AN INTRODUCTION TO MECHANICS – SECOND EDITION / مقدمة في علم الميكانيكا – الإصدار الثاني

An Introduction to Mechanics grew out of a one-semester course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology—Physics 8.012—intended for students who seek to understand physics more deeply than the usual freshman level.
In the four decades since this text was written physics has moved forward on many fronts but mechanics continues to be a bedrock for concepts such as inertia, momentum, and energy; fluency in the physicist’s approach to problem-solving—an underlying theme of this book—remains priceless.
The positive comments we have received over the years from students, some of whom are now well advanced in their careers, as well as from faculty at M.I.T. and elsewhere, reassure us that the approach of the text is fundamentally sound.
We have received many suggestions from colleagues and we have taken this opportunity to incorporate their ideas and to update some of the discussions.
We assume that our readers know enough elementary calculus to differentiate and integrate simple polynomials and trigonometric functions.
We do not assume any familiarity with differential equations.
Our experience is that the principal challenge for most students is not with understanding mathematical concepts but in learning how to apply them to physical problems.
This comes with practice and there is no substitute for solving challenging problems. Consequently problem-solving takes high priority.
We have provided numerous worked examples to help provide guidance.
Where possible we try to tie the examples to interesting physical phenomena but we are unapologetic about totally pedagogical problems.
A block sliding down a plane is sometimes mocked as the quintessentially dull physics problem but if one allows the plane to accelerate, the system takes on a new complexion.