Advanced Dynamics

by Donald T. Greenwood

Advanced Dynamics is a broad and detailed description of the analytical tools of dynamics as used in mechanical and aerospace engineering. The strengths and weaknesses of various approaches are discussed, and particular emphasis is placed on learning through problem solving. The book begins with a thorough review of vectorial dynamics and goes on to cover Lagrange's and Hamilton's equations as well as less familiar topics such as impulse response, and differential forms and integrability. Techniques are described that provide a considerable improvement in computational efficiency over the standard classical methods, especially when applied to complex dynamical systems. The treatment of numerical analysis includes discussions of numerical stability and constraint stabilization. Many worked examples and homework problems are provided. The book is intended for use on graduate courses on dynamics, and will also appeal to researchers in mechanical and aerospace engineering.