Fundamentals of Dynamics and Analysis of Motion

Designed for a first-year graduate-level course in dynamics for students in physics and engineering, this text will also be useful for self-study and as a reference book for students working in this area. Prerequisites include previous courses in statics, calculus, and basic ordinary differential equations. The treatment stresses the fundamentals of setting up and solving dynamics problems rather than the indiscriminate use of elaborate formulas.
Topics include essential material for dynamics, kinematics and dynamics of point masses, kinematic analysis of planar mechanisms, special dynamical properties in a system of point masses, and dynamics of rigid bodies in "simpler" planar motion. Additional subjects include an introduction to dynamics of rigid bodies in general motion, an introduction to analytical dynamics, and vibrations and oscillations of dynamical systems. The appendixes include tutorials on relevant software as well as answers to selected problems and references for advanced study.

Marcelo R. M. Crespo da Silva taught at the University of Cincinnati from 1971 to 1986, after which he joined the faculty at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he is now Professor Emeritus in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering.