
Preface to the second edition
Since the publication of the first edition six years ago several readers com-
mented on the book and recommended improvements in a future edition.
Academic readers requested expanding the mathematical foundation with a
chapter dedicated to analytic solutions. Industrial readers desired a deeper
exploration of the variational foundation of equations of motion for various
engineering disciplines. Finally some reviewers suggested expanding the com-
putational techniques section.
The modifications to the second edition reflect these requests. The major
additions are in two new chapters (6 and 10) and two new Sections (7.5 and