The motivation for writing this book was the belief that most introductory mechanics courses hurry through the basic concepts too quickly and that a more leisurely discussion would be helpful to many students.

Classical mechanics deals with the question of how an object moves when it is subjected to various forces and also with the question of which forces act on an object which is not moving. The practical importance of the subject hardly requires demonstration in a world which contains automobiles, buildings, airplanes, bridges, and ballistic missiles.

Anyone who studies mechanics will find the experience a true intellectual adventure and will acquire a permanent respect for the subtleties involved in applying "simple" concepts to the analysis of "simple" systems.