A Student's Guide To Lagrangians And Hamiltonians

Product Description

A concise but rigorous treatment of variational techniques focussing primarily on Lagrangian & Hamiltonian systems this book is ideal for physics engineering & mathematics students The book begins by applying Lagrange's equations to a number of mechanical systems It introduces the concepts of generalized coordinates & generalized momentum Following this the book turns to the calculus of variations to derive the Euler-Lagrange equations It introduces Hamilton's principle & uses this throughout the book to derive further results The Hamiltonian Hamilton's equations canonical transformations Poisson brackets & Hamilton-Jacobi theory are considered next The book concludes by discussing continuous Lagrangians & Hamiltonians & how they are related to field theory Written in clear simple language & featuring numerous worked examples & exercises to help students master the material this book is a valuable supplement to courses in mechanics