Advanced Dynamics

Description

Advanced Dynamics is a broad and detailed description of the analytical tools of dynamics as used in mechanical and aerospace engineering. The strengths and weaknesses of various approaches are discussed, and particular emphasis is placed on learning through problem solving. The book begins with a thorough review of vectorial dynamics and goes on to cover Lagrange's and Hamilton's equations as well as less familiar topics such as impulse response, and differential forms and integrability. Techniques are described that provide a considerable improvement in computational efficiency over the standard classical methods, especially when applied to complex dynamical systems. The treatment of numerical analysis includes discussions of numerical stability and constraint stabilization. Many worked examples and homework problems are provided. The book is intended for use on graduate courses on dynamics, and will also appeal to researchers in mechanical and aerospace engineering.

Donald T. Greenwood received his PhD from the California Institute of Technology, and is a Professor Emeritus of aerospace engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Before joining the faculty at Michigan he worked for the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, and has also held visiting positions at the University of Arizona, the University of California, San Diego, and ETH Zurich. He is the author of two previous books on dynamics.

'Were I planning a course on Analytical Mechanics I would be happy to use this text as a back-up reference and more than pleased to make use of the wealth of problems.' Contemporary Physics