Abstract
Mechanics, as we studied it in the first three chapters, is based on two fundamental principles. On the one hand one makes use of simple functions such as the Lagrangian function and of functionals such as the action integral whose properties are clear and easy to grasp. In general, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian functions do not represent quantities that are directly measurable.
Notes
- 1.
Space inversion \({\scriptstyle {\mathbf {\mathsf{{P}}}}}\) and time reversal \({\scriptstyle {\mathbf {\mathsf{{T}}}}}\) are excepted because there are interactions in nature that are Lorentz invariant but not invariant under \({\scriptstyle {\mathbf {\mathsf{{P}}}}}\) and under \({\scriptstyle {\mathbf {\mathsf{{T}}}}}\).
- 2.
These results as well as references to the original literature are to be found in the Review of Particle Properties, Chin. Phys. C40, 100001 (2016) and update (2017) and (on the web) http://pdg.lbl.gov.
- 3.
J. Bailey et al., Nucl. Phys. B 150 (1979) 1.
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Scheck, F. (2018). Relativistic Mechanics. In: Mechanics. Graduate Texts in Physics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-55490-6_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-55490-6_4
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