Mathematical Models of Solids and Fluids: a short introduction

This textbook provides an introduction to continuum mechanics, which models the behaviour of elastic solids and viscous fluids. It assumes only a working knowledge of classical mechanics, linear algebra and multivariable calculus. Every chapter contains exercises, with detailed solutions. The book is aimed at undergraduate students from scientific disciplines. Mathematics students will find examples of applications involving techniques from different branches of mathematics, such as geometry and differential equations. Physics students will find a gentle introduction to the notions of stress and material laws. Engineering students will find examples of classic exactly-solvable problems. The emphasis is on the thorough derivation of exact solutions, but estimates of the relevant orders of magnitude are provided.

Pascal Grange is Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.