It descripts a system using the energy concept. The total energy of the system, which is the sum of kinetic energy and potential energy. Its formula often looks like H = T + V, where T represents kinetic energy and V represents potential energy.
Both the quantum mechanics and molecular dynamics have shared a similar concept.
In structural mechanics, we use the virtual method to calculate the hyperstatic structure to determine displacements in a structure, given forces acting on the structure. Another kind of Hamiltonian.
I am curious about what you mean by “classically educated.” In my undergrad physics education, computing Hamiltonians was pretty much an entire semester of classical mechanics in my junior year.
We didn’t really touch fluids though. Does “classical” mean something different there?
I still remember in high school, we only need two or three equations
to solve a free-fall problem. In another book, basically the same
question, but someone uses Hamiltonian framework to solve really
complex PDEs and couple pages with those crazy equations to basically
solve the same thing, and eventually got the same results.
I still remember that was mind-blowing. High school physics is so
simple, whereas the Hamilton is so complex. I later on notice that
Hamilton is kind of a more standard way to solve the problem. Never
mind, I'm not an expert on it, but I'm just kind of amazed by the
Hamiltonian mechanics.
The Hamiltonian is a lot more flexible with respect to frame. The Newtonian formulation works great for simple cases but as it gets more complex it's harder and harder to pick a reference frame that's easy to compute.
Effectively, by working with energy rather than force, you can avoid working with vectors. That ends up being simpler as the components add up.
Both the quantum mechanics and molecular dynamics have shared a similar concept.
In structural mechanics, we use the virtual method to calculate the hyperstatic structure to determine displacements in a structure, given forces acting on the structure. Another kind of Hamiltonian.