| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £2.50
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in The Variational Principles of Mechanics (Dover Books on Physics & Chemistry) for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £2.50, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I used this book as part of my second year course on analytical mechanics. I will summarise my thoughts on this book in a few bullet-points
*The book covers (roughly in order) variational calculus, virtual work, D'Alembert's principle, Lagrange's equations, the canonical equations & transformations, equations of Hamilton & Jacobi, relativistic mechanics and finally a historical survey.
*Lanczos is a remarkable writer, it is no wonder this book is considered a classic (albeit a lesser-known one.) A combination of an excellent writer and a fascinating topic.
*The style of the book is (somewhat) informal. He gives a more intuitive approach to most of the topics, including the motivation for each new concept, which is very enlightening (at least for myself.)
*Dover's catalogue describes this as a "philosophical" book. I would disagree with this - he dedicates perhaps three sections in total to the philosophical implications of the analytical method, and in one of those sections he states "[]...scientific treatises should avoid philosophical discussions, in the case of the variational principles, an exception to the rule may be tolerated...[]"
*This is not a book to use as a course textbook, more to "supplement" one's understanding.
*The book covers (roughly in order) variational calculus, virtual work, D'Alembert's principle, Lagrange's equations, the canonical equations & transformations, equations of Hamilton & Jacobi, relativistic mechanics and finally a historical survey.
*Lanczos is a remarkable writer, it is no wonder this book is considered a classic (albeit a lesser-known one.) A combination of an excellent writer and a fascinating topic.
*The style of the book is (somewhat) informal. He gives a more intuitive approach to most of the topics, including the motivation for each new concept, which is very enlightening (at least for myself.)
*Dover's catalogue describes this as a "philosophical" book. I would disagree with this - he dedicates perhaps three sections in total to the philosophical implications of the analytical method, and in one of those sections he states "[]...scientific treatises should avoid philosophical discussions, in the case of the variational principles, an exception to the rule may be tolerated...[]"
*This is not a book to use as a course textbook, more to "supplement" one's understanding.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Cornelius Lanczos is the figure of paramount importance in
the fields of Theoretical Physics,
Applied Mathematics and Numerical Algorithms.
In his lucid treatment of variational calculus Lanczos
conscisely sums up the ideas that form foundation
of the mathematical apparatus of contemporary fundamental physics. A must reading for any Graduate Student in
Physics.
the fields of Theoretical Physics,
Applied Mathematics and Numerical Algorithms.
In his lucid treatment of variational calculus Lanczos
conscisely sums up the ideas that form foundation
of the mathematical apparatus of contemporary fundamental physics. A must reading for any Graduate Student in
Physics.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
18 reviews
55 of 56 people found the following review helpful
A Treasure
17 April 2003
Format:Paperback
Surely Lanzcos is one of the few educators that compare to Feynman. This book presents an exceptionally lucid and engaging development of the main variational principles of mechanics with the discussion of Noethers theorem being the most cogent I've seen. While the problems may not be exceedingly difficult, this is because the problems are intended to illuminate the ideas under discussion.
Lanzcos divides mechanics very roughly into two camps, the vectorial/one-form viewpoint versus variational/analytical view. Since Lanzcos aspires to the variational view, the criticism concerning the lack of discussion of vectorial/one-form is rather moot and explains why there are not a great number of drawings. While this may be a problem for some, in my view figures can convey a false sense of understanding.
This is not a work that one can skim, it expects considerable reflection on the contents. We all differ in our needs and wants but in my view, this exposition exudes a truly infectious sense of wonder that such simple ideas could be so powerful and beautiful. But since no one book in this field may suffice for all one might also consider "Mechanics: From Newton's Laws to Deterministic Chaos" by Florian Scheck which admittedly covers mathematical methods that Lanzcos does not yet fails to capture the essence of the ideas as well as the Lanzcos text does.
51 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Timeless classic, masterful ...
20 Dec 2006
Format:Paperback
If you ask 10 PhD scientists: "Why is Schrodinger's Equation complex?" (contains the square-root of minus one), 9 out of 10 won't be able to give you the correct answer.
It has little to do with taking the root of negative numbers. After reading Lanczos you will know it has do with "space" and what is a proper physical law. (Now you have to read the book to parse this sentence. Good.)
This is one of many wonderful insights Lanczos provides; with humor, wonder and crystal clarity. This is not a 'text book' on mechanics, you will get more out of it if you are familiar with the subject. He gives you understanding, not technique.
It is as if you can hum a few tunes. Reading Lanczos is experiencing the entire opera for the first time. Now you know the full story, how each aria is a part of the fabric; how each fits in the situation, the motivation behind it. The tunes you liked become richer, more profound, they are connected. The next time you sing you fancy you are a Caruso, a Puccini.
It is so rare to encounter a master who is also a gifted writer.
Some reviewers compare Lanczos to Feynman's Lectures, I agree partly. Lanczos is more literate and much more humble. Feynman is so busy being the genius from Brooklyn that his exposition is choppy and uneven. Lanczos is a better organizer and writer.
It has little to do with taking the root of negative numbers. After reading Lanczos you will know it has do with "space" and what is a proper physical law. (Now you have to read the book to parse this sentence. Good.)
This is one of many wonderful insights Lanczos provides; with humor, wonder and crystal clarity. This is not a 'text book' on mechanics, you will get more out of it if you are familiar with the subject. He gives you understanding, not technique.
It is as if you can hum a few tunes. Reading Lanczos is experiencing the entire opera for the first time. Now you know the full story, how each aria is a part of the fabric; how each fits in the situation, the motivation behind it. The tunes you liked become richer, more profound, they are connected. The next time you sing you fancy you are a Caruso, a Puccini.
It is so rare to encounter a master who is also a gifted writer.
Some reviewers compare Lanczos to Feynman's Lectures, I agree partly. Lanczos is more literate and much more humble. Feynman is so busy being the genius from Brooklyn that his exposition is choppy and uneven. Lanczos is a better organizer and writer.
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Lucid and elegant -- a true classic
28 Jan 2002
Format:Paperback
Lanczos' book is a compelling analysis of the principles of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics. It reminds me a bit of Feyman's Lectures on Physics because it focuses on the motivating principles behind advanced mechanics. In an elegant and flowing style, Lanczos guides the reader through a walking tour of the principles of mechanics, peppered with historical footnotes. If you understand how to use mechanics, but want to understand how the underlying principles are developed, this is an excellent choice.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Civil Engineering > Mechanics
- Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Education > Higher Education
- Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Engineering Physics
- Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Mechanical & Materials Engineering
- Books > Science & Nature > Mathematics > Education > Higher Education
- Books > Science & Nature > Physics > Mechanics
- Books > Science & Nature > Popular Science > Physics
- Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical > Physics > Mechanics > Classical Mechanics
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
