Dynamics of a Material Point

In this chapter we study the dynamics of the material point, namely the laws governing motion to its causes, which are the forces. These laws were discovered by Galilei and by Newton and assumed by Newton as postulates in his development of mechanics. After having operationally defined the concept of force, we shall state the three laws of Newton. We shall study the motion of pendulums and see the equivalence of inertial and gravitational mass. We shall introduce the concepts of work and of kinetic and potential energies and meet the fundamental law of energy conservation.