Classical mechanics is worth learning merely for its great beauty and elegance. But it is useful too: it has a large range of applicability, from cells to rockets to earthquakes to the solar system. Also, understanding the formal structure of mechanics is the easiest path to finding the true quantum mechanical laws that govern microscopic systems. In this course, we will review Newtonian mechanics and introduce the complementary approaches of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian dynamics. These approaches provide new insights into familiar problems and develop new mathematical skills.
Prof. Yuk Tung Liu
320 Searles Science Building
Tel.: (207) 798-4167
email: yliu2@bowdoin.edu
Office hour: Tuesdays 10:00am-11:00am and by appointment
The text for this course is Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems by Stephen T. Thornton and Jerry B. Marion, 5th edition, Brooke/Cole. We will cover Chapters 2 and 5–12.
Problem solving is an absolutely essential aspect of doing physics. Please don't underestimate the time commitment of this course. The weekly problem sets will generally be due on Fridays at the beginning of class. Occasionally, the due date can be shorter or longer. Late assignments will be penalized 10% per day, or portion thereof, until the next assignment due date, after which they will not be accepted. As with other physics courses, you are encouraged to discuss the problems with each other, since discussion often generates insight. But each student's solution must be the result of his or her own understanding of the material and must be written up independently (e.g. not copied from someone else's solutions or from a jointly prepared solution). These days it is probably possible to find the solution to any reasonable problem in other textbooks or on the internet. You should not seek solutions to the assigned problems from any such resource. In any case, this would be a foolish thing to do, since the assignments are designed to help you learn the course material and also serve as practice for the quizzes, midterm and final, which consulting outside sources is not allowed.
There will be two take-home quizzes (tentatively scheduled on the weeks of Feb 11 and Apr 15), an in-class midterm (tentatively on Mar 1) and a final. The final exam is scheduled on May 16, 2:00pm. Note this date on your calendars, and make sure all travel plans are consistent with this scheduled exam date.
Grades will be given on an absolute scale, based on your accumulation of points:
Homework: 30%
Quizzes: 15%
Midterm: 25%
Final: 30%
If you end up on the borderline between two grades, a number of other factors will decide whether you will get the higher or lower grade. These factors include consistency, effort, and in-class participation.
Class times: MWF 10:30am - 11:25am at Searles 115.
| Dates | Topics | Homework Due |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 21 - 25 | Kinematics and Dynamics | |
| Jan. 28 - Feb. 1 | Noninertial Reference Frame, Work and Energy | 0, 1 |
| Feb. 4 - 8 | Gravitation | 2 |
| Feb. 11 - 15 | Calculus of Variations, Quiz #1 | 3 |
| Feb. 18 - 22 | Lagrangian Dynamics | 4 |
| Feb. 25 - Mar. 1 | Symmetry and Conservation Law, Midterm | PE #1* |
| Mar. 4 - 8 | Hamilton's Equations of Motion | 5 |
| Mar. 11 - 22 | Spring Break | |
| Mar. 25 - 29 | Poisson Bracket, Phase Space, Liouville's Theorem and Applications | 6 |
| Apr. 1 - 5 | Central-Force Motion | 7 |
| Apr. 8 - 12 | Orbit Determination | 8 |
| Apr. 15 - 19 | Dynamics of a System of Particles, Quiz #2 | 9 |
| Apr. 22 - 26 | Collisions, Rocket Motion | 10 |
| Apr. 29 - May 3 | Rigid Body Motion | 11 |
| May 6 - 8 | Stability of Rigid Body Rotation | PE #2* |
| May 16 | Final Exam at 2pm | |
* PE = practice exercise.