Fundamentals of Applied Dynamics Hardback

An introductory engineering textbook by an award-winning MIT professor that covers the history of dynamics and the dynamical analyses of mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical systems. This introductory textbook offers a distinctive blend of the modern and the historical, seeking to encourage an appreciation for the history of dynamics while also presenting a framework for future learning.

The text presents engineering mechanics as a unified field, emphasizing dynamics but integrating topics from other disciplines, including design and the humanities. The book begins with a history of mechanics, suitable for an undergraduate overview.

Subsequent chapters cover such topics as three-dimensional kinematics; the direct approach, also known as vectorial mechanics or the momentum approach; the indirect approach, also called lagrangian dynamics or variational dynamics; an expansion of the momentum and lagrangian formulations to extended bodies; lumped-parameter electrical and electromagnetic devices; and equations of motion for one-dimensional continuum models.

The book is noteworthy in covering both lagrangian dynamics and vibration analysis.

The principles covered are relatively few and easy to articulate; the examples are rich and broad.

Summary tables, often in the form of flowcharts, appear throughout.

End-of-chapter problems begin at an elementary level and become increasingly difficult.

Appendixes provide theoretical and mathematical support for the main text.