Classical mechanics

Classical mechanics deals with the question of how an object moves when it is subjected to various forces, and also with the question of what forces act on an object which is not moving. The word classical indicates that we are not discussing situations in which an object moves with a velocity which is an appreciable fraction of the velocity of light or phenomena on the atomic scale.

The description of atomic phenomena requires quantum mechanics, and the description of phenomena at very high velocities requires Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. Both quantum mechanics and relativity were invented in the twentieth century; the laws of classical mechanics were stated by Sir Isaac Newton in 1687. 

The laws of classical mechanics enable us to calculate the trajectories of bullets and baseballs, planets and space vehicles. Using these laws we can predict the position-versus-time relation for a cylinder rolling down an inclined boat or for an oscillating pendulum and can calculate the tension in the wire when a picture is hanging on a wall.

The practical importance of the subject hardly requires demonstration in a world which contains buildings, automobiles, aero planes, ballistic missiles, and bridges, for a person who does not have any professional reason there is a compelling intellectual reason to study classical mechanics: this is the example par excellence of a theory which explains an incredible multitude of phenomena on the basis of a minimal number of simple principles.