Our exploration of the theoretical underpinnings
of modern physics begins with classical mechanics,
the mathematical physics worked out by Isaac Newton
(1642–1727) and later by Joseph Lagrange (1736–1813)
and William Rowan Hamilton (1805–1865). We will
start by taking a close look at Newtonian mechanics
and the integral concepts of force, momentum, and
gravity. Later, when we turn our attention to Lagrangian
and Hamiltonian mechanics, we will delve into potential
and kinetic energy, the principle of least action, and
chaos theory.
This course marks the beginning of a six-quarte
