Mechanics, Tensors & Virtual Works: Tensors and Virtual Works

This is a course of Analytical Mechanics which synthesizes the notions of the first level mechanics and leads to various disciplines by introducing mathematical concepts as tensor and virtual works. Mechanics, Tensors & Virtual Works is designated to be used for a first one-semester course in Mechanics at the upper undergraduate level. It is intended for third year students in mathematics, physics and engineering. Most of the text comes from this level courses that the author taught at universities and engineering schools. In the particular case where such a course cannot be taught to engineers, a lot of introduced matters constitute the mathematical and mechanical bases of applied engineering mechanics. The various chapters connect the notions of mechanics of first and second year with the ones which are developed in more specialized subjects as continuum mechanics at first, and fluid-dynamics, quantum mechanics, special relativity, general relativity, electromagnetism, stellar dynamics, celestial mechanics, meteorology, applied differential geometry, and so on. This book is the ideal mathematical and mechanical preparation for the above-mentioned specialized disciplines. This is a course of Analytical Mechanics which synthesizes the notions of first level mechanics and leads to the various mentioned disciplines by introducing mathematical concepts as tensor and virtual work methods. Analytical mechanics is not only viewed as a self-sufficient mathematical discipline, but as a subject of mechanics preparing for theories of physics and engineering too. One of the author's goals has been to reduce the gap between first and second academic cycles. The intensive use of the tensor calculus contributes to this reduction. The main subjects of mechanics of the first academic cycle are set in this context and let "handle" tensors.