Dynamics and Relativity
Chapter One
Space, Time and Motion
1.1 DEFINING SPACE AND TIME
If there is one part of physics that underpins all others, it is the study of motion.
The accurate description of the paths of celestial objects, of planets and moons,
is historically the most celebrated success of a classical mechanics underpinned
by Newton's laws. The range of applicability of these laws is vast, encompassing
a scale that extends from the astronomical to the microscopic. We have come
to understand that many phenomena not previously associated with motion are in
fact linked to the movement of microscopic objects. The absorption and emission
spectra of atoms and molecules arise as a result of transitions made by their constituent
electrons, and the random motion of ensembles of atoms and molecules
forms the basis for the modern statistical description of thermodynamics. Although
atomic and subatomic objects are properly described using quantum mechanics, an
understanding of the principles of classical mechanics is essential in making the
conceptual leap from continuous classical sys ... read full excerpt from Dynamics and Relativity (Manchester Physics Series #46) ebook
