Jacobi's Lectures on Dynamics

Book excerpt: The name of C. G. J. Jacobi is familiar to every student of mathematics, thanks to the Jacobion determinant, the Hamilton-Jacobi equations in dynamics, and the Jacobi identity for vector fields. Best known for his contributions to the theory of elliptic and abelian functions, Jacobi is also known for his innovative teaching methods and for running the first research seminar in pure mathematics. A record of his lectures on Dynamics given in 1842-43 at Konigsberg, edited by A. Clebsch, has been available in the original German. This is an English translation. It is not just a historical document; the modern reader can learn much about the subject directly from one of its great masters.