Classical mechanics, narrowly dened, is the investigation of the motion
of systems of particles in Euclidean three-dimensional space, under the
influence of specied force laws, with the motion's evolution determined
by Newton's second law, a second order dierential equation. That
is, given certain laws determining physical forces, and some boundary
conditions on the positions of the particles at some particular times, the
problem is to determine the positions of all the particles at all times.
We will be discussing motions under specic fundamental laws of great
physical importance, such as Coulomb's law for the electrostatic force
between charged particles. We will also discuss laws which are less
fundamental, because the motion under them can be solved explicitly,
allowing them to serve as very useful models for approximations to more
complicated physical situations, or as a testbed for examining concepts
in an explicitly evaluatable situation. Techniques suitable for broad
classes of force laws will also be developed.