clear and there are generally a lot of them. The notation is generally very readable.


Cons: The price. As with almost any physics text, this one is most easily understood if you can compare it to another book of the same level (might I recommend Taylor?) However, the price of this book makes that impractical at best.

This book is a good text. It is one of the first books that physics students encounter after their introductory courses which makes for a very challenging semester. I think that may be why it has recieved so many poor reviews. . .