Newtonian Dynamics: An Introduction

by Richard Fitzpatrick

Overview

This textbook provides a comprehensive review of Newtonian dynamics at a level suitable for undergraduate physics students. It demonstrates that Newton’s three laws of motion, combined with a few simple force laws, not only can describe the motions of everyday objects observed on the surface of the Earth, but can also account for the motions of celestial objects seen in the sky. It helps bridge the problematic transition between elementary physics courses and upper-division physics courses. The book starts off at a level suitable for undergraduate (freshman) physics students and very gradually increases, until, toward the end, it approaches (but does not quite reach) a level characteristic of a graduate (senior) physics course.

Each chapter of the book ends with a large number of numerical and analytical exercises and, in all appropriate cases, the final answers to the exercises are specified. The large number of exercises will allow students to accurately test their understanding of the material presented in the book, ideal for students who are self-studying or are taking classes remotely.

Key Features:

• Provides a brief and accessible introduction to a complex topic
• Contains a more thorough treatment of the motions of heavenly bodies than conventional elementary mechanics texts
• Provides a wealth of end-of-chapter exercises to test understanding

Richard Fitzpatrick is a Professor of physics at the University of Texas at Austin, USA, where he has been a faculty member since 1994. He is a member of the Royal Astronomical Society, a fellow of the American Physical Society, and the author of several textbooks.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032046624
Publisher:	CRC Press
Publication date:	12/21/2021
Pages:	284
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Richard Fitzpatrick is a Professor of physics at the University of Texas at Austin, USA, where he has been a faculty member since 1994. He is a member of the Royal Astronomical Society, a fellow of the American Physical Society, and the author of several textbooks.

Table of Contents

Preface 
Acknowledgements 

Measurement and Units
/Mks Units 
Standard Prefixes 
/Other Units.
Dimensional Analysis  
Experimental Errors 
Exercises 

Motion in One Dimension
Introduction 
/Displacement 
/Velocity 
/Acceleration 
/Motion with Constant Velocity 
/Motion with Constant Acceleration 
Useful Results 
Free-Fall Under Gravity 
Exercises 

Motion in Three Dimensions
Introduction 
/Vector Mathematics 
/Scalars and Vectors 
/Vector Algebra
/Cartesian Components of a Vector 
/Coordinate Transformations 
/Scalar Product 
/Vector Product 
/Vector Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration
/Motion with Constant Velocity 
/Motion with Constant Acceleration
/Projectile Motion 
Relative Velocity 
Exercises

Newton's Laws of Motion
Introduction 
Newton's First Law of Motion 
Newton's Second Law of Motion 
Measurement of Force 
Newton's Third Law of Motion 
/Mass, Weight, and Reaction
/Block Resting on Earth's Surface 
/Block in an Elevator 
/Suspended Masses 
/Block Suspended by a Single Cable 
/Block Suspended by Three Cables
/Two Blocks Suspended by Five Cables 
Many Blocks Suspended by Many Cables 
/Catenary 
/Suspension Bridge 
/Cable-Pulley Systems 
/Simple Pulley 
/Compound Pulley 
/Table Pulley 
Atwood Machine 
/Velocity-Dependent Forces
/Friction 
Inclined Planes 
/Smooth Planes 
/Rough Planes 
/Frames of Reference 
Exercises 

Conservation of Energy
Introduction 
/Energy Conservation During Free-Fall 
/Work 
/Conservative and Non-Conservative Force-Fields 
/Potential Energy 
/Hooke's Law 
/Motion in a General One-Dimensional Potential 
Power 
Exercises 

Conservation of Momentum
Introduction 
/Two-Component Systems 
/Hot-Air Balloon 
/Cannon and Cannonball 
/Multi-Component Systems 
/Explosion of Krypton 
/Rocket Science 
/Impulses 
/Bouncing Ball 
One-Dimensional Collisions 
/Elastic Collisions 
Totally Inelastic Collisions 
Inelastic Collisions 
/Two-Dimensional Collisions 
Exercises 

Circular Motion 
Introduction 
/Uniform Circular Motion
/Centripetal Acceleration 
/Rotating Weight on the End of a Cable 
/Banked Curve 
/Conical Pendulum 
Non-Uniform Circular Motion 
/Vertical Pendulum 
/Motion on Curved Surfaces 
/Fairground Ride 
/Skier on a Hemispherical Mountain 
Exercises 

Rotational Motion
Introduction
/Rigid Body Rotation 
Is Rotation a Vector? 
/Center of Mass 
/Centroid of Regular Pyramid 
/Moment of Inertia 
/Perpendicular Axis Theorem 
/Parallel Axis Theorem 
/Moment of Inertia of a Circular Disk
Standard Moments of Inertia 
Torque 
Power and Work 
Translational Motion Versus Rotational Motion 
/Unwinding Pulley 
Physics of Baseball Bats
/Combined Translational and Rotational Motion 
/Cylinder Rolling Down a Rough Incline
Exercises

Angular Momentum
Introduction 
Angular Momentum of a Point Particle 
Angular Momentum of an Extended Object 
Angular Momentum of a Multi-Component System 
/Conservation of Angular Momentum 
/Two Movable Weights on a Rotating Rod 
/Figure Skater 
/Bullet Striking a Pivoted Rod 
/Spinning Top
Exercises 

Statics
Introduction 
/Principles of Statics 
/Equilibrium of a Laminar Object 
/Rods and Cables 
/Horizontal Rod Suspended from Two Cables 
/Pivoting Horizontal Rod Supported by a Cable
/Ladders and Walls 
/Jointed Rods 
/Tipping or Sliding?
Exercises

Oscillatory Motion 
Introduction 
/Simple Harmonic Motion 
Torsion Pendulum 
/Simple Pendulum 
/Compound Pendulum 
Exercises 

Rotating Reference Frames
Introduction 
/Rotating Reference Frames 
/Centrifugal Acceleration 
/Coriolis Force
/Foucault Pendulum 
Exercises 

Newtonian Gravity 
Introduction 
Universal Gravity 
/Surface Gravity 
/Gravitational Potential Energy 
/Escape Velocity 
Circular Orbits 
/Lunar Orbital Period 
/Geostationary Satellites 
Exercises 

Orbital Motion
Introduction 
/Kepler's Laws 
/Planetary Equations of Motion 
/Conic Sections 
/Kepler's Second Law 
/Kepler's First Law 
/Kepler's Third Law 
/Orbital Parameters 
/Orbital Energies 
/Transfer Orbits 
/Low-Eccentricity Orbits 
/Two-Body Dynamics 
/Binary Star Systems 
Exercises

Gravitational Potential Theory
Introduction
/Gravitational Potential
/Axially-Symmetric Mass Distributions 
/Gravitational Potential due to a Uniform Sphere 
/Gravitational Potential Outside a Uniform Spheroid 
/Rotational Flattening 
/Rotational Flattening of Earth 
/Tidal Elongation 
/Tidal Elongation of Earth due to Moon
/Tidal Elongation of Earth due to Sun
/Ocean Tides 
/Luni-Solar Precession 
Exercises

Useful Mathematics 
/Calculus 
Series Expansions 
/Trigonometric Identities 
/Hyperbolic Identities 
/Complex Identities 
/Vector Identities 

Bibliography
Index