Ebook: Classical Mechanics: Point Particles and Relativity (Classical Theoretical Physics)

This is a fantastic book for the motivated physics student.
It is the best "theoretical" approach to Newtonian physics that I have found. At the University level, motivated Physics students are left with the frustration of taking their first few Physics courses with students who are majoring in Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, Pre-med, etc., etc. This leaves the situation where material is presented "watered down" and entirely non-theoretical in order to allow all students to follow along.
For the motivated Physics major, this can be quite frustrating. The first thing many of them do in that situation is begin a path of self-study to go along with the dry classroom presentation of the material. However, the search for a more mathematically driven "theoretic" approach to mechanics leads almost entirely to Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalism.

This book presents Newtonian mechanics in all its theoretical "math nerd" glory. All necessary mathematical topics are covered with "physics rigor" that allows you to gain a usable knowledge of the mathematics in a minimal time. It has been the only book I've found that sticks to Newtonian mechanics, yet avoids the point and click "apply equation X here" methods that most introductory University texts give. I used it as a supplement to my assigned physics book for Mechanics and Heat and felt exceedingly more prepared than my fellow students with each succeeding chapter.

If you're a motivated student, I highly suggest picking up this book. The first year or two of a University Physics program can be uncomfortably dry....and you'll hear many times that students don't feel like they're doing "real" physics until their Junior year. This book will allow you the feel of doing "real physics" while sticking to the Newtonian mechanics that you'll use for your courses. By the end of the book, you'll feel comfortable with all the mathematical derivations and applications of Newtonian mechanics, have a solid grasp of harmonic oscillations, have a solid background in solving ordinary differential equations, feel comfortable with matrix algebra applications, and get the enjoyment that comes with doing "real physics" a good year or two before your classmates.

My only complaint is with some of the presentation of relativity. It is still well above average, but I didn't find it to be the asset of a self-study supplement that it was for freshman physics.