Introduction to Analytical Mechanics

The author’s aim is primarily to familiarise readers with the fundamental concepts of analytical mechanics and continuum mechanics and to expand upon them to such an extent that they form a bridge linking basic courses in mathematics and physics at technical universities, thereby enabling interested students to study highly specialised literature in these fields without difficulty. In the book, the author employs various perspectives and different notations so that the exposition reflects the diversity commonly found in specialist literature, which the reader is certain to encounter in the future. The structure of the text is formally closer to that of mathematics textbooks. Definitions, fundamental laws and the results derived from them are emphasised here. The main text is supplemented at the end by a series of examples. The book is based on lectures delivered during master’s and doctoral studies at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology.