Inaugural Lecture: Mechanics, Mathematics and Materials

Mechanics is one of the two oldest of the physical sciences, the other one being geometry. Mechanics is also the science that has responded more successfully than any other to mathematical treatment. The theory of the mechanics of particles and rigid bodies, based upon Newton’s Laws of Motion, is often quoted as a model of how mathematical theory can be successfully applied in science. It is based on laws that can be stated precisely; it proceeds by logi-cal deductions from these laws