--- title: Classical Mechanics description: Classical mechanics is the study of the motion of macroscopic bodies under the influence of forces. You will understand Newtonian, Lagrangian, and Hamiltonian formulations, enabling you to model and solve the dynamics of particles, rigid bodies, and oscillating systems. category: mathematics subcategory: mathematical-physics difficulty: beginner, intermediate, advanced url: /subject/classical-mechanics --- # Classical Mechanics Classical mechanics is the study of the motion of macroscopic bodies under the influence of forces. You will understand Newtonian, Lagrangian, and Hamiltonian formulations, enabling you to model and solve the dynamics of particles, rigid bodies, and oscillating systems. ## Available Resources 1 Books • 9 Courses • 4 Websites ## Websites ### 1. Physics Stack Exchange - Classical Mechanics The classical-mechanics tag on Physics Stack Exchange, where physicists and students answer questions on Newtonian, Lagrangian, and Hamiltonian dynamics. Useful for resolving specific conceptual confusions and seeing how practitioners set up and check mechanics problems. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/classical-mechanics **Tags:** classical-mechanics, q-and-a, problem-solving, newtonian-mechanics, physics-community ### 2. Khan Academy Physics Free sequence of short video lessons, articles and practice exercises covering introductory physics: kinematics, forces, energy, momentum, rotation, fluids, thermodynamics, waves, electricity and magnetism. Learners build the conceptual and problem-solving foundation expected in a first college physics course. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics **Tags:** physics, classical-mechanics, kinematics, newtonian-mechanics, practice-problems ### 3. David Tong: Lectures on Classical Dynamics **Author:** David Tong Cambridge Part II lecture notes, roughly 130 pages, moving from Newtonian dynamics and rigid bodies into the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms: phase space, Liouville's theorem, Poisson brackets, canonical transformations and Hamilton-Jacobi theory. Chapter PDFs and problem sheets included. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://davidtong.org/teaching/classical-dynamics/ **Tags:** classical-mechanics, hamiltonian-mechanics, lagrangian-mechanics, hamilton-jacobi, lecture-notes ### 4. Wolfram MathWorld **Author:** Eric W. Weisstein MathWorld is an online mathematics encyclopedia from Wolfram Research offering detailed, browsable articles on topics across the math spectrum, including algebra, geometry, calculus, and number theory. Each entry includes definitions, theorems, formulas, diagrams, worked examples, and links to further reading. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://mathworld.wolfram.com **Tags:** mathematics-reference, encyclopedia, abstract-algebra, number-theory, geometry ## Courses ### 1. Classical Mechanics (MIT 8.01SC) **Author:** Deepto Chakrabarty, Peter Dourmashkin, Michelle Tomasik et al. First-year Newtonian mechanics in self-study form: kinematics, Newton's laws, momentum, work and energy, torque, angular momentum, rotation and oscillations. 205 short lecture videos and problem sets teach learners to apply force and conservation-law methods to predict how bodies move. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/8-01sc-classical-mechanics-fall-2016/ **Tags:** newtonian-mechanics, kinematics, conservation-laws, rotational-motion, angular-momentum, oscillations ### 2. Classical Mechanics III (MIT 8.09) **Author:** Iain Stewart Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics, constraints, rigid body dynamics, vibrations, central forces, Hamilton-Jacobi theory, action-angle variables and perturbation theory, with introductions to fluid mechanics, turbulence and chaos. Includes about 200 pages of lecture notes and problem sets. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/8-09-classical-mechanics-iii-fall-2014/ **Tags:** lagrangian-mechanics, hamiltonian-mechanics, rigid-body-dynamics, hamilton-jacobi-theory, perturbation-theory, chaos ### 3. Fundamentals of Physics I (Mechanics) Yale's introductory calculus-based physics sequence, recorded in full: Newton's laws, conservation of energy and momentum, rotational motion, oscillations, special relativity, thermodynamics, and waves. Videos come with transcripts, problem sets, and exams for self-paced study. **Difficulty:** Advanced | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://oyc.yale.edu/physics/phys-200 **Tags:** newtonian mechanics, conservation laws, oscillations, special relativity, thermodynamics ### 4. Classical Mechanics Stanford lecture series reformulating mechanics around the principle of least action: Lagrangians, Hamiltonians, phase space, Poisson brackets, and the link between symmetry and conservation laws. Aimed at adults with calculus who want the physicist's framework, not engineering problem drills. **Difficulty:** Advanced | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL09HhnlAMGuoh-m56T8zm5yH6oG-_Ufi5 **Tags:** lagrangian mechanics, hamiltonian mechanics, principle of least action, conservation laws, phase space ### 5. Mechanics of Materials (MIT 3.11) **Author:** David Roylance Mechanical properties of ceramics, metals and polymers and how processing and microstructure control them, plus continuum stress and strain, truss forces, shaft torsion and beam bending. Roylance's open textbook modules and problem sets prepare learners to design structures from a materials standpoint. **Difficulty:** Advanced | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/3-11-mechanics-of-materials-fall-1999/ **Tags:** mechanics-of-materials, stress-and-strain, beam-bending, torsion, mechanical-properties ### 6. Introduction to Modeling and Simulation (MIT 3.021J) **Author:** Markus Buehler, Jeffrey Grossman Introduces continuum methods, atomistic and molecular simulation, and quantum mechanical modeling applied to engineering and materials problems, using web-based simulation tools rather than heavy programming. Includes 11 lecture videos, lecture slides and problem sets for hands-on practice with each method. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/3-021j-introduction-to-modeling-and-simulation-spring-2012/ **Tags:** computational-modeling, continuum-mechanics, molecular-dynamics, atomistic-simulation, quantum-mechanics ### 7. Thermodynamics & Kinetics (MIT 5.60) **Author:** Keith A. Nelson, Moungi Bawendi Physical chemistry of macroscopic systems: the laws of thermodynamics, equilibrium properties, chemical equilibrium of reactions in gas and solution phase, and rates of chemical reactions. Includes 36 lecture videos, lecture notes and exams, enabling learners to predict reaction equilibria and analyze kinetic data. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/5-60-thermodynamics-kinetics-spring-2008/ **Tags:** thermodynamics, chemical-kinetics, physical-chemistry, chemical-equilibrium ### 8. Dynamics (MIT 16.07) **Author:** Sheila Widnall, John Deyst, Edward Greitzer Newtonian mechanics for aerospace engineers: kinematics, accelerated reference frames, work and energy, impulse and momentum, and 2D and 3D rigid-body dynamics, with orbital mechanics and attitude dynamics. Provides 32 lecture note files, problem sets and exams for building and predicting particle and rigid-body models. **Difficulty:** Intermediate | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/16-07-dynamics-fall-2009/ **Tags:** rigid-body-dynamics, kinematics, newtonian-mechanics, orbital-mechanics, attitude-dynamics ### 9. The Theoretical Minimum: Classical Mechanics **Author:** Leonard Susskind Ten recorded Stanford lectures by Leonard Susskind building from Newton's laws to phase space, the principle of least action, Hamilton's equations, Poisson brackets and Liouville's theorem, deriving conservation laws from symmetries throughout. Videos are free on YouTube. The lowest-friction on-ramp to the Hamiltonian formulation for someone without a graduate background: Susskind derives Hamilton's equations and Poisson brackets specifically to set up the jump to quantum mechanics. **Difficulty:** Beginner | **Language:** English | **Price:** Free **Link:** https://theoreticalminimum.com/courses/classical-mechanics/2011/fall **Tags:** classical-mechanics, hamiltonian-mechanics, poisson-brackets, physics, lecture-series ## Books ### 1. Classical Mechanics (3rd Edition) **Author:** Herbert Goldstein, Charles Poole, John Safko The standard graduate course text. Chapters eight through ten build Hamilton's equations, canonical transformations, Poisson brackets and Hamilton-Jacobi theory, closing with the wave-mechanics analogy that leads into quantum theory, backed by extensive worked problems. **Difficulty:** Advanced | **Language:** English | **Price:** Paid **Link:** https://www.amazon.com/dp/0201657023?tag=edmonddante07-20 **Tags:** classical-mechanics, hamiltonian-mechanics, canonical-transformations, poisson-brackets, textbook --- *This content is part of Dantes.io - Your Treasure Map to Knowledge* *Curated by humans at Dantes.io. Personal study use welcome; republishing this curation requires permission (team@dantes.io).* View this page online: https://dantes.io/subject/classical-mechanics