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Classical mechanics with Maple
Computer Physics Communications ELSEVIER
Computer Physics Communications 97 (1996) 358
Book review Classical Mechanics with Maple, by R.L. Greene. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1995. Approx. 230 pages, 55 figures. Hardcover price DM 48,00. ISBN 0 387 94512 1. Greene's book (CMM) is representative of a new trend in scientific education, which emphasizes the possible contribution of computers to the process of teaching/learning abstract concepts. As in other books of this class, the idea is to explore a powerful symbolic computation software (CMM's option is Maple) as an educational tool by solving and investigating examples with it. The book is organized in five chapters; it includes an introduction to Maple, as a compact set of basic instructions showing how to use it, and four chapters covering Newtonian kinematics and dynamics, the harmonic oscillator (with details) and systems of particles (an introduction including statics). Concerning the learning scale, CMM's contents are related to a lst- or 2nd-year undergraduate mechanics course. The book also includes computational input/output, a varied list of problems at the end of each chapter, and more than 30 plots, all in only 160 pages (remarkably). CMM has a clear computing approach: the main concepts and key equations are rapidly identified (2-5 pages per chapter), while the rest of each chapter is dedicated to solving and discussing problems using Maple; the exposition is friendly, uses just a small subset of the Maple system (part of the philosophy of the book), and has a lot of tips turning things easier to those using Maple for the first time. Concerning vectors, the Maple alternatives are: to represent them with matrices containing their components (option used only once in CMM), or to directly compute with these components. The latter is CMM's option, and it is useful for discussing most of the subjects. We can alsoex_~ect "Vector Analysis" packages, introducing algebraic projected/non-projected vectors (e.g., Fx "/+Fv ~l+Fz k, F) and related operations, to become available soon 1 .
CMM appears in the area of education in physics as a useful straightforward introduction both to "how to use Maple" andto solving problems in mechanics, as well as elucidating the physics they contain. Remembering also the strong potential of symbolic computation as an educational tool, the book can be an excellent supplementary text for teachers/students who wish to start using computers in their courses 2. E.S. Cheb-Terrab Symbolic Computing Group, Theoretical Physics Department, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
I See "Computer Algebra Information Network", http://www.can.nl/Education/ 2 URLs containing useful related bibliographical references are: http://www.can.nl/Education/Books/books.html http://www.can.nl/Announcements/Books/books.html (new books) 0010-4655/96/$15.00 Copyright (E) 1996 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PH S 0 0 1 0 - 4 6 5 5 ( 9 6 ) 0 0 0 4 8 - 3
Computer Physics Communications 97 (1996) 358
Book review Classical Mechanics with Maple, by R.L. Greene. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1995. Approx. 230 pages, 55 figures. Hardcover price DM 48,00. ISBN 0 387 94512 1. Greene's book (CMM) is representative of a new trend in scientific education, which emphasizes the possible contribution of computers to the process of teaching/learning abstract concepts. As in other books of this class, the idea is to explore a powerful symbolic computation software (CMM's option is Maple) as an educational tool by solving and investigating examples with it. The book is organized in five chapters; it includes an introduction to Maple, as a compact set of basic instructions showing how to use it, and four chapters covering Newtonian kinematics and dynamics, the harmonic oscillator (with details) and systems of particles (an introduction including statics). Concerning the learning scale, CMM's contents are related to a lst- or 2nd-year undergraduate mechanics course. The book also includes computational input/output, a varied list of problems at the end of each chapter, and more than 30 plots, all in only 160 pages (remarkably). CMM has a clear computing approach: the main concepts and key equations are rapidly identified (2-5 pages per chapter), while the rest of each chapter is dedicated to solving and discussing problems using Maple; the exposition is friendly, uses just a small subset of the Maple system (part of the philosophy of the book), and has a lot of tips turning things easier to those using Maple for the first time. Concerning vectors, the Maple alternatives are: to represent them with matrices containing their components (option used only once in CMM), or to directly compute with these components. The latter is CMM's option, and it is useful for discussing most of the subjects. We can alsoex_~ect "Vector Analysis" packages, introducing algebraic projected/non-projected vectors (e.g., Fx "/+Fv ~l+Fz k, F) and related operations, to become available soon 1 .
CMM appears in the area of education in physics as a useful straightforward introduction both to "how to use Maple" andto solving problems in mechanics, as well as elucidating the physics they contain. Remembering also the strong potential of symbolic computation as an educational tool, the book can be an excellent supplementary text for teachers/students who wish to start using computers in their courses 2. E.S. Cheb-Terrab Symbolic Computing Group, Theoretical Physics Department, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
I See "Computer Algebra Information Network", http://www.can.nl/Education/ 2 URLs containing useful related bibliographical references are: http://www.can.nl/Education/Books/books.html http://www.can.nl/Announcements/Books/books.html (new books) 0010-4655/96/$15.00 Copyright (E) 1996 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PH S 0 0 1 0 - 4 6 5 5 ( 9 6 ) 0 0 0 4 8 - 3