Book Description

Excerpt from Elementary Vector Analysis With Application to Geometry and Physics My object in writing this book was to provide a simple exposition of elementary Vector Analysis, and to show how it may be employed with advantage in Geometry and Mechanics. It was thought unnecessary, in the present volume, to enter upon the more advanced parts of the subject, built upon the ideas of gradient, curl and divergence. Vector algebra and the differentiation of vectors with respect to one scalar variable furnish a powerful instrument even for the higher parts of dynamics. The work does not claim to be a complete text-book in either Geometry or Mechanics, though a good deal of ground is covered in both subjects. The use of vector analysis in the former is abundantly illustrated by the treatment of the straight line, the plane, the sphere and the twisted curve, which are dealt with as fully as in most elementary books, and a good deal more concisely. In Mechanics I have explained and proved all the important elementary principles. The equations of equilibrium for a rigid body are deduced from the equations of motion. This is contrary to the ordinary practice and, of course, is not recommended for young beginners. But for a student who is able to read this volume, it is certainly desirable to show that the principles of statics are only particular cases of the dynamical ones, and that the long line of argument followed by text-books in Statics, to prove the theorems about moments, parallel forces, couples and the equilibrium of bodies, is really unnecessary. All these theorems are immediately deducible from the equations of motion of a rigid body, as shown in Chapter VIII. Another departure from the ordinary practice has been made in connection with the theory of centroids. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.