Continuum Physics

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This concise book explores the properties of continuously distributed matter, covering a vast range of topics in continuum physics. It outlines fundamental principles and illustrates them through carefully selected examples, including structural mechanics, elasticity, fluid dynamics, electricity, optics, thermoelectricity, and fluctuation phenomena. Key concepts range from Archimedes' principle to Brownian motion and white dwarfs. It addresses advanced topics like metamaterials, reaction-diffusion pattern formation, and surface plasmon polaritons, alongside classical subjects such as Stokes' formula, beam bending, buckling, crystal optics, and various electro- and magnetooptic effects. The text presents a set of balance equations for particles, mass, charge, momentum, energy, and entropy, supplemented by constitutive equations that characterize different material classes, including viscid fluids, gases, and elastic media. The response of matter to rapidly oscillating external parameters, particularly electric fields, is examined within the framework of statistical thermodynamics. An appendix on fields and a glossary enhance the reader's understanding. This clear presentation, complete with worked examples and diverse solution methods, will benefit students of physics and engineering, while providing lecturers and advanced students with a unified perspective on a significant portion of physics, aiding in the conceptual embeddin