The Sheer Joy of Celestial Mechanics

Celestial mechanics is a classical mathematical topic that is usually presented to students in post-calculus courses. This text is suitable for a one-semester course on this subject, and is aimed at students of mathematics, physics, engineering and related sciences. The author shows, in a real-world context, how the tools of calculus, many invented specifically for use in celestial mechanics, can be put into immediate use. He introduces such topics as Fourier series, Laplace and Bessel functions and classical potential theory.