ELEMENTS OF NEWTONIAN MECHANICS
Including Nonlinear Dynamics

Nearly half of this book consists of examples. These examples form an absolutely essential part of the text and should by no means be skipped. The authors believe that Newton's ideas on the subtle problem of motion can be assimilated only by working with Newton's equations applied to concrete examples.

Listening to lectures is not enough. All processes of learning are somehow connected to active participation, and the learning of physics is no exception. To underline this viewpoint we have, at the beginning of the course, always written on the blackboard, as a kind of motto:

At Home

by Your Desk.

Nearly all the chapters in the book are followed by a set of problems. Very few of these problems are simple "plug-in" exercises. Most problems will demand some independent thinking. If you cannot solve all the problems at first try, do not despair. We have good advice which has worked for many students: study the text, and in particular the examples, one, two, ... many times over. In the end, you will succeed.

For several problems you will need some parameters, e.g., the mass of the Earth, the distance of the Earth from the Sun, etc. The numbers you need can all be found on the inside of the cover of the book. Answers to the problems are found at the back of the book. Throughout the book SI units have been used. Relevant SI units can be found on the inside of the cover.