The Rational Spirit in Modern Continuum Mechanics

Through his voluminous and influential writings, editorial activities, organizational leadership, intellectual acumen, and strong sense of history, Clifford A. Truesdell (1919-2000) was the main architect for the renaissance of rational continuum mechanics since the middle of the 20th century. This collection of 42 essays and research papers pays tribute to this man of mathematics, science, and natural philosophy as well as to his legacy. There are essays of personal reminiscences (including contributions from J. Serrin, W. Noll, and B.D. Coleman among others), as are papers at the forefronts of research in rational continuum mechanics and its applications to materials science and structural mechanics. With historical photographs, a curriculum vitae and a complete list of publications of Clifford Truesdell, this collection will be of lasting value to applied mathematicians, research scientists and engineers, and historians of science who are interested in the past and current status of the modern rationalist movement in continuum mechanics.