--- product_id: 590783301 title: "- Lagrangian Mechanics For The Non-Physicist (The Modern Physics Series)" price: "€ 84.58" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.be/products/590783301-lagrangian-mechanics-for-the-non-physicist-the-modern-physics-series store_origin: BE region: Belgium --- # - Lagrangian Mechanics For The Non-Physicist (The Modern Physics Series) **Price:** € 84.58 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** - Lagrangian Mechanics For The Non-Physicist (The Modern Physics Series) - **How much does it cost?** € 84.58 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.be](https://www.desertcart.be/products/590783301-lagrangian-mechanics-for-the-non-physicist-the-modern-physics-series) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Anyone who truly wants to understand general relativity, quantum field theory or any other area of modern physics first needs to master Lagrangian mechanics. The issue with most resources teaching Lagrangian mechanics is that they don't truly teach you the why behind it. But what if it didn't have to be that way? What if you could truly learn Lagrangian mechanics the right way ? The truth is that trying to understand physics at a deep level without understanding Lagrangian mechanics is like driving a car without a steering wheel – you’ll eventually run into a wall and not be able to move forward anymore. The issue is that Lagrangian mechanics is often taught in a way that does not truly explain why it's needed and instead leaves you wondering “who cares about this?” The true reason why Lagrangian mechanics is so incredibly powerful is that it gives you a general framework for describing literally any area of modern physics. This is the reason why Lagrangian mechanics exists, but almost no one will teach you it this way... even though they should. Whether you want to learn: Electrodynamics Special and general relativity Quantum field theory String theory You absolutely need to have a deep understanding of Lagrangian mechanics to even get started on any of these topics. However, getting started and specifically knowing where to start is often the most difficult part. It would be nice to have a dedicated resource that introduces Lagrangian mechanics completely from scratch and gives you everything in one place. Well, that's exactly what this book will give you. You'll learn Lagrangian mechanics in a completely unique way you've likely never seen before - as both a fundamental framework for advanced modern physics, but also as an incredibly powerful problem solving tool. Lagrangian Mechanics For The Non-Physicist is a complete resource specifically designed to teach you everything you'd possibly need to know about Lagrangian mechanics and the foundations of modern physics - the fundamentals, prerequisites, theory, math and practical applications. It's all here. Some of the interesting you'll be able to learn from this book include: The intuition and proper motivation for why Lagrangian mechanics works and how it's useful in the first place as well as why the principle of stationary action makes sense Calculus of variations - the area of math Lagrangian mechanics uses - from the ground up, starting from the very basic ideas of single-variable calculus The framework of Lagrangian mechanics, how to set up and solve any Lagrangian mechanics problem in a consistent step-by-step fashion A deeper dive into topics like generalized coordinates, generalized momenta, Lagrange multipliers and solving problems with constraints Advanced topics not covered in most other books - the most notable ones including friction and non-conservative forces in Lagrangian mechanics, solving statics problems with the principle of virtual work as well as a bottom-up approach to d'Alembert's principle The relation between symmetries and conservation laws, described by Noether's theorem, as well as a precise description of what we even mean by symmetries in physics Some advanced applications to modern physics, such as relativistic energy conservation and conservation of probability in quantum mechanics Review: Great book - Great book, everything is clearly explained, includes step by step equation manipulation so you can follow along, gives very good examples, draws appropriate parallels so you can call upon previous knowledge you might have. The only suggestion would be to have numbered each equation to help with following the derivations (but I guess the lack of numbered equations forced me to really understand/follow each step). Overall great book for both variational calculus & Lagrangian mechanics. Thanks Ville! Chris I should add, there are minor typos in the formulas in a few places but the Appendix Longer Calculations seems to have it all correct. Ie: pg 211 vs pg 382 Review: Interesting and engaging presentation of an extremely important topic - Theoretical physicist here - this book is a great journey through the world of Lagrangian Mechanics. The themes are good, the examples are interesting, and most importantly, it's all basically correct. It lacks some rigor, but I don't think the author is going for that. There certainly is an aspect of Lagrangian Mechanics that should be focused on awe and wonder, and this books picks out that thread extremely well. I have to say that - despite the title - I don't know who the audience is. If you are not a physicist, it doesn't seem to me that you'd have the background to follow the book. You at least need several semesters of calculus, and a differential equation course would be helpful too. So who are the non-physicists this book is targeting? I can see an interested undergraduate, or working graduate student, using this book as a study guide *for sure*, but again - not in fields other then physics. Still, I don't want to take away from the quality of the book as a text - it reads the way my colleagues and I talk about Lagrangian Mechanics, which is a great thing! ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #515,350 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #174 in Physics of Mechanics #222 in Mathematical Physics (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.8 out of 5 stars 119 Reviews | ## Images ![- Lagrangian Mechanics For The Non-Physicist (The Modern Physics Series) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61K6M8hVpHL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great book *by C***I on June 5, 2025* Great book, everything is clearly explained, includes step by step equation manipulation so you can follow along, gives very good examples, draws appropriate parallels so you can call upon previous knowledge you might have. The only suggestion would be to have numbered each equation to help with following the derivations (but I guess the lack of numbered equations forced me to really understand/follow each step). Overall great book for both variational calculus & Lagrangian mechanics. Thanks Ville! Chris I should add, there are minor typos in the formulas in a few places but the Appendix Longer Calculations seems to have it all correct. Ie: pg 211 vs pg 382 ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Interesting and engaging presentation of an extremely important topic *by C***N on September 5, 2024* Theoretical physicist here - this book is a great journey through the world of Lagrangian Mechanics. The themes are good, the examples are interesting, and most importantly, it's all basically correct. It lacks some rigor, but I don't think the author is going for that. There certainly is an aspect of Lagrangian Mechanics that should be focused on awe and wonder, and this books picks out that thread extremely well. I have to say that - despite the title - I don't know who the audience is. If you are not a physicist, it doesn't seem to me that you'd have the background to follow the book. You at least need several semesters of calculus, and a differential equation course would be helpful too. So who are the non-physicists this book is targeting? I can see an interested undergraduate, or working graduate student, using this book as a study guide *for sure*, but again - not in fields other then physics. Still, I don't want to take away from the quality of the book as a text - it reads the way my colleagues and I talk about Lagrangian Mechanics, which is a great thing! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I have waited for over Fifty Years for these books. *by R***Y on February 19, 2024* My goal in Graduate School was a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics, but that was sidetracked by the Vietnam draft. My year was the first they drafted Graduate students. That was not the end of my world, and other doors opened up for me. But that did not stop me from having the nagging itch to at least be able to visualize what I had hoped to learn in a QFT course. Along the way, I purchased numerous books on the subject, but each started assuming I had a conceptual picture of how the pieces fit together. Then, they proceeded to dive into the advance math swimming pool, leaving me on the poolside trying to understand how it all worked. While my studies produced some observations, the visual picture I sought was not happening. Ville's two volumes are the books I have been seeking for over Fifty years. His approach explains the conceptual framework up front and then shows how the mathematics implements that framework. I have lost count of how many times in reading his books, I have had lights going off with the insights that my Graduate courses should have taught me. I now go back and reread chapters in other books that I have struggled with and finally understand what they are telling me. What about Ville's title "...for nonphysicists"? It might seem it is filled with hand-wavy discussions intended for casual readers, and not for those who truly want to understand the subject. But his books are much more. He begins each section with a qualitative description of how the pieces fit together. And if that is sufficient, you can stop there and feel you have accomplished something. But using that framework as a roadmap, he then goes through the mathematical model that implements Lagrangian Mechanics and Field Theory. While you do not need to work through the calculations in detail, you see the equations that are the starting point of many other texts and finally understand their motivation. In short, Ville's efforts have resonated with my picture-oriented approach to Advanced Physics, and enabled me to visually understand what I have always known had to be there. So many Physics instructors start off with the math and never truly explain the framework surrounding the Physics game. In short, you cannot play a sport without understanding the rules within which the game is played. This is what Ville has provided. Ville has achieved his goal of making the foundations of advanced Physics accessible, and I have not seen another set of books that does so as effectively. If that is your goal, it will be money well spent to purchase both volumes. ## Frequently Bought Together - Lagrangian Mechanics For The Non-Physicist (The Modern Physics Series) - Field Theory For The Non-Physicist (The Modern Physics Series) - Feynman’s Path Integral explained with basic Calculus --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.be/products/590783301-lagrangian-mechanics-for-the-non-physicist-the-modern-physics-series](https://www.desertcart.be/products/590783301-lagrangian-mechanics-for-the-non-physicist-the-modern-physics-series) --- *Product available on Desertcart Belgium* *Store origin: BE* *Last updated: 2026-10-02*