- describes the motion of objects using Newton’s laws of motion and the principles of conservation of energy and momentum.
- provides accurate results when studying large objects that are not extremely massive and speeds not approaching the speed of light.
3 branches
- statics - study of forces on stationary objects
- kinematics - study of motion
- dynamics - study of forces on moving bodies
Newtonian -> Lagrangian -> Hamiltonian
Newtonian mechanics - emphasizes force as a vector quantity
Analytical mechanics - uses scalar properties of motion (kinetic energy and potential energy)
- Lagrangian mechanics
- Hamiltonian mechanics