Foundations of Theoretical Mechanics I: The Inverse Problem in Newtonian Mechanics
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| Author | Ruggero Maria Santilli |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Texts and Monographs in Physics |
| Subject | Analytical mechanics, mathematical physics |
| Published | 1978 |
| Publisher | Springer |
| Pages | 266 |
| ISBN | 3540088741 |
Foundations of Theoretical Mechanics I: The Inverse Problem in Newtonian Mechanics is a 1978 monograph by the physicist Ruggero Maria Santilli, published by Springer-Verlag in the Texts and Monographs in Physics series.
Overview
The book presents the methodological foundations of theoretical mechanics, centering on the inverse problem: the question of when, and how, given Newtonian equations of motion — including generally nonconservative systems whose forces are not derivable from a potential — can be represented by Lagrange's or Hamilton's equations. Santilli studies (1) necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a Lagrangian or Hamiltonian representation, (2) methods for constructing them from the equations of motion, and (3) the consequences for transformation theory, symmetries, and first integrals of nonconservative systems. The work laid part of the groundwork for his later development of "hadronic mechanics."
About the author
Ruggero Maria Santilli is an Italian-American physicist known for his work on analytic mechanics and for founding "hadronic mechanics" and related "iso-, geno-, and hyper-" mathematics. A second volume, Foundations of Theoretical Mechanics II, appeared in 1983.
Publication details
- Author: Ruggero Maria Santilli
- Series: Texts and Monographs in Physics
- Publisher: Springer-Verlag, Berlin/Heidelberg
- Published: 1978
- ISBN: 3540088741