Physics 4222
Spring 2002

Errata for Marion and Thornton, Classical Mechanics of Particles and Systems, Fourth Edition

Here is a list of errata in Marion and Thornton which I have collected from various sources. Please send me email if you find others and I will add them to the list.
 

• p41: in line preceding Eq. (1.121), "gradiant" should be "gradient".
• p47 problem 1-32: It is confusing to call r-dot the magnitude of the velocity vector. r-dot should be the time derivative of the magnitude of vector r, which is very different from v. Change to "the quantities r and v are the magnitudes... ". 
• p66 equation (2.45): The "t" in the exponent should be capitalized. 
• p97 top: "u_horz" should be "v_horz"
• p119 In all three lines above Figure 3-8, "omega" with no subscript should be "w".
• p121 First paragraph, fifth sentence: "...oscillate about zero several times..." should be "...oscillate about zero an infinite number of times..." 
• p128 Second sentence after equation (3.63): the natural angular frequency should be squared in the inequality. 
• p171 Figure (c) caption: "pendulums" should be "pendula". 
• p177 just above section 4.7: "phenomenom" should be "phenomenon".
• p182 Example 4.3, line 3: "interation" should be "iteration". 
• p209 Fourth equation down, h = 3GMmr^2/2gd^3, should have a designation of "(5.55)" in the right-hand margin, as reference is later made to this as "Equation 5.55" but it is not identified.
• p264 equation (7.125) in the denominator of first partial derivative on the right-hand side, the dot between the partial and the q should not be present.
• p266 equation (7.133) first term: partial L should be delta L. 
• p309 Example 8.4: ``alpha'' should be replaced by ``a'' in all equations.
• p391 2nd paragraph, line 4: (3.5%) should be (0.35%). 
• p391 2nd paragraph, line 7: the leading open parenthesis is never closed. 
• p443 1st paragraph, line 6: "period predicted for the precession of the axis of rotation is 1/Omega" should be "2 Pi/Omega"
• p465 In the first line of equation (12.24), the first term in parenthses is missing a plus sign. 
• p585 equation (B.2a) left-hand side: comma missing between arguments of F. 
• p611 Equation F.18 - remove the "+" sign before the last partial dAphi/dphi.