CATALOG DESCRIPTION: PHYS 381
Advanced Mechanics II
A continuation of the study of mechanics including
accelerated reference frames, generalized coordinates and Lagrangian and
Hamiltonian mechanics.
Prerequisite: PHYS 380 and MATH 232. One semester; three credits
TEXT: Mechanics by Symon is recommended but not required;
study guides and notes including homework problems are provided on the course
web page
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Johnny B. Holmes, Professor of Physics
office: CW 103 office phone:
321-3448 e-mail: jholmes@cbu.edu
home page: http://www.cbu.edu/~jholmes course:
http://www.cbu.edu/~jholmes/P381/intro.html
Newton’s laws of motion, conservation of energy, conservation of linear momentum, conservation of angular momentum, differential equations, and vector calculus.
GOALS:
1. To
train the student to think about physical phenomena in mathematical terms.
2. To
deepen the student’s understanding of the basic laws of Newtonian (classical)
mechanics
a) using calculus and differential equations;
b) using different coordinates.
3. To become familiar with order of magnitude
estimates of various physical parameters and
phenomena.
4. To
increase the student’s ability to apply scientific principles and methods by
applying them to a particular area of investigation.
Grading
will be based on both tests and homework.
On the test part there will be two tests and a final. Each of these three tests will count as 1/6
of the final grade. For each regular
test you may bring in one 8½”x11” sheet of paper with writing on one side. The questions for the tests will be taken
mostly from the study questions on the study guide. For the final you may bring in two 8½”x11”
sheets of paper with writing on one side each (or one sheet with writing on
both sides). The questions for the final
will come mostly from the previous tests.
On the homework part there will be 8 homework problems that will be
graded and will count as ½ of the final grade.
NOTE: YOU MUST HAVE AT LEAST 65%
ON YOUR HOMEWORK GRADE TO PASS THE COURSE.
Assuming you do have at least a 65% on your homework grade, your final
grade will be based on the following scale:
A: 90‑100; B: 80‑90; C: 65‑80; D: 60‑65; F: 0‑60
The
homework will be assigned with a due date of the test date for the section
which it covers. Homework that is not
turned in before the test on the due date will incur a 20% penalty, and
homework that has not been turned in two weeks from the due date will incur a
30% penalty. Homework will not be
accepted for credit after the last day of regular classes for the
semester. Each homework problem will
normally be worth 10 points. Your
homework grade will be your total homework score divided by 80, and this
fraction will be multiplied by 100 for your homework score (which is half of
your course grade).
Homework
should be legible and easily followable.
Any equations used should be identified with words, and intermediate
mathematical steps should be included.
Answers should be shown to be reasonable by arguments based on
examination of limiting cases and common sense whenever possible. Homework will normally be returned at the
next class and may be redone and re‑submitted based on the comments or
corrections, but the re‑submitted homework will be subject to the same
grading time‑frames as the original specified above unless otherwise
specified at the time. For example, if
you turn in a homework assignment on the due date, and it is returned the next
class with a 5/10 grade, you may resubmit a corrected version the next week for
a maximum of 8/10. If the redo is
submitted before the due date, you may still earn up to full credit on that
assignment.
ABSENCES:
Class
absences will not be counted, but homework due dates will be maintained
regardless of class attendance. Test
absences will incur a 10% penalty with a good excuse or a 20% penalty without a
good excuse, and a make‑up test will be given as soon as can be
arranged. If you know beforehand that
you will miss a test, you can contact me and arrange to take it early with no
penalty ‑ but I need at least 24 hours notice to have the test ready.
Tentative
schedule for topics:
Class
#1: Coordinate Systems – a Review +
Moving Coordinate Systems
Class
#2: Rotating Coordinate Systems
Class
#3: Rotating Coordinate Systems
(cont.) + Effective Gravity
Class
#4: Foucault Pendulum +
Larmor’s Theorem
Class
#5: Restricted 3-body Problem
Class
#6: Test #1
Class
#7: Generalized Coordinates
Class
#8: The Lagrangian
Class
#9: The Lagrangian (cont.)
Class
#10: Constraints
Class
#11: Ignorable Coordinates
Class
#12:
Class
#13: Electric and Magnetic Forces
Class
#14: Test #2
NOTE: At present, the class is listed as TBA. We can either meet once a week for the whole
semester, or we can meet twice a week starting at the beginning of the semester
and ending at fall break (midterm).
Homework can be worked on during the whole semester regardless of which
class schedule we end up with.