Mechanics and mathematics have been complementary partners since Newton's time and the history of science shows much evidence of the beneficial influence of these disciplines on each other. Driven by increasingly elaborate modern technological applications the symbiotic relationship between mathematics and mechanics is continually growing. However, the increasingly large number of specialist journals has generated a duality gap between the two partners, and this gap is growing wider. "Advances in Mechanics and Mathematics" (AMMA) is intended to bridge the gap by providing multi-disciplinary publications. This title "AMMA 2002", includes two parts with three articles by four subject experts. Part 1 deals with nonsmooth static and dynamic systems. A systematic mathematical theory for multibody dynamics with unilateral and frictional constraints and a brief introduction to hemivariational inequalities together with some new developments in nonsmooth semi-linear elliptic boundary value problems are presented.
Part 2 provides a comprehensive introduction and the latest research on dendritic growth in fluid mechanics, one of the most profound and fundamental subjects in the area of interfacial pattern formation, a commonly observed phenomenon in crystal growth and solidification processes.