If you are reading these lines, you either accidentally stumbled upon or deliberately looked for Mechanics and Relativity course notes. These notes are used in the first year physics major's classical mechanics course. They were prepared over the course of 3 semesters whilst I was teaching Classical Mechanics and Special Relativity for first year Hebrew University physics undergrads. If you're a first year student in a university which respects itself, these notes are probably suited for you, though don't be surprised if some of the curiculum is different from your course—different physics departments place different emphases.

What is this course not? This course is not indended for high school students or students majors requiring leanient versions of physics. Of course, curious students, even high school students, are always welcome to expand their horizons. Don't be intimidated, much of the required math is covered along the way.

This course is also not a course in analytical mechanics (for those who haven't heard this term, it is newer descriptions of mechanics without the usage of force). This course (which is often tought in the second or third semester) is a really beautiful course. No notes for that (haven't tought it yet). Sorry.

O.k., so what is this course about? This course is about Newtonian mechanics at a descent level. As such, it does cover more issues and at a deeper level than the physics you have seen in high school. I will try to emphasize concepts which are essential parts of physics education (e.g., conservation laws) and avoid the simple plug-in-the-formula-without-understanding-what-you're-doing high school type physics.

The course also covers basic special relativity, including kinematics and dynamics. Because of the limited assumed math background, it will not be in the more useful tensor notation.

Good luck in the course!