This elegant book presents a rigorous introduction to the theory of nonlinear mechanics and chaos. It turns out that many simple mechanical systems suffer from a peculiar malady. They are deterministic in the sense that their motion can be described with partial differential equations, but these equations have no proper solutions and the behavior they describe can be wildly unpredictable. This is implicit in Newtonian physics, and although it was analyzed in the pioneering work of Poincaré in the 19th century, its full significance has only been realized since the advent of modern computing. This book follows this development in the context of classical mechanics as it is usually taught in most graduate programs in physics. It starts with the seminal work of Laplace, Hamilton, and Liouville in the early 19th century and shows how their formulation of mechanics inevitably leads to systems that cannot be 'solved' in the usual sense of the word. It then discusses perturbation theory which, rather than providing approximate solutions, fails catastrophically due to the problem of small denominators. It then goes on to describe chaotic motion using the tools of discrete maps and Poincaré sections. This leads to the two great landmarks of chaos theory, the Poincaré-Birkhoff theorem and the so-called KAM theorem, one of the signal results in modern mathematics. The book concludes with an appendix discussing the relevance of the KAM theorem to the ergodic hypothesis and the second law of thermodynamics.Lectures on Nonlinear Mechanics and Chaos Theory is written in the easy conversational style of a great teacher. It features numerous computer-drawn figures illustrating the behavior of nonlinear systems. It also contains homework exercises and a selection of more detailed computational projects. The book will be valuable to students and faculty in physics, mathematics, and engineering.

This textbook is aimed at newcomers to nonlinear dynamics and chaos, especially students taking a first course in the subject. The presentation stresses analytical methods, concrete examples, and geometric intuition. The theory is developed systematically, starting with first-order differential equations and their bifurcations, followed by phase plane analysis, limit cycles and their bifurcations, and culminating with the Lorenz equations, chaos, iterated maps, period doubling, renormalization, fractals, and strange attractors.

The field of nonlinear dynamics and chaos has grown very much over the last few decades and is becoming more and more relevant in different disciplines. This book presents a clear and concise introduction to the field of nonlinear dynamics and chaos, suitable for graduate students in mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering, and in natural sciences in general. It provides a thorough and modern introduction to the concepts of Hamiltonian dynamical systems' theory combining in a comprehensive way classical and quantum mechanical description. It covers a wide range of topics usually not found in similar books. Motivations of the respective subjects and a clear presentation eases the understanding. The book is based on lectures on classical and quantum chaos held by the author at Heidelberg University. It contains exercises and worked examples, which makes it ideal for an introductory course for students as well as for researchers starting to work in the field.

In this book, the subject of dynamics is introduced at undergraduate level through the elementary qualitative theory of differential equations, the geometry of phase curves and the theory of stability. The text is supplemented with over a hundred exercises.

This series of lectures aims to address three main questions that anyone interested in the study of nonlinear dynamics should ask and ponder over. What is nonlinear dynamics and how does it differ from linear dynamics which permeates all familiar textbooks? Why should the physicist study nonlinear systems and leave the comfortable territory of linearity? How can one progress in the study of nonlinear systems both in the analysis of these systems and in learning about new systems from observing their experimental behavior? While it is impossible to answer these questions in the finest detail, this series of lectures nonetheless successfully points the way for the interested reader. Other useful problems have also been incorporated as a study guide. By presenting both substantial qualitative information about phenomena in nonlinear systems and at the same time sufficient quantitative material, the author hopes that readers would learn how to progress on their own in the study of such similar material hereon.

The physics and mathematics of nonlinear dynamics, chaotic and complex systems constitute some of the most fascinating developments of late twentieth century science. It turns out that chaotic bahaviour can be understood, and even utilized, to a far greater degree than had been suspected. Surprisingly, universal constants have been discovered. The implications have changed our understanding of important phenomena in physics, biology, chemistry, economics, medicine and numerous other fields of human endeavor. In this book, two dozen scientists and mathematicians who were deeply involved in the "nonlinear revolution" cover most of the basic aspects of the field.