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Course of Theoretical Physics #1
Course of Theoretical Physics: Vol. 1, Mechanics
Devoted to the foundation of mechanics, namely classical Newtonian mechanics, the subject is based mainly on Galileo's principle of relativity and Hamilton's principle of least action. The exposition is simple and leads to the most complete direct means of solving problems in mechanics.
The final sections on adiabatic invariants have been revised and augmented. In addition a short biography of L D Landau has been inserted.
The final sections on adiabatic invariants have been revised and augmented. In addition a short biography of L D Landau has been inserted.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
May 18, 2011
One of the most significant moments in my Physics education came during my sophomore year in college. I decided to pick up a copy of "Mechanics" by Landau and Lifshitz that was on reserve in the library for the mechanics class that I was taking. This is the first volume in the internationally renowned series of textbooks on theoretical Physics, the series that has a reputation for its sparse and difficult writing style, as well as the undoubted difficulty and brilliance of the material presented. This is probably the reason why until that point I didn't even bother looking at these books, but for whatever reason that fateful night I decided to take a look at this particular volume. To my surprise, the book was actually pretty readable and the first few chapters revealed an entirely new way of looking at Physics. Until that point I was used to thinking about Physics as a set of laws and equations, relatively succinct but otherwise somewhat arbitrary and ad-hoc. Landau and Lifshitz's book started from a very different point; it gave some deep underlying principles as a starting point behind the development of physical laws and equations. Based on that I had a new and deeper appreciation of my chosen field of study, and I gained a whole new way of looking at the physical reality.
Granted, the book is really not a walk in the park. Many later chapters can be rather technically demanding, and a prior course on theoretical mechanics at college level is probably the minimal level of preparation that can get a reader through the whole text. There aren't all that many examples that are thoroughly worked out, but all of the problems are given (rather concise) solutions - you still need to fill in some of the more important steps on your own. Mechanics is not an area of active modern research, so this is not necessarily a book that will help one with their scientific careers. However, it provides a solid grounding in some of the most basic physical concepts, and the skills and techniques acquired here can be very important in other areas of Physics. All said, this is a classic textbook that anyone who is serious about a career in Physics would be well advised to go through.
Granted, the book is really not a walk in the park. Many later chapters can be rather technically demanding, and a prior course on theoretical mechanics at college level is probably the minimal level of preparation that can get a reader through the whole text. There aren't all that many examples that are thoroughly worked out, but all of the problems are given (rather concise) solutions - you still need to fill in some of the more important steps on your own. Mechanics is not an area of active modern research, so this is not necessarily a book that will help one with their scientific careers. However, it provides a solid grounding in some of the most basic physical concepts, and the skills and techniques acquired here can be very important in other areas of Physics. All said, this is a classic textbook that anyone who is serious about a career in Physics would be well advised to go through.
April 17, 2008
there are no wasted words in this book, which makes it easily the most elegant presentation of classical mechanics i've ever seen. simultaneously a pleasure to read (when you see what's going on) and difficult to understand (when you don't). the starting point is the principle of least action, and newton's laws are only given as an afterthought.
it's hard to overstate the beauty of this text.
this is the first volume of the 10 volume landau/lifshitz course on physics, and by far my favorite of the ones i've used.
it's hard to overstate the beauty of this text.
this is the first volume of the 10 volume landau/lifshitz course on physics, and by far my favorite of the ones i've used.
May 24, 2009
I read about half of this but realized it's not exactly the greatest introductory text to classical mechanics.
Landau seems to have attained god-like status among many physicists for his "great books," but these are really only great in retrospect, as unifiers of concepts once you've learned them elsewhere. His books generally lack motivation or links to natural phenomena. That said, if you're looking for an introduction to any topics in physics, avoid Landau.
Landau seems to have attained god-like status among many physicists for his "great books," but these are really only great in retrospect, as unifiers of concepts once you've learned them elsewhere. His books generally lack motivation or links to natural phenomena. That said, if you're looking for an introduction to any topics in physics, avoid Landau.
October 26, 2018
A great book on classical mechanics but it must be emphasized that the Landau-Lifschitz books are generally intended for advanced students who already have some knowledge of the subject in question. Their book on fluid mechanics is really an advanced textbook in the subject, for example, with many results not found elsewhere in the field. The popularity and renown of the books amongst students is actually quite misleading in that respect, as none of them are really introductory,
July 28, 2022
la cosa migliore che sia successa alla mia carriera universitaria
August 11, 2021
This book is spectacular. Nevertheless, keep in mind that it is not for an introduction to mechanics if you are short in time. In fact, it is a book in which you would have to play an active role in developing the Classical Mechanics in physics. I highly recommend to read this book if you are planning to read the next Landau books since a good knowledge of the ideas exposed here is assumed.
In particular I throw some considerations made to entice you to read the book:
- The homogeneity of space consideration in the Lagrangian of a free particle.
- General analysis of the behavior of a rigid body when written in its principal axes.
- Several formalisms in which the theory can be understood.
In particular I throw some considerations made to entice you to read the book:
- The homogeneity of space consideration in the Lagrangian of a free particle.
- General analysis of the behavior of a rigid body when written in its principal axes.
- Several formalisms in which the theory can be understood.
April 19, 2014
This book takes a large textbook on Advanced mechanics ie Goldstein and condenses it into the size of a short story paper back. I enjoyed this book but be ready to spend alot of time figuring out how to get from one page to the next. As Landau says "After a few simple substitutions" which turns out to be about three pages of integrals. Good Luck!!!
December 30, 2013
A classic concise exposure of the principles of theoretical physics from the mechanics on.
The genius of Lev in these pages.
The genius of Lev in these pages.
December 29, 2022
Supongo que me gustó lo conciso y breve que es el libro.
Comienza con un desarrollo axiomático sin explicar el origen de la línea de pensamiento por ninguna parte. Parte con el principio de mínima accion y de ahí se desprende todo: definiciones de masa, energía, momento, centro, etc. Esto ya es suficientemente terrible como para abandonar el libro, pero fue atractivo como incluso la propia definición de Lagrangiano es, en esta teoría, una consecuencia que se deduce del hecho de su propia existencia.
La mayoría de capítulos son extensos resultados físicos de las nuevas formulaciones. Siendo los primeros y últimos los únicos que introducen campo teórico novedoso.
Es un libro corto. Pero creo que justo así debió ser. Un texto extenso con este estilo de desarrollo habría sido demasiado aburrido.
Es fácil. Es elegante. Pero es dogmático.
Comienza con un desarrollo axiomático sin explicar el origen de la línea de pensamiento por ninguna parte. Parte con el principio de mínima accion y de ahí se desprende todo: definiciones de masa, energía, momento, centro, etc. Esto ya es suficientemente terrible como para abandonar el libro, pero fue atractivo como incluso la propia definición de Lagrangiano es, en esta teoría, una consecuencia que se deduce del hecho de su propia existencia.
La mayoría de capítulos son extensos resultados físicos de las nuevas formulaciones. Siendo los primeros y últimos los únicos que introducen campo teórico novedoso.
Es un libro corto. Pero creo que justo así debió ser. Un texto extenso con este estilo de desarrollo habría sido demasiado aburrido.
Es fácil. Es elegante. Pero es dogmático.
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December 23, 2015From word one, these guys meant business. Great book.
June 3, 2024
First off, let's talk about the publication. The book appears to be a second generation photocopy. Given the cost of this paperback, it should look at least printed, not copied. In reading the formulas, there are times in which the dot is barely visible. There are stray marks through out the book. This book was translated from Russian to English by J.B. Sykes and J.S. Bell. Well it also needs to be translated from its current form to Latex and printed out from there. This will provide a clean copy.
Now the text. This is great. L.D. Landau and E.M. Lifshitz wrote a wonderful book. It is a classic. It is a textbook in the classical sense. There are problems, and the complete, worked out solutions are right there with the problems. Yet I believe it's not Landau's writing. It is Lifshitz. This is similarly done in the famous "Feynman Lectures". Feynman gave the lectures and others transcribed them. I believe this is the same form. These lecture are not as insightful as Feynman; a different audience.
The material is complete. The material is correct. The flow is good. The level is graduate, single semester (15 weeks).
This book falls into the grouping of classics that have lost their educational value.
In the end I would have this at a 3.7. So rounding it is a 4 star.
Now the text. This is great. L.D. Landau and E.M. Lifshitz wrote a wonderful book. It is a classic. It is a textbook in the classical sense. There are problems, and the complete, worked out solutions are right there with the problems. Yet I believe it's not Landau's writing. It is Lifshitz. This is similarly done in the famous "Feynman Lectures". Feynman gave the lectures and others transcribed them. I believe this is the same form. These lecture are not as insightful as Feynman; a different audience.
The material is complete. The material is correct. The flow is good. The level is graduate, single semester (15 weeks).
This book falls into the grouping of classics that have lost their educational value.
In the end I would have this at a 3.7. So rounding it is a 4 star.
July 27, 2025
This is one of the most fun books I've read. I read this with high-school level calculus knowledge, and got pretty far! It's not really for introducing the subject; it's more of building it up axiomatically. Don't mistake that for rigor; it was written by a physicist, after all. It was written for elegance!
It's worth reading by anyone who can understand the math, just to see how Landau leaps from step to step; terms disappear almost by magic, equations turn into annotated pictures, and the exercises themselves are a source of knowledge. Definitely some multivar, calculus of variations, and other math is needed to understand it, but it's possible to learn those alongside this book!
Landau keeps enough hidden between the gaps to encourage you to work it out yourself, but shows you enough to guide you and teach you, not only the physics, but also perseverance. Definitely worth rereading.
It's worth reading by anyone who can understand the math, just to see how Landau leaps from step to step; terms disappear almost by magic, equations turn into annotated pictures, and the exercises themselves are a source of knowledge. Definitely some multivar, calculus of variations, and other math is needed to understand it, but it's possible to learn those alongside this book!
Landau keeps enough hidden between the gaps to encourage you to work it out yourself, but shows you enough to guide you and teach you, not only the physics, but also perseverance. Definitely worth rereading.
February 8, 2024
Es un libro avanzado de mecánica teórica excelente. Está orientado a personas que ya tengan soltura en los conceptos de la mecánica clásica como el principio de mínima acción, la mecánica lagrangiana y la hamiltoniana ya que está enfocado desde el punto de vista del cálculo de variaciones. Engloba muy bien la mecánica en este formalismo en el que no hace falta hablar propiamente de fuerzas y energías, por ello puede ser un poco duro si no se ha trabajado antes desde las perspectivas clásicas.
Realmente venía a este libro a aprender las transformaciones canónicas y he quedado más que satisfecho. También me ha gustado mucho aprender sobre las ecuaciones de Hamilton-Jacobi y las variables acción-ángulo.
Este libro me abre las puertas a explorar la mecánica hamiltoniana a través de los toros (donuts).
Realmente venía a este libro a aprender las transformaciones canónicas y he quedado más que satisfecho. También me ha gustado mucho aprender sobre las ecuaciones de Hamilton-Jacobi y las variables acción-ángulo.
Este libro me abre las puertas a explorar la mecánica hamiltoniana a través de los toros (donuts).
October 25, 2023
This is the first book in the Course of Theoretical Physics series by Landau, a Nobel Prize winner in Physics. The first book is on mechanics. This series has a notorious reputation for how hard it is to read these textbooks, which is true. It is really hard to grasp what the writer is trying to explain, and the problems are really challenging. These textbooks are really small, about 100 pages but really dense. It starts with the equations of motion and the first problem is a coplanar double pendulum, which is relatively hard if you see it for the first time. Overall, it is a hard to read book with hard problem sets but if you put in effort and really care about the topics, you can use wikipedia, youtube, google and the internet generally to help a lot.
September 6, 2018
One of the most elegant, concise, precise, and powerful presentation of classical mechanics.
Not a single word or drawing is wasted. Landau's presentation is logical and clear, if a bit fast ; this is not a book you can read without putting serious effort in it.
The genius of the book is the emphasis on the well-known concepts with the principle of least action. Kepler's law, Newton's law, and many other are directly derived from it. The formalism of classical mechanics is shown in all its force.
Of course, the book lacks practical example and situations ; but I'd say that it serves it, as the express intention is to give the most "pure" presentation possible.
Not a single word or drawing is wasted. Landau's presentation is logical and clear, if a bit fast ; this is not a book you can read without putting serious effort in it.
The genius of the book is the emphasis on the well-known concepts with the principle of least action. Kepler's law, Newton's law, and many other are directly derived from it. The formalism of classical mechanics is shown in all its force.
Of course, the book lacks practical example and situations ; but I'd say that it serves it, as the express intention is to give the most "pure" presentation possible.
August 8, 2020
My new favorite book in classical mechanics. You should probably be familiar with elementary Newtonian mechanics before reading this. If you are, and if you are mathematically inclined, there's no need to avoid this book because of its difficulty. The book is a masterpiece. It offers a crisp and clear exposition of classical mechanics with an emphasis on the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations in just 160 pages. I'm looking forward to the other nine volumes.
December 28, 2023
Landau's textbooks are notoriously hard and most definitely not suitable as an introduction to the subject or first year students. For that use Berkeley's or University physics. But after you do all college 'general physics' courses and get familiar with the basics, they are one of the best and most rewarding ones to read and further your knowledge and understanding of physics with.
December 3, 2019
Goodreads suggested me this book. I have it. It's a classic from the great soviet school of physics. Essential to make real progresses in the difficult task of starting to really understand Hamiltonian mechanics.
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August 8, 2020A VERY dense book. Hard to keep pace with the speed with which Landau introduces topics. But, a solid book nonetheless. If you are in a rush, this book will take you from the basics to master within about a 100 pages. But, explanations are too short for beginners in my opinion.
June 14, 2018
still best.
June 23, 2019
HANDS DOWN MY FAVORITE PHYSICS TEXTBOOK OF ALL TIMES.
December 21, 2024
Not as rigorous as one would expect from a graduate level textbook, but otherwise good.
September 27, 2016
Una formulazione matematico-deduttiva della meccanica classica. Un testo molto popolare tra i fisici, dicono.
L'apprezzamento di un libro del genere non può che dipendere fortemente dal background del lettore. Io sono ingegnere delle telecomunicazioni (pure un po' arrugginito), quindi in una posizione intermedia tra il pubblico ideale (matematici e fisici) e un profano assoluto. Mi ci sono avvicinato con scarso ottimismo, mettendo in conto di dover abbandonare il testo per inadeguatezza manifesta della mia preparazione.
Il primo capitolo è stato una piacevole rivelazione: la derivazione delle leggi della meccanica dalla definizione di lagrangiana e dal principio di minima azione di Hamilton. Niente di nuovo, immagino, per chi abbia studiato Meccanica Razionale (noi ingegneri dell'informazione ne siamo stati privati, e a questo punto me ne rammarico, senza ironia). L'esposizione è concisa ma efficace, il formalismo elegante. L'approccio, valido un po' per tutti i capitoli, è il seguente: alla formulazione generale segue la declinazione di alcuni casi specifici, via via più complicati.
Sono riuscito a seguire bene fino poco dopo la metà del libro. Poi ho perso un po' il filo, non sapevo più quali erano le variabili indipendenti nelle innumerevoli equazioni alle derivate parziali... L'introduzione dei tensori nel trattamento del corpo rigido mi ha dato il colpo di grazia. Di nuovo, immagino che ad es. per un ingegnere strutturista queste cose siano il pane quotidiano, per me era tutto nuovo, e il testo è a tratti *troppo* conciso.
A chi abbia un background simile al mio, consiglio senz'altro la lettura, per tornare a percepire la potenza dell'approccio analitico, respirare l'aura quasi sacrale di una materia senza tempo.
L'apprezzamento di un libro del genere non può che dipendere fortemente dal background del lettore. Io sono ingegnere delle telecomunicazioni (pure un po' arrugginito), quindi in una posizione intermedia tra il pubblico ideale (matematici e fisici) e un profano assoluto. Mi ci sono avvicinato con scarso ottimismo, mettendo in conto di dover abbandonare il testo per inadeguatezza manifesta della mia preparazione.
Il primo capitolo è stato una piacevole rivelazione: la derivazione delle leggi della meccanica dalla definizione di lagrangiana e dal principio di minima azione di Hamilton. Niente di nuovo, immagino, per chi abbia studiato Meccanica Razionale (noi ingegneri dell'informazione ne siamo stati privati, e a questo punto me ne rammarico, senza ironia). L'esposizione è concisa ma efficace, il formalismo elegante. L'approccio, valido un po' per tutti i capitoli, è il seguente: alla formulazione generale segue la declinazione di alcuni casi specifici, via via più complicati.
Sono riuscito a seguire bene fino poco dopo la metà del libro. Poi ho perso un po' il filo, non sapevo più quali erano le variabili indipendenti nelle innumerevoli equazioni alle derivate parziali... L'introduzione dei tensori nel trattamento del corpo rigido mi ha dato il colpo di grazia. Di nuovo, immagino che ad es. per un ingegnere strutturista queste cose siano il pane quotidiano, per me era tutto nuovo, e il testo è a tratti *troppo* conciso.
A chi abbia un background simile al mio, consiglio senz'altro la lettura, per tornare a percepire la potenza dell'approccio analitico, respirare l'aura quasi sacrale di una materia senza tempo.
May 13, 2011
The definitive work on the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulation of mechanics. Be wary that you should have a working knowledge of differential geometry or a mastery of analytic geometry as it will be fully applied to physical problems. It is also very dense, but very well written. By density, one means that a typical sentence contains the information that an entire chapter in an undergraduate text would spend time expounding. It is up to the mature reader to motivate any necessary expansion of the material presented in the text.
February 17, 2015
This is the perfect example of why suffering any form of brain trauma is a bad plan. Once upon a time, I could *almost* keep up with this series. Now... I can sometimes almost remember what keeping up with this was like. When I was able to keep up, it was awesome. It's still awesome from a layman's perspective, but I have to spend ages running the numbers now, instead of, "This makes sense," And just know I'm good to go.
Grr. Yay. And more yay, since I actually sat down to re-read some and more or less kept up without having my brain squirm.
Grr. Yay. And more yay, since I actually sat down to re-read some and more or less kept up without having my brain squirm.
November 25, 2024
This a rather compact textbook on advanced classical mechanics. There are a lot of interesting problems in here. But the explanations are too brief for my taste. "Classical Mechanics" by Herbert Goldstein is better.
October 6, 2007
A concise and (mostly) well-written textbook on mechanics that may be tough-going for some undergraduates who don't really know their maths beforehand.
September 15, 2010
One of the best textbooks on mechanics I have ever read. It is clear and to the point without distracting tangents.
February 16, 2011
The best book of classical mechanics I've read
Want to read
October 19, 2012nice book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews