SFSU Physics and Astronomy Department

( P & A Dept. | SFSU | RWB | Ph 330 )

7/30/2007 11:45 AM

Syllabus for Physics 330: Analytical Mechanics I

(course schedule | solutions | problem sets | private )

Phys 330 Analytical Mechanics I  MWF 11:10-12:00, TH 428. This is a course for junior physics and astronomy majors. The second semester of analytical mechanics (Ph 331) will not be offered in the near future, so we will try to cover the most important topics in mechanics in one semester. We will cover Newtonian mechanics, oscillations, gravitation, the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations of mechanics, and the central-force problem.

Prerequisites: Lower-division physics (through Ph 230) and differential equations (Math 245 or Math 376).

Instructor: Roger Bland - office Th 316, phone 338-2433; lab Th 204, phone 338-1888; home phone 664-3982; cell phone 415-321-9758. Office hours TBA (possibly M 13:10, W 12:10), or by email (rogerbland at gmail.com).

Text: Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems, fifth edition, by Stephen T. Thornton and Jerry B. Marion (Brooks/Cole, 2004) (ISBN 0-534-40896-6), required.  There is also a Student Solutions Manual, ISBN 9780534408978 (optional).  And a possibly useful reference is Classical Mechanics by John Taylor (ISBN 1-891389-22-X). For a more advanced treatment, you might want to look at the text used for our graduate mechanics course, Analytical Mechanics for Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, by Oliver Johns (Oxford University Press, 2005), ISBN 0-19-856726-X 978-0-19-856726-4(Hbk)

Material to be covered:

  • Ch. 1. Vector Calculus (sections 1.16 and 1.17)
  • Ch. 2. Newtonian Mechanics -- Single Particle
  • Ch. 3. Oscillations
  • Ch. 5. Gravitation
  • Ch. 6. Some Methods in the Calculus of Variations
  • Ch. 7. Hamilton's Principle -- Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Dynamics
  • Ch. 8. Central-Force Motion

 

Learning Objectives.  You should learn to do the following:

  1. Apply Newton's laws of motion to a single particle in a uniform gravitational field, including dissipative forces.
  2. Use differential-equation techniques to solve Newton's equations of motion.
  3. Use numerical methods to solve Newton's equations of motion for cases with no analytical solution.
  4. Predict the frequency and decay time of a damped harmonic oscillator, and describe the response of the oscillator to various driving forces.
  5. Describe conservative mechanical systems of one or a few particles using the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian methods.
  6. Apply Newton's law of gravitation to astronomical bodies, and describe the motion of bodies in Keplerian orbits.

Homework: There will be a homework assignment due every week. The assignments are given on the course schedule. The homework is very important. It counts as part of the grade, and it will be hard to do well on the tests without having done the homework. Late homework will only be accepted up to one week late, for half credit.

Here are a few suggestions for doing homework.

  • Start the problem by drawing a diagram.
  • Explain your solution to the problem in words. This is just as important as the calculations.
  • Try to find someone to work with on the homework. Whether you end up getting help or giving help to some one else, you will be better off.

Exams: There will be two midterms (take home) and a comprehensive final (in class). In addition, there will be frequent short quizzes.

Grading: The grade will be based on the homework and exam grades as indicated below. 

        Final Exam               25%
        Midterms                 40%
        Quizzes (drop 2)         15%
        Homework (drop 2)        20%

My grading is based roughly on a curve, with an average grade of about 3.0 (B).