this potent volume is a highly unified treatment of simple osciallations and waves - simple insofar as they are describable by linear equations, occur in one dimension, and utilize scalars instead of vectors (or other tools with geometric complications) as dependent variables. chapters cover electrical and mechanical oscillating systems, as well as systems of coupled oscillators subjected to arbitrary driving forces. the book concludes with a short discussion of three-dimensional problems and a study of a few aspects of non-linear waves. throughout ingram bloch focuses on laying a foundation for the study of quantum mechanics.