Mechanics

When most people—and many engineers—think of “Mechanics” they think of solid mechanics. Courses, textbooks and other materials are arranged accordingly. In the past, however, mechanics were considered as a whole, and this included solid mechanics, fluid mechanics and other behaviors of physical bodies. Professor Strelkov’s book is a return to the older approach, not just for its own sake but also to give the student or practitioner alike a broader view of the principles involved. The book is thus divided into three parts: I.The first part is the Mechanics of Rigid Bodies, which include the topics of statics, dynamics, kinetics and kinematics. It includes the introduction of vector analysis and the application of vectors to the solution of these problems.. It also includes material on energy and impulse/momentum, which are applied in fluid mechanics as well. Other topics include friction (Coulombic and rolling) and the gravitational attraction of bodies. II. The second part is the Mechanics of Deformable Bodies. This not only includes solid bodies which deform under stress but also fluids, both compressible and incompressible. Considered also are the actions of moving fluids on bodies and (conversely) the behavior of bodies passing through fluids such as aircraft. III. The last part considers more specialised topics such as vibrations and oscillations of mechanical systems, acoustics, vibrations in a continuous medium (as illustrated on this cover) and the fundamentals of the special theory of relativity. Mechanics is an excellent introduction to what is probably the fundamental topic for scientists and engineers in the physical world.