Classical Mechanics (Goldstein)
Classical Mechanics is a textbook written by Herbert Goldstein, a professor at Columbia University. Intended for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students, it has been one of the standard references on its subject around the world since its first publication in 1950.[1][2]
Author
Non-fiction
Addison-Wesley
1951, 1980, 2002
United States of America
xviii + 638
Overview[edit]
In the second edition, Goldstein corrected all the errors that had been pointed out, added a new chapter on perturbation theory, a new section on Bertrand's theorem, and another on Noether's theorem. Other arguments and proofs were simplified and supplemented.[3]
Before the death of its primary author in 2005, a new (third) edition of the book was released, with the collaboration of Charles P. Poole and John L. Safko from the University of South Carolina.[4] In the third edition, the book discusses at length various mathematically sophisticated reformations of Newtonian mechanics, namely analytical mechanics, as applied to particles, rigid bodies and continua. In addition, it covers in some detail classical electromagnetism, special relativity, and field theory, both classical and relativistic. There is an appendix on group theory. New to the third edition include a chapter on nonlinear dynamics and chaos, a section on the exact solutions to the three-body problem obtained by Euler and Lagrange, a discussion of the damped driven pendulum that explains the Josephson junctions. This is counterbalanced by the reduction of several existing chapters motivated by the desire to prevent this edition from exceeding the previous one in length. For example, the discussions of Hermitian and unitary matrices were omitted because they are more relevant to quantum mechanics rather than classical mechanics, while those of Routh's procedure and time-independent perturbation theory were reduced.[5]
Reception[edit]
First edition[edit]
S.L. Quimby of Columbia University noted that the first half of the first edition of the book is dedicated to the development of Lagrangian mechanics with the treatment of velocity-dependent potentials, which are important in electromagnetism, and the use of the Cayley-Klein parameters and matrix algebra for rigid-body dynamics. This is followed by a comprehensive and clear discussion of Hamiltonian mechanics. End-of-chapter references improve the value of the book. Quimby pointed out that although this book is suitable for students preparing for quantum mechanics, it is not helpful for those interested in analytical mechanics because its treatment omits too much. Quimby praised the quality of printing and binding which make the book attractive.[6]
In the Journal of the Franklin Institute, Rupen Eskergian noted that the first edition of Classical Mechanics offers a mature take on the subject using vector and tensor notations and with a welcome emphasis on variational methods. This book begins with a review of elementary concepts, then introduces the principle of virtual work, constraints, generalized coordinates, and Lagrangian mechanics. Scattering is treated in the same chapter as central forces and the two-body problem. Unlike most other books on mechanics, this one elaborates upon the virial theorem. The discussion of canonical and contact transformations, the Hamilton-Jacobi theory, and action-angle coordinates is followed by a presentation of geometric optics and wave mechanics. Eskergian believed this book serves as a bridge to modern physics.[7]
Writing for The Mathematical Gazette on the first edition, L. Rosenhead congratulated Goldstein for a lucid account of classical mechanics leading to modern theoretical physics, which he believed would stand the test of time alongside acknowledged classics such as E.T. Whittaker's Analytical Dynamics and Arnold Sommerfeld's Lectures on Theoretical Physics. This book is self-contained and is suitable for students who have completed courses in mathematics and physics of the first two years of university. End-of-chapter references with comments and some example problems enhance the book. Rosenhead also liked the diagrams, index, and printing.[8]