INTERMEDIATE DYNAMICS FOR AERONAUTICS & ASTRONAUTICS

Based on more than 10 years of teaching intermediate dynamics at the Air Force Institute of Technology, this book is suitable as a text for a graduate-level or advanced undergraduate-level course in 3-dimensional dynamics, or as a reference. The methods and techniques presented have been tested in the classroom, and have facilitated several research projects undertaken by the author. The basics of vector mathematics in three-dimensional space is introduced in the first chapter, and is facilitated by a vector notation that encourages a thorough understanding of kinematic and dynamic variables. Subsequent chapters cover particle kinematics, particle dynamics, rigid body kinematics, and rigid body dynamics using the framework of Newtonian mechanics. Energy and variational approaches, including Hamilton's Law of Varying Action, Hamilton's Principle, and Lagrange's Equation are introduced in Chapter 6. Each chapter includes solved problems, which demonstrate the concepts covered in the chapter, as well as additional problems that may be used as practice