Abstract
MR. GROSS says, in his preface to the book before us, that it “is intended to contain as much as is required, under the head of Dynamics, of candidates for honours in the first three days of the mathematical tripos.” This object has no doubt determined to a great extent the form which the work has taken, and we see no reason to doubt that it is well suited for the purpose mentioned, and will prove useful to students working for Cambridge examinations. The first five chapters are devoted to the Kinematics of a point, the conception of Velocity being taken up at the outset, along with that of Motion; motion as change of position, and the theorem of the instantaneous centre is only briefly mentioned in a short chapter (the sixth) chiefly devoted to the “Geometry of the Cycloid.” The remaining ten chapters of the book are given to Kinetics. The author has taken great pains to put the fundamental conceptions of his subject clearly before his readers, and the parts of his book most valuable to the general student will certainly be those in which he endeavours to crystallise the vague notions too often picked up, at the commencement of a study, as to velocity, force, &c. At the same time we must say that the arrangement of the book is not such as to fit it for general purposes as an elementary text-book on its own subjects. Perhaps this was unavoidable, considering the main object with which it was written, but it is certainly to be regretted. For most purposes it seems better to commence the study of Kinematics by considering motion as change of position only, leaving velocity to be brought in later. This certainly makes it more easy for the student to realise the matter, and obviates such difficulties as occur for instance at pp. 16 and 20, where “change of velocity” means in one place a change of velocity both in direction and in magnitude, and in the other a change in magnitude only. The same treatment also would allow of portions of the Kinematics of rigid bodies being taken up in an elementary manner, while in Mr. Gross's work this part of the subject, the most important one, is practically left untouched. No motion, in fact, is considered, except the motion of a point in a plane. The treatment by the method of instantaneous centres is merely mentioned, although the development of this method certainly furnishes excellent means for the elementary treatment of the more important problems connected with the kinematics of rigid bodies. Similar remarks might be made in reference to the second part of the work, but perhaps it is not fair to criticise from this general point of view a book written chiefly for a special and limited purpose.
An Elementary Treatise on Kinematics and Kinetics.
By E. T. Gross, Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, &c. (London; Rivingtons, 1876.)
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An Elementary Treatise on Kinematics and Kinetics . Nature 14, 288 (1876). https://doi.org/10.1038/014288a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/014288a0