分析力学是理论力学的一个分支，是对经典力学的高度数学化的表达。可以认为1788年拉格朗日发表的奠基之作《分析力学（Mécanique analytique）》是此分支的开始。

经典力学最初的表达形式由牛顿给出，大量运用几何方法和矢量作为研究工具，因此它又被称为矢量力学（有时也叫“牛顿力学”）。拉格朗日、哈密顿、雅可比等人使用广义坐标和变分法，创建了一套同矢量力学等效的力学表述方法。同矢量力学相比，分析力学的表述方法具有更大的普遍性。很多在矢量力学中极为复杂的问题，运用分析力学可以较为简便的解决。分析力学的方法可以推广到量子力学系统和复杂动力学系统中，在量子力学和非线性动力学中都有重要应用。

In theoretical physics and mathematical physics, analytical mechanics, or theoretical mechanics is a collection of closely related alternative formulations of classical mechanics. It was developed by many scientists and mathematicians during the 18th century and onward, after Newtonian mechanics. Since Newtonian mechanics considers vector quantities of motion, particularly accelerations, momenta, forces, of the constituents of the system, an alternative name for the mechanics governed by Newton's laws and Euler's laws is vectorial mechanics.