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 Foundations of Classical Mechanics

Classical mechanics is an old subject. It is being taught differently in modern times using
numerical examples and exploiting the power of computers that are readily available to
modern students. The demand of the twenty-first century is challenging. The previous
century saw revolutionary developments, and the present seems poised for further exciting
insights and illuminations. Students need to quickly grasp the foundations and move on
to an advanced level of maturity in science and engineering. Freshman students who have
just finished high school need a short and rapid, but also thorough and comprehensive,
exposure to major advances, not only since Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton, but
also since Maxwell, Einstein, and Schrodinger. Through a careful selection of topics, this
book endeavors to induct freshman students into this excitement.
This text does not merely teach the laws of physics; it attempts to show how they were
unraveled. Thus, it brings out how empirical data led to Kepler’s laws, to Galileo’s law of
inertia, how Newton’s insights led to the principle of causality and determinism. It illustrates
how symmetry considerations lead to conservation laws, and further, how the laws of nature
can be extracted from these connections. The intimacy between mathematics and physics is
revealed throughout the book, with an emphasis on beauty, elegance, and rigor. The role of
mathematics in the study of nature is further highlighted in the discussions on fractals and
Madelbrot sets.
In its formal structure the text discusses essential topics of classical mechanics such as the
laws of Newtonian mechanics, conservation laws, symmetry principles, Euler–Lagrange
equation, wave motion, superposition principle, and Fourier analysis. It covers a substantive
introduction to fluid mechanics, electrodynamics, special theory of relativity, and to the
general theory of relativity. A chapter on chaos explains the concept of exploring laws
of nature using Fibonacci sequence, Lyapunov exponent, and fractal dimensions. A large
number of solved and unsolved exercises are included in the book for a better understanding
of concepts.
P. C. Deshmukh is a Professor in the Department of Physics at the Indian Institute of
Technology Tirupati, India, and concurrently an Adjunct Faculty at the Indian Institute
of Technology Madras, India. He has taught courses on classical mechanics, atomic and
molecular physics, quantum mechanics, solid state theory, foundations of theoretical physics,
and theory of atomic collisions at undergraduate and graduate levels. Deshmukh’s current
research includes studies in ultrafast photoabsorption processes in free/confined atoms,
molecules, and ions using relativistic quantum many-electron formalism. He also works on
the applications of the Lambert W function in pure and applied physics.
Foundations of Classical
Mechanics

P. C. Deshmukh
University Printing House, Cambridge CB2 8BS, United Kingdom
One Liberty Plaza, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10006, USA
477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, vic 3207, Australia
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Cambridge University Press is part of the University of Cambridge.

It furthers the University’s mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of
education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence.

www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781108480567
P. C. Deshmukh 2019
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without the written
permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2019
Printed in India
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-108-48056-7 Hardback
ISBN 978-1-108-72775-4 Paperback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy
of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication,
and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain,
accurate or appropriate.
To my teachers, with much gratitude

and

to my students, with best wishes

 Contents

List of Figures xi
List of Tables xxiii
Foreword xxv
Preface xxvii

Introduction 1
1. Laws of Mechanics and Symmetry Principles 9
1.1 The Fundamental Question in Mechanics 9
1.2 The Three Laws of Newtonian Mechanics  11
1.3 Newton’s Third Law: an Alternative Viewpoint 19
1.4 Connections between Symmetry and Conservation Laws 20

2. Mathematical Preliminaries 31
2.1 Mathematics, the Natural Ally of Physics 31
2.2 Equation of Motion in Cylindrical and Spherical Polar Coordinate Systems 40
2.3 Curvilinear Coordinate Systems 50
2.4 Contravariant and Covariant Tensors 57
 Appendix: Some important aspects of Matrix Algebra 61

3. Real Effects of Pseudo-forces: Description of Motion

in Accelerated Frame of Reference 78
3.1 Galileo–Newton Law of Inertia—Again 78
3.2 Motion of an Object in a Linearly Accelerated Frame of Reference 81
3.3 Motion of an Object in a Rotating Frame of Reference  84
3.4 Real Effects That Seek Pseudo-causes  90

4. Small Oscillations and Wave Motion 111

4.1 Bounded Motion in One-dimension, Small Oscillations  111
4.2 Superposition of Simple Harmonic Motions 127
4.3 Wave Motion 133
4.4 Fourier Series, Fourier Transforms, and Superposition of Waves 137
viii Contents

5. Damped and Driven Oscillations; Resonances 156

5.1 Dissipative Systems 156
5.2 Damped Oscillators 157
5.3 Forced Oscillations 168
5.4 Resonances, and Quality Factor 172

6. The Variational Principle 183

6.1 The Variational Principle and Euler–Lagrange’s Equation of Motion  183
6.2 The Brachistochrone  193
6.3 Supremacy of the Lagrangian Formulation of Mechanics  199
6.4 Hamilton’s Equations and Analysis of the S.H.O. Using Variational Principle 208
Appendix: Time Period for Large Oscillations 212

7. Angular Momentum and Rigid Body Dynamics 225

7.1 The Angular Momentum 225
7.2 The Moment of Inertia Tensor 233
7.3 Torque on a Rigid Body: Euler Equations  242
7.4 The Euler Angles and the Gyroscope Motion  250

8. The Gravitational Interaction in Newtonian Mechanics 267

8.1 Conserved Quantities in the Kepler–Newton Planetary Model  267
8.2 Dynamical Symmetry in the Kepler–Newton Gravitational Interaction 275
8.3 Kepler–Newton Analysis of the Planetary Trajectories about the Sun  279
8.4 More on Motion in the Solar System, and in the Galaxy  284
Appendix: The Repulsive ‘One-Over-Distance’ Potential 290

9. Complex Behavior of Simple System 306

9.1 Learning from Numbers 306
9.2 Chaos in Dynamical Systems 312
9.3 Fractals  322
9.4 Characterization of Chaos  336

10. Gradient Operator, Methods of Fluid Mechanics, and Electrodynamics 347

10.1 The Scalar Field, Directional Derivative, and Gradient 347
10.2 The ‘Ideal’ Fluid, and the Current Density Vector Field  355
10.3 Gauss’ Divergence Theorem, and the Conservation of Flux 362
10.4 Vorticity, and the Kelvin–Stokes’ Theorem  372

11. Rudiments of Fluid Mechanics 384

11.1 The Euler’s Equation of Motion for Fluid Flow  384
11.2 Fluids at Rest, ‘Hydrostatics’ 392
11.3 Streamlined Flow, Bernoulli’s Equation, and Conservation of Energy 401
11.4 Navier–Stokes Equation(s): Governing Equations of Fluid Motion 405
 Contents ix

12. Basic Principles of Electrodynamics 417

12.1 The Uniqueness and the Helmholtz Theorems: Backdrop of Maxwell’s Equations 417
12.2 Maxwell’s Equations 423
12.3 The Electromagnetic Potentials 437
12.4 Maxwell’s Equations for Matter in the Continuum Limit 448

13. Introduction to the Special Theory of Relativity 472

13.1 Energy and Momentum in Electromagnetic Waves 472
13.2 Lorentz Transformations: Covariant Form of the Maxwell’s Equations  485
13.3 Simultaneity, Time Dilation, and Length (Lorentz) Contraction  499
13.4 The Twin Paradox, Muon Lifetime, and the Mass–Energy Equivalence  504

14. A Glimpse of the General Theory of Relativity 523

14.1 Geometry of the Space time Continuum 523
14.2 Einstein Field Equations  530
14.3 GTR Component of Precession of Planets 532
14.4 Gravity, Black Holes, and Gravitational Waves 538

Index 549
 Figures

I.1 Major events in the evolution of the universe. 4

I.2 Copernicus and Galileo. 5

1.1 Galileo’s experiment, leading to the law of inertia. 11

1.2 Isaac Newton (1643–1727), who laid the foundation for what is 13
now called classical mechanics.

1.3 (a) Position–Momentum Phase Space. 15

(b) Position–Velocity Phase Space.

1.4 The role of symmetry, highlighted by Einstein, Noether and 21

Wigner.

2.1 Eugene Paul ‘E. P.’ Wigner (1902–1995), 1963 Nobel Laureate. 31

2.2 The French mathematician, Laplace, who made extremely 32

important contributions.

2.3 Varahamihira’s triangle, also called Pascal’s triangle. 33

2.4a The slope of the mountain is not the same in every direction. It is 34
a scalar, called the directional derivative.

2.4b In [A] and [B], rotations of a blackboard duster are carried out 35
about the Z- and the X-axis, but in opposite order. Finite rotations
do not commute.

2.5 Representation of a vector in two orthonormal basis sets, one 36

rotated with respect to the other.

2.6 The right-hand screw rule is preserved under proper rotation, but 37
not under improper rotation, or inversion.
xii Figures

2.7 The transformation of matrix for the left-right and the top-bottom 39
interchange under reflection is different, but in both cases its
determinant is –1.

2.8 Illustrating why angular momentum is an axial (also called 39

‘pseudo’) vector.

2.9 Some symmetries of an object, which permit us to focus on a 41

smaller number of the degrees of freedom.

2.10 Ptolemy (100–170 CE)—worked in the library of Alexandria. 42

Ptolemy’s coordinate system. 42

2.11 Plane polar coordinates of a point on a flat surface. 43

2.12a Dependence of the unit radial vector on the azimuthal angle. 45

2.12b Figure showing how unit vectors of the plane polar coordinate 45
system change from point to point.

2.13 The cylindrical polar coordinate system adds the Z-axis to the 46
plane polar coordinate system.

2.14 A point in the 3-dimensional space is at the intersection of three 48

surfaces, those of a sphere, a cone, and a plane.

2.15a Dependence of the radial unit vector on the polar angle. 49

2.15b Dependence of the radial unit vector on the azimuthal angle. 49

2.16 Volume element expressed in spherical polar coordinates. 50

2.17 Surfaces of constant parabolic coordinates. 54

2.18 The point of intersection of the three surfaces of constant parabolic 54

coordinates; and the unit vectors.

3.1 Motion of an object P studied in an inertial frame of reference, 80

and in another frame which is moving with respect to the previous
at a constant velocity.

3.2 Motion of an object P studied in the inertial frame, and in another 80

which is moving with respect to the previous at a constant
acceleration.

3.3 Effective weight, in an accelerating elevator. 82

3.4 Riders experience both linear and rotational acceleration on the 84

‘Superman Ultimate Flight’ roller coaster rides in Atlanta’s ‘Six
Flags over Georgia’.
 Figures xiii

3.5 Frame UR rotates about the axis OC. A point P that appears to be 84
static in the rotating frame appears to be rotating in the inertial
frame U, and vice versa.

3.6 In a short time interval, an object P which appears to be static in 86

the rotating frame UR would appear to have moved in the inertial
frame U to a neighboring point.

3.7 Coriolis and Foucault, who made important contributions to our 88

understanding of motion on Earth.

3.8 Trajectory of a tool thrown by an astronaut toward another, 91

diametrically opposite to her in an orbiting satellite discussed in
the text.

3.9 Schematic diagram showing the choice of the Cartesian coordinate 92

system employed at a point P on the Earth to analyze the pseudo-
forces F cfg and F Coriolis.

3.10 Magnitude of the centrifugal force is largest at the Equator, and 94

nil at the Poles.

3.11 Simplification of the coordinate system that was employed in Fig. 95

3.9.

3.12 Forces operating on a tiny mass m suspended by an inelastic string 96

set into small oscillations, generating simple harmonic motion.

3.13 Earth as a rotating frame of reference. 96

3.14 Every object that is seen to be moving on Earth at some velocity 99

is seen to undergo a further deflection not because any physical
interaction causes it, but because Earth itself is rotating.

4.1 Different kinds of common equilibria in one-dimension. 112

4.2a Saddle point, when the potential varies differently along two 113
independent degrees of freedom.

4.2b A potential described by V(x) = ax3. The origin is a ‘saddle point’ 114
even if the potential depends only on a single degree of freedom,
since the nature of the equilibrium changes across it.

4.3a A mass–spring oscillator, fixed at the left and freely oscillating at 116
the right, without frictional losses.

4.3b A simple pendulum. Note that the restoring force is written with 117
a minus sign.
xiv Figures

4.3c An electric oscillator, also known as ‘tank circuit’, consisting of an 120

inductor L and a capacitor C.

4.3d An object released from point A in a parabolic container whose 120

shape is described by the function ½kx2 oscillates between points
A and B, assuming there is no frictional loss of energy.

4.4a Position and velocity of a linear harmonic oscillator as a function 123

of time.

4.4b Potential Energy (PE) and Kinetic Energy (KE) of the linear 124
harmonic oscillator of 4.4a, as a function of time.

4.5 Bound state motion about a point of stable equilibrium between 124
‘classical turning points’.

4.6 The reference circle which can be related to the simple harmonic 127
motion.

4.7 Two simple harmonic motions at the same frequency, but with 128
different amplitudes, C1 and C2, and having different phases.

4.8a If the frequencies are not vastly different, we get ‘beats’ and we can 129
regard the resultant as ‘amplitude modulated’ harmonic motion.

4.8b Superposition of two collinear simple harmonic motions for which 130
the frequencies and the amplitudes are both different.

4.9a Superposition of two simple harmonic motions, both having the 131
same circular frequency, same amplitude, but different phases.

4.9b Superposition of two simple harmonic motions which are 132

orthogonal to each other, both with same amplitude A, no phase
difference, but different circular frequencies.

4.10a Example of a periodic function which replicates its pattern 139

infinitely, both toward its right and toward its left.

4.10b A function defined over the interval (a,b) that is not periodic. 139
However, it can be continued on both sides (as shown in Fig.4.10d
and 4.10e) to make it periodic.

4.10c The extended function coincides with the original in the region (a, 140
b). It is periodic, but it is neither odd nor an even function of x.

4.10d The extended function f(x) coincides with the original in the region 140
(a, b). It is periodic, and it is an even function of x.

4.10e The extended function coincides with the original in the region (a, 140
b). It is periodic, and it is an odd function of x.
 Figures xv

4.11 The Fourier sum of a few terms to express the square wave f(x) 141
which is repetitive, but has sharp edges.

4.12a Experimental setup to get interference fringes from superposition 146

of two waves.

4.12b Geometry to determine fringe pattern in Young’s double-slit 146

experiment.

5.1 Amplitude versus time plot for an ‘overdamped’ oscillator. 163

5.2 Critically damped oscillator. It overshoots the equilibrium once, 165

and only once.

5.3 Schematics sketch showing displacement of an under-damped 167

oscillator as a function of time.

5.4 An electric LRC circuit which is our prototype of a damped and 174
driven oscillator.

5.5 The amplitude of oscillation as a function of the frequency of the 176

driving agency. The resonance is sharper when damping is less,
which enhances the quality factor.

6.1 Solution to the brachistochrone problem is best understood in the 185

framework of the calculus of variation.

6.2 The positions of two particles, P1 and P2, at a fixed distance 186
between them, are completely specified by just five parameters, one
less than the set of six Cartesian coordinates for the two particles.
For a third particle to be placed at a fixed distance from the first
two particles, we have only one degree of freedom left.

6.3 Temporal evolution of a mechanical system from the initial time 190
to the final time over a time interval.

6.4 The solution to the brachistochrone problem turns out to be a 195

cycloid.

6.5 Experimental setup (top panel) to perform the brachistochrone 197

experiment.

6.6 The brachistochrone model. The photogates A and B respectively 198

record the start and end instants of time.

6.7 The brachistochrone carom boards. 199

6.8a Huygens’ cycloidal pendulum. 202

xvi Figures

6.8b Huygens’ cycloidal pendulum. The point of suspension P slides 202

on the right arc R when the bob swings toward the right of the
equilibrium. It slides on the left arc L when it oscillates and moves
toward the left of the equilibrium. The bob B itself oscillates on
the cycloid T.

6.9 A circular hoop in the vertical plane. 205

7.1 In rotational motion, a point on a body moves from point P1 to P2 227

over an arc in an infinitesimal time interval.

7.2 A 2-dimensional flat mass distribution revolves at an angular 229

velocity about the center of mass of the disk, at C. The center of

mass itself moves at a velocity U in the laboratory frame.

7.3 A 3-dimensional mass distribution that revolves at angular velocity 232

about an axis, shown by the dark dashed line through the center
of mass at the point C of the object. The center of mass C itself has
a linear velocity in the laboratory frame.

7.4 Figure showing the Cartesian coordinate frame with base vectors 240
centered at the corner O. The figure on the right shows the axis
along the body-diagonal, and a rotated coordinate frame of
reference.

7.5 Relative orientation at a given instant between the space-fixed 242

inertial laboratory frame and the body-fixed rotating frame of
reference.

7.6a The angular velocity and the angular momentum vectors in the 246
body-fixed spinning frame.

7.6b The angular velocity and the angular momentum vectors in the 247
space-fixed laboratory (inertial) frame of reference.

7.7 A top, spinning about its symmetric axis. 247

7.8a This figure shows two orthonormal basis sets, both having a 251
common origin. An arbitrary orientation of one frame of reference
with respect to another is expressible as a net result of three
successive rotations through the Euler angles, described in 7.8b.

7.8b Three operations which describe the three Euler angles. 252

7.8c The gyroscope device is used as a sensor to monitor and regulate 256
yaw, roll, and the pitch of an aeroplane in flight. The MEMS
gyro-technology relies on advanced electro-mechanical coupling
mechanisms.
 Figures xvii

8.1 The planetary models of Ptolemy, Copernicus, and Tycho Brahe. 269

8.2 The center of mass of two masses is between them, always closer 270
to the larger mass. In this figure, the center of mass is located at
the tip of the vector RCM.

8.3 Two neighboring positions of Earth on its elliptic orbit about the 273
Sun, shown at one of the two foci of the ellipse.

8.4 The Laplace–Runge–Lenz vector. 275

8.5 Precession of an ellipse, while remaining in its plane. The motion 278
would look, from a distance, to be somewhat like the petals of a
rose and is therefore called rosette motion.

8.6a The physical one-over-distance potential, the centrifugal, and the 283
effective radial potential, which appear in Eq. 8.27b.

8.6b A magnification of Fig. 8.6a over a rather small range of distance. 283
A further magnification, shown in Fig. 8.6c, shows the shape of
the effective potential clearly.

8.6c The effective potential has a minimum, which is not manifest on 284
the scales employed in Fig. 8.6a and 8.6b.

8.7 Graph showing the relation between a planet’s mean speed and its 288
mean distance from the center of mass in our solar system.

8.8 The rotation curves for galaxies are not Keplerian (as in 289
Fig. 8.7).

8A.1 Coulomb–Rutherford scattering of α particles. All particles having 293

the same impact parameter undergo identical deviation.

8A.2 Typical trajectory of α particles. 294

P8.4.1,2,3 One-over-distance square law, and elliptic orbits. 299

P8.4.4,5a Reconstruction, based on Feynman’s lost lecture. 300

P8.4.5b,6,7 Reconstruction, based on Feynman’s lost lecture; velocity space 301

figure.

9.1 The number of rabbits increases each month according to a 309

peculiar number sequence.

9.2a The golden ratio is the limiting value of the ratio of successive 310
Fibonacci numbers.

9.2b A rectangle that has got lengths of its sides in the golden ratio is 310
called the golden rectangle.
xviii Figures

9.3a Fibonacci spiral. 312

9.3b Several patterns in nature show formations as in the Fibonacci 312

spiral.

9.4a Similar evolution trajectories, with initial conditions slightly 313

different from each other.

9.4b Diverging evolution trajectories, with initial conditions slightly 313

different from each other.

9.5 In this figure, xn + 1 = rxn(1 – xn) is plotted against n, beginning 316

with x1 = 0.02.

9.6 Data showing Lorenz’s original simulation results overlaid with 316
the attempt to reproduce the same result.

9.7a The logistic map xn+1 = rxn (1 – xn) for r = 1.5 and 2.9, starting 318
with x1 = 0.02.

9.7b The logistic map xn + 1 = rxn (1 – xn) for r = 3.1 and 3.4. 318

9.7c The logistic map xn + 1 = rxn (1 – xn) for r = 3.45 and 3.48. 319

9.7d The logistic map xn + 1 = rxn (1 – xn) for r = 3.59 and 3.70. 320

9.8 The orbit of a physical quantity is a set of values it takes 322

asymptotically, depending on the value of some control
parameter.

9.9 Defining fractal dimension. 323

9.10 Fractal dimension of Sierpinski carpet. 324

9.11 The Menger sponge. 325

9.12a Construction of smaller equilateral triangles, each of side one- 325

third the size of the previous triangle, and erected on the middle
of each side.

9.12b The perimeter of Koch curve has infinite length, but the whole 326
pattern is enclosed in a finite area.

9.13 The Koch curve. 326

9.14 The strange attractor, also called the Lorenz attractor. 328

9.15a Phase space trajectory of a simple harmonic oscillator. 329

9.15b Phase space trajectory of a damped oscillator. 330

9.16 The Mandelbrot set. 331

 Figures xix

9.17 The logistic map plotted using Eq. 9.19, with r in the range 332
[1, 4]. Calculations are made with z0 = 0.

9.18 The y-axis of logistic map is rescaled. 333

9.19 Self-affine Mandelbrots within each Mandelbrot. 335

9.20a The logistic map shown along with a plot of the Lyapunov 338
exponent for the same.

9.20b Magnification of Fig. 9.20a. 339

10.1 The rate at which the temperature changes with distance is 348
different in different directions.

10.2 The point P on a horse’s saddle is both a point of ‘stable’ and an 350
‘unstable’ equilibrium. It is called ‘saddle point’.

10.3 At the point P inside a fluid, one may consider a tiny surface 358
element passing through that point. An infinite number of surfaces
of this kind can be considered.

10.4a The orientation of an infinitesimal tiny rectangle around a point P 358

is given by the forward motion of a right hand screw.

10.4b The orientation of a surface at an arbitrary point can be defined 358

unambiguously even for a large ruffled surface, which may even
have a zigzag boundary.

10.5 Orientable surfaces, irrespective of their curvatures and ruffles. 359

10.6 The forward motion of a right hand screw, when it is turned along 360
the edge of an orientable surface.

10.7 Non-orientable surfaces are said to be not well-behaved. 361

10.8 A fluid passing through a well-defined finite region of space. 362

10.9 The volume element ABCDHGEF is a closed region of space, 363

fenced by six faces of a parallelepiped.

10.10 This figure shows the closed path ABCDA of the circulation as a 373
sum over four legs.

10.11 A well-behaved surface, whether flat, curved, or ruffled, can be 376

sliced into tiny cells.

11.1 In an ideal fluid, the stress is essentially one of compression. 386

11.2 The pressure at a point inside the fluid at rest depends only on 393
the depth.
xx Figures

11.3 The hydraulic press. It can do wonders by exploiting the leveraging 393
of a force applied by a fluid pressure.

11.4 Three representations of the Dirac-δ ‘function’. 399

12.1 A source at one point generates an influence at the field point. 421

12.2a The Ohm’s law. 428

12.2b Kirchhoff’s first law, also known as the current law. 428

12.2c Kirchhoff’s second law, also known as the voltage law. 428

12.3a There is no D.C. source in the circuit. Would a current flow? 431

12.3b Motional emf. 431

12.3c Another physical factor that drives a current. 432

12.3d Induced emf due to changing magnetic flux. 432

12.4a Ampere–Maxwell law. 435

12.4b Biot–Savart–Maxwell law. 435

12.5 Inverse distance of a field point from a point in the source region. 443

12.6 The potential at the field point F due to a point sized dipole 445
moment at the origin.

12.7 A tiny closed circuit loop carrying a current generates a magnetic 447
field that is identical to that generated by a point-sized bar
magnet.

12.8 The effective electric intensity field at a field point F due to a 452
polarized dielectric.

12.9 A magnetic material generates a magnetic induction field at the 454

field point due to the magnetic moment arising out of quantum
angular momentum of its electrons.

12.10 The integral forms of Maxwell’s equations, along with the Gauss’ 459
divergence theorem, and the Kelvin–Stokes theorem, yield the
interface conditions.

12.11 The surface current, and an Amperian loop. 460

P12.1(a)–(d) Coulomb–Gauss–Maxwell law. 462

P12.4(a) A conductor in a time-independent external electric field. 466

 Figures xxi

P12.4(b) A charge on conductor spreads to the outer surface. The field 466
inside is zero, and that outside is normal to the surface of the
conductor.

P12.4(c) A charge inside a cavity in a conductor produces an electric field 466

inside the cavity, but there is no field in the conducting material
itself.

13.1 The wave-front of the electromagnetic wave propagating in space 476

is a flat plane that advances as time progresses.

13.2 The direction of the magnetic induction field vector and the electric 478
field vector are perpendicular to each other, and to the direction of
propagation of the electromagnetic field.

13.3 A comet consists of somewhat loosened dust particles which are 484
blown away by the pressure of the electromagnetic radiation from
the Sun.

13.4 A frame of reference moving at a constant velocity with respect 486

another.

13.5 The observers Achal and Pravasi see two cloud-to-earth lightning 500
bolts, LF and LR, hit the earth.

13.6 The light clock. 502

13.7a In the rest frame R, the stars are at rest and the rocket moves from 503
left to right.

13.7b In the moving frame M of the rocket, the stars move from right 503
to left.

13.8 The Lorentz transformations scramble space and time 505

coordinates.

P13.1A Incident, reflected, and transmitted TM polarized (P polarized) 513

EM waves.

P13.1B Incident, reflected, and transmitted TE polarized (S polarized) EM 514

waves.

14.1 The ball darts off instantly along a tangent to the circle from the 525
point at which the string snaps.

14.2 Anything accelerating in free space at the value of g meter per 526
second per second, acts in exactly the same way as an object
accelerating toward Earth at g meter per second per second.
xxii Figures

14.3 The equivalence principle suggests that an apple falling at the 527
North Pole is equivalent to Earth accelerating upward (in this
diagram) towards the apple, but an apple falling at the South Pole
would likewise require Earth to be accelerating downwards.

14.4 Schematic diagram representing Eddington’s experiment of 29 528

May 1919.

14.5 Schematic representation of the excess angle of planetary 534

precession.

14.6 Plot obtained from our simulation code depicting the precession 538
of the perihelion of a planet orbiting the Sun over two mercury-
years.

14.7 The high precision experiment that detects gravitational waves. 539
 tables

3.1 The Coriolis effect, showing dramatic real effects of the pseudo-force. 100

8.1 Planetary data for our solar system. 285

9.1 Nature of the attractor (asymptotic behavior) orbit of the logistic map 321
showing period doubling route to chaos.

10.1 Expressions for an infinitesimal displacement vector in commonly used 351

coordinate systems.

10.2 Expression for the gradient operator. 352

12.1 Legendre Polynomials. 444

12.2 Maxwell’s equations of electrodynamics. 448

12.3 Maxwell’s equations of electrodynamics—matter matters! 458

12.4 Interface boundary conditions for E, D, B, H 461

14.1 Precession of the major axis of Mercury’s elliptic orbit is partially 534
accounted for by various factors listed here. However, it leaves a residual
correction factor, which can only be accounted for using Einstein’s field
equations of the GTR.

14.2 The residual unaccounted precession of the major axis of Mercury’s 537
orbit is accounted for by Einstein’s Field Equations of the GTR.
 Foreword

I am a theoretical astrophysicist, and my professional work requires a foundation in classical

mechanics and fluid dynamics, and it then draws on statistical mechanics, relativity, and
quantum mechanics. How is a student to see the underlying connections between these vast
subjects? Professor Pranawa Deshmukh’s book ‘Foundations of Classical Mechanics’ (FoCM)
provides an excellent exposition to the underlying unity of physics, and is a valuable resource
for students and professionals who specialize in any area of physics.
It was 2011 and I was Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University
of Western Ontario (UWO). An important global trend in education is internationalization:
the effort to increase the international mobility of students and faculty, and increase
partnerships in research and teaching. The present-day leading universities in the world are
the ones that long ago figured out the benefits of academic mobility and exchanges. As part
of our internationalization efforts at UWO, I was keen on building ties with the renowned
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campuses in India. I invited Professor Deshmukh of the
IIT Madras to come to UWO to spend a term in residence and also teach one course. That
course turned out to be Classical Mechanics. How enlightening to find out that Professor
Deshmukh had already developed extensive lecture materials in this area, including a full
videographed lecture course ‘Special Topics in Classical Mechanics’ that is available on
YouTube. Not surprising then, the course he taught at UWO was a tour-de-force of classical
mechanics that also, notably, included topics that are considered to be ‘modern’, including
chaos theory and relativity. Many of our students appreciated, highly, the inclusion of special
relativity and, for example, to be able to finally understand a resolution to the mind-bending
Twin Paradox. We were lucky to have Professor Deshmukh bring his diverse expertise to
Canada, and UWO in particular, and it established personal and research links between
individuals, and more generally between UWO and the IITs, which continue today.
The FoCM book is a further extension of the broad approach that Professor Deshmukh
has brought to his teaching. This is not just another book on Classical Mechanics, due to both
its approach and extensive content. The chapters are written in a conversational style, with
everyday examples, historical anecdotes, short biographical sketches, and pedagogical features
included. The mathematical rigor of the book is also very high, with equations introduced
and justified as needed. Students and professionals who want a resource that synthesizes the
unity of classical and modern physics will want to have FoCM on their shelves. The classical
xxvi Foreword

principles of conservation laws are introduced through the beautiful ideas of symmetry
that have found resonance in modern physics. FoCM also introduces the Lagrangian and
Hamiltonian approaches and shows their connection with relativity and quantum theory,
respectively. The book covers Fourier methods and the equations of fluid mechanics, plus
Maxwell’s equations, topics that are not always present in classical mechanics books. Chaos
theory is a modern incarnation of classical physics and finds significant coverage. The
inclusion of special relativity and even the basic tenets of general relativity makes the book
a very special resource. There is a simplified derivation of the precession of the perihelion of
Mercury’s orbit as deduced from general relativity.
After reading this book I am convinced that classical physics is a very ‘modern’ subject
indeed. Over the years, the offering of classical mechanics courses has been reduced at many
physics departments, sometimes to just a single term. Physics departments around the world
would be well advised to ensure a two-term series on the subject that makes the crucial
connections between classical and modern physics as expounded in FoCM.

Shantanu Basu, Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy,

University of Western Ontario, London, Canada
 Preface

It gives me great pleasure in presenting Foundations of Classical Mechanics (FoCM) to the

undergraduate students of the sciences and engineering.
A compelling urge to comprehend our surroundings triggered inquisitiveness in man even
in ancient times. Rational thought leading to credible science is, however, only about two
thousand years old. Science must be considered young, bearing in mind the age of the homo
sapiens on the planet Earth. Over two millennia, extricating science from the dogmas and
superstitious beliefs of the earlier periods has been an inspiring struggle; a battle lamentably
not over as yet. Progress in science has nonetheless been rapid in the last few hundred years,
especially since the fifteenth and the sixteenth century.
To be considered classical, just as for the arts or literature, a scientific formalism needs to
have weathered the tests of acceptability by the learned over centuries, not just decades. The
work of Nicolas Copernicus (1473–1543), Tycho Brahe (1546–1601), and Johannes Kepler
(1571–1630) in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries was quickly followed, in
the seventeenth through the nineteenth centuries, by a galaxy of stalwarts, many of whom
excelled in both experimental and theoretical sciences, and some among them were proficient
also in engineering and technology. They developed a large number of specialized fields,
including of course physics and mathematics, and also chemistry and life sciences. Among
the brilliant contributions of numerous researchers who belong to this period, the influence
of the works of Galileo Galilei (1564–1642), Isaac Newton (1642–1727), Leonhard Euler
(1707–1783), Joseph Lagrange (1736–1813), Charles Coulomb (1736–1813), Thomas Young
(1773–1829), Joseph Fourier (1768–1830), Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855), Andre-Marie
Ampere (1775–1836), Michael Faraday (1791–1867), William Hamilton (1805–1865), and
James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879) resulted in a lasting impact which has withstood the
test of time for a few hundred years already. Their contributions are recognized as classical
physics, or classical mechanics. The theory of relativity, developed later by Albert Einstein
(1879–1955), is a natural fallout of Maxwell’s formalism of the laws of electrodynamics, and
is largely considered to be an intrinsic part of classical physics. The theory of chaos is also an
integral part of it, though it is a little bit younger.
The quantum phenomena, discovered in the early parts of the twentieth century, exposed
the limitations of the classical physics. The quantum theory cannot be developed as any
xxviii Preface

kind of modification of the classical theory. It needs new tenets. To that extent, one may
have to concede that classical physics has failed. This would be, however, a very unfair
appraisal. It does no justice to the wide-scale adequacy of classical physics to account for a
large number of physical phenomena; let alone to its beauty, elegance and ingenuity. Niels
Bohr established the ‘correspondence principle’, according to which classical physics and
quantum theory give essentially the same results, albeit only in a certain limiting situation.
Besides, the dynamical variables of classical physics continue to be used in the quantum
theory, even if as mathematical operators whose analysis and interpretation requires a new
mathematical structure, developed by Planck, Louis de Broglie, Schrödinger, Heisenberg,
Bohr, Einstein, Pauli, Dirac, Fermi, Bose, Feynman, and others. Notwithstanding the fact that
classical physics is superseded by the quantum theory, it continues to be regarded as classical,
outlasting the times when it was developed. Many of the very same physical quantities of
classical physics continue to be of primary interest in the quantum theory. Classical physics
remains commandingly relevant even for the interpretation of the quantum theory. The
importance of classical mechanics is therefore stupendous.
The laws of classical mechanics are introduced early on to students, even in the high-school,
where they are taught the three laws of Newton. Many kids can recite all the three laws in a
single breath. The simple composition of these laws, however, hides how sophisticated and
overpowering they really are. The subtleties are rarely ever touched upon in high-school
physics. The first course in physics for students of science and engineering after high-school
education is when Newton’s laws must therefore be re-learned to appreciate their depth and
scope. The central idea in Newton’s formulation of classical mechanics is inspired by the
principles of causality and determinism, which merit careful analysis. Besides, students need
an exposure to the alternative, equivalent, formulation of classical mechanics based on the
Hamilton–Lagrange principle of variation. The theory of fractals and chaos which patently
involves classical determinism is also an intrinsic part of classical mechanics; it strongly depends
on the all-important initial conditions of a dynamical system. The main topics covered in this
book aim at providing essential insights into the general field of classical mechanics, and
include Newtonian and Lagrangian formulations, with their applications to the dynamics of
particles, and their aggregates including rigid bodies and fluids. An introduction to the theory
of chaos is included, as well as an essential summary of electrodynamics, plus an introduction
to the special and the general theory of relativity.
FoCM is the outcome of various courses I have offered at the Indian Institute of Technology
Madras (IITM) for over three decades. During this period, I also had the opportunity to
offer similar courses at the IIT Mandi. Over the National Knowledge Network, this course
was offered also at the IIT Hyderabad. During the past four years, I have offered courses at
the same level at the IIT Tirupati, and also at the Indian Institute of Science Education and
Research Tirupati (IISER-T). Besides, during my sabbatical, I taught a course at the University
of Western Ontario (UWO), London, where Professor Shantanu Basu had invited me to teach
Classical Mechanics. I am indebted to IITM, IITMi, IITH, UWO, IITT, and IISERT for the
teaching opportunities I had at these institutions. My understanding of the subject has been
greatly enhanced by the discussions with many students, and colleagues, at the institutions
 Preface xxix

where I taught, especially with Dr C. Vijayan and Dr G. Aravind at IITM, and Dr S.R.Valluri,
Dr Shantanu Basu, and Dr Ken Roberts at the UWO. The gaps in my understanding of this
unfathomable subject are of course entirely a result of my own limitations. The colleagues
and students whom I benefited from are too numerous to be listed here; and even if I could,
it would be impossible to thank them appropriately. Nevertheless, I will like to specially
acknowledge Dr Koteswara Rao Bommisetti, Dr Srijanani Anurag Prasad, and Dr Girish
Kumar Rajan for their support. Besides, I am privileged to acknowledge the National
Programme for Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) of the Ministry of Human Resource
Development, Government of India, which videographed three of my lecture courses, including
one on ‘Special/Select Topics in Classical Mechanics: STiCM’ which strongly overlaps with
the contents of this book. The various courses that I offered at the four different IITs, the
IISER-T, the UWO, and the STiCM (NPTEL) video-lecture courses have all contributed to
the development of FoCM.
The topics included in FoCM are deliberately chosen to speed up young minds into the
foundation principles and prepare them for important applications in engineering and
technology. Possibly in the next twenty, or fifty, or a hundred years, mankind may make
contact with extra-terrestrial life, understand dark matter, figure out what dark energy
is, and may comprehend comprehensively the big bang and the very-early universe. The
‘multiverse’, if there were any, and possibly new physics beyond the ‘standard’ model, will
also be explored, and possibly discovered. Students of science must therefore rapidly prepare
themselves for major breakthroughs that seem to be just around the corner in the coming
decades. FoCM aspires to provide a fruitful initiation in this endeavour. Engineering students
also need a strong background in the foundations of the laws of physics. The GPS system
would not function without accounting for the special theory of relativity, and also the general
theory of relativity. GPS navigation, designing and tracking trajectories of ships, airplanes,
rockets, missiles, and satellites, would not be possible without an understanding, and nifty
adaptation, of the principles of classical mechanics. Emerging technologies of driverless cars,
drone technology, robotic surgery, quantum teleportation, etc., would require the strategic
manipulation of classical dynamics, interfacing it with devices which run on quantum theory
and the theory of relativity. FoCM is therefore designed for both students of science and
engineering, who together will innovate tomorrow’s technologies.
A selection of an assorted set of equations from various chapters in FoCM appears on the
cover of this book. This choice is a tribute to Dirac, who said “a physical law must possess a
mathematical beauty”, and to Einstein, who said “... an equation is for eternity”. Of the top
ten most-popular (and most-beautiful) equations in physics that are well known to internet
users, two belong to the field of thermodynamics, and three are from the quantum theory.
The remaining five, and also some more which are of comparable importance and beauty, are
introduced and discussed in FoCM.
FoCM can possibly be covered in two undergraduate semesters. Contents from other books
may of course be added to supplement FoCM. Among other books at similar level, those by
J. R. Taylor (Classical Mechanics), David Morin (Introduction to Classical Mechanics), and
by S. T. Thornton and J. B. Marion (Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems) are my
Another random document with
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The Project Gutenberg eBook of Small voice, big
man
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Small voice, big man

Author: Stewart Pierce Brown

Illustrator: George Schelling

Release date: December 6, 2023 [eBook #72347]

Language: English

Original publication: New York, NY: Ziff-Davis Publishing Company,

1962

Credits: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed

Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SMALL

VOICE, BIG MAN ***
 small voice, BIG MAN

By STEWART PIERCE BROWN

Illustrated by SCHELLING

No one had heard of Van Richie for years.

Now his songs whispered ghostly through the
air, and did their work of love and hate.

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from

Amazing Stories December 1962.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
Car 43 cruised slowly up Eighth Avenue. At the wheel, Patrolman
Vince Ferraro thought mixed thoughts about Patricia Ann Burke.
Beside him, Sergeant Gus Kleiber watched the city in a bored and
automatic way, his mind on Augustus Junior, about to take his bar
exams. The radio crackled in a low key. The evening traffic was light,
few people were on the streets.
The Sergeant turned heavily in his seat. "You hear that?"
"What?"
"A guy singing. Over the radio."

Ferraro shook his head. He pulled over and they listened. Routine
police calls squawked from the speaker. Kleiber frowned. "No, this
was singing. It—there!" Faintly behind the official monotone they
heard a man's voice singing. "You know who that sounds like? Van
Richie."
"Van Richie? Come on. He's dead."
"Could be a record. Anyway, he ain't dead. He made a movie here a
while back."
"Ten years ago."
"Yeah, but he ain't dead."
"He isn't singing on the radio, either."
Kleiber stared at the radio. The singing had faded out. Ferraro eased
the car back into the stream of traffic and his thoughts back to
Patricia Ann. They were interrupted again as he drove past the
Garden. "I tell you," Kleiber said, "that was Van Richie."
Oh, great, Ferraro thought. Now he won't be able to let up on that for
a week.

"It's cold in here," the girl said. The man at the easel didn't answer.
She hugged herself and tucked her feet under her, frowning
petulantly. "Alex?"
"Put a sweater on," the man said without looking away from his
painting. His voice echoed in the huge loft.
"I've got one on."
"There's a blanket there."
With a sigh, the girl lay back on the bed, pulling the blanket around
her. She draped one arm over her eyes, shielding them from the
banks of fluorescent lights. Under her ear, on the not-very-clean
pillow, she tucked a tiny pocket radio.
In the corner, water dripped from a tap into the chipped basin. Dimly
the sounds of the traffic on Tenth Avenue floated up to them. Almost
an hour passed. When she looked up, the man was standing back,
frowning at the canvas.
"That's enough for now," she said gently.
He dropped the brushes on the taboret and wiped his hands
absently, his eyes on the half-finished painting.
"Alex?"
"Hmm?"
"Keep me warm."
Only then did he look at her. He came and stood over the bed, faintly
smiling. She lifted a corner of the blanket like a tent flap.
They lay watching the lopsided moon inching over the edge of the
streaked and gritty skylight. In the dark, she giggled.
"What's so funny?"
"I just heard Van Richie. Right in the middle of the news."
"Get that thing out of here."
"He just came right in while the man was talking."
"Give it to—"
"Listen." She held the radio to his ear. He listened briefly, then turned
the radio off and put it on the table.
Later, when he got up for a cigarette, he saw it in the light of the
match. "How did you know that was him? You weren't even born
then."
But she was asleep.
Harry Freed locked up on the dot of nine. He left a night light over
the rear counter, connected the alarm, and walked wearily to the car.
The traffic was lighter tonight. Thank God. He was exhausted.
Waiting for the light at Seventh Avenue, he leaned his head back
against the seat and closed his eyes. It would be nice if Edith had a
cup of hot cocoa ready for him. But tonight was Perry Como. She'd
be glued to the set.
A horn honked behind him. He started, jerked forward and stalled the
car. The light changed back to red before he could get it started
again. People at the crosswalk stared at him. He felt himself
blushing. Edith was right. They should have bought her brother's car
last spring and got rid of this one.
The pavements were still wet, repeating the lights of Times Square in
blurred patches of color. The rain had killed the day's receipts. He
dreaded telling Edith. They said tomorrow would be better. He
switched on the radio to get the news and weather.
The traffic moved slower now. He looked nervously at his watch.
Even with Perry Como, she didn't like it when he was late.
Why hadn't Saul made both deliveries today? Why only one?
Reminder: see Hodges at the bank tomorrow. And write Ruth; ask
about his nephew's broken arm.
Horns again. A cop waving him on. God, he was tired. His eyes.
Edith wanted him to get glasses.
"... clearing, with some cloudiness. Wind from the north ..." Van
Richie singing.
Why are they always digging up Ninth Avenue? Maybe Eleventh
would be better. Crazy taxis. Look at that nut, cutting in and out.
Van Richie?
He twisted the dial. "Wheat was off but cotton was higher...." "Our
love came much too soo-oo-oon!" "Next news at 10:30...." "Real,
unfiltered tobacco flavor...."
He had heard him, though. He was sure of it. He told Edith about it
when he got home. She said he was crazy. Van Richie had retired
long ago.

The book had pictures of things he knew, with the English names
beneath them. Each word was spelled the way it was pronounced.
With the rug wrapped around him and the book spread on top of the
radiator, Gabriel Sangre said the word aloud, slowly, trying to
remember what Miss Alvirez had said: where the mark was, was
louder.
He was hungry. But he did not eat. What was left in the window-sill
box had to last until Friday.
"Chay-r." "Tay-bel." "Kow-ch." He shivered, forcing his knees
between the uprights of the radiator. In bed, he knew, he would be
warmer. But also he would fall asleep. He wanted to finish the
lesson. He did not want to disappoint Miss Alvirez.
Tomorrow would be hard again. A long day, with the stacks of trays
and the heavy dishes and the miles of running around the big
kitchen, with the old Italian barking at him and the waiters pushing
him and cursing him. But he could not go to bed.
He rested his forehead on the book. The heat bathed his face. It felt
good. It made him forget the cold wind outside and the grey and
gritty buildings. It felt like the sun. The island sun that warmed him as
he worked with his father in the fields. Down the long rows side by
side, with the sound of the sea far away and the shrill voices of his
sisters coming faintly across the valley.
The tears came again. He could not stop them. But this time as they
came, he heard music. Singing. A man singing. Faintly, like the
sound of his sisters far away. It was in English. It was not a song he
had ever heard on the Sebastiano's radio. It was not one from the
juke box at El Puerto, uptown. It was a small voice, a gentle voice,
and he liked it. Once or twice he caught a word he knew.
He sat there with his head bowed forward, the rug wrapped around
him, crying for the sun and listening to the singing in his head.

The secretary was nice to him. He could tell she had heard of him.
Not heard him. She was too young. But heard of him. Well, small
favors. She called him Mr. Richie, which nobody in Hollywood would
have done.
Feldt was nice, too. Up from his chair, hand out. Some of them just
sat there and let you come to them. But he had that same quick,
searching look as they shook hands.
"Sixty-three," Van Richie said.
Feldt smiled but did not quite blush. "I figured it had to be around
that. For what it's worth, you don't look it."
"Thanks." Richie sat down. Feldt returned to his chair behind the
desk.
"I talked to Marvin on the coast last night. You're it for us, he says."
"Good. I hope so."
"Yeah, we do, too. It's been a while." Feldt looked at the paper in
front of him. "1941."
"I did some stock out there after the war."
"Yeah. But the last feature was '41. And you were still a, you
know...."
"A crooner." Richie smiled with one corner of his mouth.
Feldt smiled, too. "Yeah, a crooner. This one's only got two songs,
y'know."
"I know."
"It's mostly light comedy."
"Marv explained all that."
"Yeah, well...." Feldt carefully squared the paper with the corner of
his blotter. "1941, y'know that's sort of a while ago."
"Yes, it is," Richie said evenly. "Look, Mr. Feldt, if you're trying to tell
me I'll have to read for it, just say so."
"Okay, I just said so."
Richie fitted a cigarette into his holder. His lighter failed and Feldt
held a match for him. "Thanks." He exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Who
for?"
"Oh, Abe. Me. Probably the producing team."
"It's always a team today, they just don't have a producer any more,
do they?"
"Just a few of us. Six people, maybe. Seven."
"Just lines?"
"Well, mostly, yeah. We may have a piano there."
The corner of Richie's mouth turned up again. "I can carry a tune,
you know."
Feldt laughed. "Sure, sure. But just to see how it sounds and all."
Richie stared at him, not smiling. Feldt turned off his own laughter.
He shrugged. "What the hell, Van, 1941. We got a bundle in this one.
We're taking no chances. None."
Outside, the secretary's typewriter chattered unevenly. Richie blew a
smoke ring. "Okay," he said, feeling suddenly tired, "Any time you
say."
Feldt walked to the elevators with him. "Incidentally, Van, I hate to
ask, but what's with the sauce problem these days?"
Richie shook his head. "Seven years. Eight now, in fact."
"Oh, great. That's great."
"And for your information, it never was what you'd call a problem."
"Well, the papers and all, y'know. We couldn't tell." The elevator
doors hissed open. "Thanks for coming up, fella. See you tomorrow."
Halfway down, the only other man in the car looked up, startled.
"Pardon?"
"I said 'son of a bitch'," Van Richie said. "With feeling."

"Good God, you can't even hear him!" one of the men whispered.
Someone else in the darkened theatre called, "Hold it! Can you give
it a little more, Van? We can't hear it out here."
Van Richie squinted toward the seats. "Are the mikes up?"
"All the way. You're going to have to push it."
The piano resumed. Richie's voice was true but small. The whisperer
groaned. "He could use that old megaphone right about now."
When the number was over, Richie came down from the stage and
joined them. "You need help, Van," Feldt said bluntly.
"What about it, Ben?" They all turned to a man sitting alone, several
rows back.
"You don't want a lapel mike?" Ben asked, coming slowly down the
aisle.
"Too much cable trailing around. There'll be dancers all over that
stage."
"Lavalier the same thing?"
"The same thing."
"Look, why hide it?" asked the man who'd mentioned the
megaphone. "Just fly a pencil mike. When he's ready, drop it down."
"It breaks the mood," one of the writers said.
"Nuts, the mood. You can't hear him."
"There's one thing we can do...."
"A microphone out of the sky?" the writer groaned.
"Awright, a floor mike, then."
"There is one thing," the electrician began again.
"What's that, Ben?"
"Well, it isn't cheap."
"Of course not," the senior member of the producing team said.
"You mind if you look a little fat, Mr. Richie?"
"Not if they can hear me, Ben. What's the gimmick?"
They listened grimly to the electrician's plan. Feldt glanced at Richie.
He looked old and tired and small. God, Feldt thought, I hope we
haven't pulled a rock.

"For your information," Sergeant Kleiber said, "Van Richie hasn't

made a record in 26 years. 1936."
"Fine. Great," Ferraro answered. Inwardly, he groaned. It was weeks
now.
"And he sure ain't dead."
"Okay, you looked it up and he's alive." Ferraro moved the car
skillfully through the traffic. "Fine. I'm glad to hear it."
"Looked it up nothing. He just opened in a show right here on 46th!
That's him in person we been hearing. I told you. I know that voice."
"Yeah, you told me."
"Look, why don't you admit you were wrong for once?"
"The hell do you mean? I heard the singing. I said that."
"All you said was he was dead or it was a record or something."
"All I said was I never heard him sing those songs. Where'd you get
all this about he's in a show?"
"Drive by! Turn in 46th! It's right on the sign! Turn in!"
Oh, nuts, thought Ferraro, what do I care if the guy is in a show?
"There. See? Slow down."
"I can see it."
They moved on down the block, past the other theatres. Ferraro
shrugged. "Okay, he's still around."
"Sure is. And that's him we hear singing."
"But at night. How can he be on the radio if he's in a show? They
wouldn't be doing a broadcast from the stage every night."
Typical, thought Kleiber. In the wrong, so now he attacks. He couldn't
say I was wrong or you were right or sorry or anything. "Okay, he's
still around." Big deal. And now boring in about the broadcasting.
Well, the hell with him. They were getting too many of his kind from
the Academy nowadays. The know-it-all, you-heard-it-here-first type.
He was coming up for an advance in pay-grade on the first of the
month. He had big plans to get married. Well, let him stay in the
barrel a while longer. It wouldn't hurt him. Pat or Peg or whatever her
name was could wait. He made a mental note to get Ferraro's fitness
report form from the clerk when they got back to the precinct house.

"Can you turn that down a little?"

The girl shrugged and turned the volume control on the tiny radio. A
sudden blare of sound crashed and echoed in the quiet studio.
"Sorry," she called, hastily twisting the knob the other way.
"Damn it, Nell, you do that every time. You've had that thing a year
now."
"Every time! You always exaggerate when you're mad. The other
one was just the opposite, is all."
He didn't answer. He turned back to the canvas and worked silently
for several minutes. It was not going well but he kept at it doggedly,
frowning in concentration, his lower lip trapped between his teeth.
Suddenly he whirled. "Nell, turn that thing down or get it out of here!"
"It is down! I can't get it any softer."
"Then shut it off."
"Why should I? I want to—"
"I said shut it off!"
"I want to hear if Van Richie comes on with the news again."
"What kind of foolishness—?"
"Ye Gods, can't a person even breathe around here any more?
You're so mad about that lousy painting—"
"Nell." His voice was taut but he didn't shout.
"It is. It's lousy and you know it. That's what makes you so—"
"Nell." He started across the room toward her.
"You're not going to take it out on me. It's not my fault if you can't
paint. I don't think—Alex!"
She only partially blocked the blow. Holding his wrist, she tried to bite
his arm. He flung her off, sending her reeling against the bed. "Lousy
painting!" she screamed. She threw the radio at the canvas. "It
stinks! It's so bad it makes me sick! It's awful!" Her face was twisted
and flushed and her body jerked with the violence of her shouting.
She tried to run then but he caught her and spun her around. He hit
her with his fist and knocked her down. He stood above her,
breathing in great gulps, his eyes blazing.
She didn't cry. She got to her feet slowly, stumbling once when she
was erect. She walked behind him and he heard the water running in
the basin. He didn't turn around. Her footsteps crossed the room.
"That's the last time, Alex," she said in a small, lifeless voice. He
heard the door close.
It was a miracle, Gabriel decided. The singing was a miracle. It was
to tell him to go on, to keep studying, to stay in New York and make
Miss Alvirez proud of him. And when he could speak and read
English well, then he would get a better job. A job in an office,
maybe, where it was quiet and people were kind and he could go
home at five o'clock. He would have enough money to go to the
movies every night.
And so he worked hard at the words and the sentences, while the
radiator and the singing in his head kept him warm. Every night at
the same time he heard the singing. He understood more and more
of the words.
But it was not the words that helped him through the cold and
loneliness. It was the voice. It seemed to be singing just for him. It
was inside his head. Nobody else heard it. It was like a friend, a
friend he didn't have to share with anyone.
When the tests came, he got the second highest mark in the class.
Only one girl scored better. Miss Alvirez shook his hand and was
glad for him.
Later, he told her about the singing. She looked at him curiously but
she didn't laugh. He even sang the parts he could remember. She
did not know the songs.
It wasn't until he'd been working in the travel office almost six months
that she came by and told him they were from one of the big plays
downtown. She had seen it and had come all the way to his office to
tell him. That made him feel very good.

"Listen, if you don't get a clerk in there. You're all jumpy. That's why
you keep hearing that singing."
"Edie, I told you—that's got nothing to do with it," Harry Freed said.
"The man said there was absolutely nothing wrong with the radio.
Nobody else hears any singing. I never get it on the set upstairs."
"I know what I heard, that's all. Four times now."
"You're just getting sicker, that's all that proves."
"Honey, I don't think you should say things like that."
"Yeah? Well, I don't think you should hear voices either. Why don't
you see a doctor? My God, consider somebody else's feelings for a
change. How do you think it would make me feel, having a husband
everybody knew was mentally ill? Around this town? That never
occurred to you, did it? You're too busy thinking of yourself. I try to
get you to go to a doctor. I worry about it until I'm practically sick
myself. But, oh no, you're all right. You just hear voices, that's all. So
you don't care what anybody else is going through. Not you."
Harry sat very still. Then slowly he stood up. "Put your coat on," he
said.
"What do you mean, put—?"
"Just what I said. Put your coat on."
"Oh, Harry, stop. I don't like to be talked to like that and you know it."
"Edith." He walked across the room until he was standing very close
to her. "Edith, put your coat on and get in the car. We're going into
New York and you're going to hear Van Richie on that radio if I have
to tie you to the seat."
"You're out of your mind. You must be out of your mind! Have you
been drinking or something?"
He stepped closer. Instinctively she stepped back. They stared at
each other. After a moment, she went over to the closet. "Well, if
that's the way you're going to be," she said, taking down her hat and
coat. "I still say it's the silliest thing...."
He found the corners of his mouth were dry. His knees felt watery.
But he drove steadily and surely through the heavy traffic. She kept
repeating how silly it was.
He showed her the theatre with Van Richie's name out front. They
drove back and forth along his homeward route. Three times they
heard Van Richie sing.
On the way back, she began talking again. "Shut up," he said,
without raising his voice, without looking at her. She gasped. But she
knew enough to remain silent.
The critics called it the best musical since My Fair Lady. They had
special praise for Van Richie: "He has made the transition from
crooner to comedian with grace and style ... the years have left the
familiar voice intact."
"Bless our boy Ben," Feldt said. He sat on the bed, the newspapers
strewn on the floor at his feet. The cast party crashed and roared in
the next room.
"Van Richie and His Electric Voice," Richie said, dropping the phone
back in the cradle. He'd been trying to call California since midnight.
"Now, listen," Feldt said.
"I know, I know. It's a hit. Sure." Richie was looking out the window.
The senior producer's apartment commanded a view of two-thirds of
Manhattan. The blinking signals of a plane headed for Idlewild. A set
of lights far downtown told him it was 1:57. Seconds later it told him
the temperature was 39 degrees.
"What now?" Feldt asked.
"What?"
"The big sigh."
"Oh, I was just thinking. How it's all different this time."
"We're all thirty years older, dad."
"No. Something else, too. The—what would you call it—the
immediacy?"
"You want to call it that, you call it that. Only what the hell are you
talking about?"
"Well, back with the band in the old days, you were right there. They
were right there. Swaying there right in front of the stand and you
were singing right to them. I saw kids falling in love right in front of
me. Maybe they got married after that. Maybe they didn't get
married. But I was reaching them, I was communicating."
"When I hear an actor use the word 'communicate', I leave the
room."
"This time around I can't get any feeling that I'm reaching anybody,
that it makes any difference."
The party sounds burst in on them. The producer stood in the
doorway. "What, are you memorizing those reviews? Come on,
everybody's asking where you are."
"Here we are."
"Yeah, but come on. They want you, Van. Sibi's at the piano. You're
on."
"Sing Melancholy Baby," Van Richie said. But, he went out into the
bright, crowded room and over to the piano.
In a corner of the room, Ben listened, smiling and tapping his foot to
the rhythm of the song. The room had quieted down while Van
Richie was singing. There was a crash of applause when he
finished.
"Such a little voice," a woman said to Ben. He recognized her as one
of the writers' wives. "What did you do for it, Ben? Arthur said you
did something perfectly amazing."
Ben shrugged. "Not so amazing. We had a little belt made. About—"
he stretched the thumb and middle finger of one hand "—six inches
high, maybe an inch-and-a-half thick. It was a transmitter, actually—
a miniature radio station."
"But I never saw any wires. What did he have, batteries?"
"Transistors. Like the astronauts in the space capsules. He wore the
whole thing under his clothes. We had an amplifier in the wings to
pick up the signal and beam it out to the house speakers." Ben
laughed. "It probably loused up a few radios in the neighborhood but
it worked."
"I think it's just incredible. That little voice!"