Classical mechanics is the foundational subject of physics; it’s ideas and concepts pervade all of physics and engineering. This course will introduce you to the fundamentals of classical mechanics as described by the Newtonian formulation.nnExcerpts from the Classical Mechanics Wikipedia entry:nnClassical mechanics is a physical theory describing the motion of macroscopic objects, from projectiles to parts of machinery and astronomical objects, such as spacecraft, planets, stars, and galaxies. For objects governed by classical mechanics, if the present state is known, it is possible to predict how it will move in the future (determinism), and how it has moved in the past (reversibility).nnThe “classical” in “classical mechanics” does not refer to classical antiquity, as it might in, say, classical architecture. Instead, the qualifier distinguishes classical mechanics from physics developed after the revolutions of the early 20th century, which revealed limitations of classical mechanics.nnThe earliest formulation of classical mechanics is often referred to as Newtonian mechanics. It consists of the physical concepts based on foundational works of Sir Isaac Newton, and the mathematical methods invented by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Joseph-Louis Lagrange, Leonhard Euler, and other contemporaries in the 17th century to describe the motion of bodies under the influence of forces.nnClassical mechanics provides accurate results when studying large objects that are not extremely massive and speeds not approaching the speed of light.nnWe will also briefly cover Thermodynamics which may be described as:nnthe branch of physics that deals with the conversion of one form of energy into another, especially the conversion of heat into other forms of energy.nnNineteenth-century engineers inaugurated the study of thermodynamics to discover what ultimate limitations the laws of physics impose on the operation of steam engines and other machines that generate mechanical energy.nnSource: Ohanian, Hans C., and John T. Markert. “Physics for engineers and scientists.” (2007).
