Mechanics and thermodynamics (Q270241)

This huge volume (450 p. in the A4 format) is intended as an introductory experimental physics course, devoted to various aspects of mechanics and thermodynamics. Since it is to be the first volume in the four-volume series on experimental physics, we can safely classify this book (and the series) as the grand physics syllabus, There are in existence the competitive courses (currently, the major one is ``Sears and Zemansky's University Physics with Modern Physics'' by\textit{H. D. Young}, Addison-Wesley 2012, 13th edition). The present volume seems to fulfill the need to advance the physics teaching, to the definite XXI century standards, with a clear attitude towards applications. Although this magnificent, by intention accessible to the reader book (that pertains to the selection of topics, illustrational efforts to present as much knowledge as possible through drawings or photos) is addressed to undergraduate students, who must have experimental physics in their curriculum, the idea pushed by the Author may prove attractive to the mathematically oriented audience as well (including not only students but professional scholars as well). Indeed, one of the author's goals ``is to illustrate, that the explanation of our world and of all natural processes by Physics is always the description of models of our world, which are formulated by theory and proved by experiments''. The selection and ordering of presented topics is somewhat innovative, if compared to the syllabus tradition. Albeit that occurs in a fairly logical order, As an example we point out an early introduction of basics tenets of the special relativity, as a natural consequence of the need for moving coordinate systems and transformations between them. From point masses one smoothly passes to spatially extended rigid bodies and their deformations by various forces. That includes the study of different phases of matter and gives rise to a more detailed study of gases and liquids plus the fluid dynamics proper. That is, followed by an extended chapter about experimental fundamentals of thermodynamics. A special chapter devoted to the vacuum physics should be indicated. An extended chapter on oscillations and mechanical waves concludes with the physics of musical instruments. All that conceptually belongs to the XIX century physics, but is described from the modern viewpoint, with a clear view of technological and real-life applications. The only XX century input (besides that of special relativity) refers to a brief introduction to the nonlinear dynamics and elementary routes to chaos Math prerequisites do not go beyond elementary algebra and calculus and are summarised in the Supplement. Each chapter is followed by a list of references (text-books, original scientific papers, and Wikipedia links) that may enhance the understanding of topics discussed. A major check of the understanding of the subjects described comes through solving numerous problems left for the home work of the reader. Solutions to all of them are collected in the special chapter.