University of Hawaii Physics 610

Analytical Mechanics - Fall Semester 2018

Course Information and Syllabus

Classes: Tuesday and Thursday 1:30-2:45 PM, in 417A Watanabe Hall, UH Manoa

Edited 29 Aug. 2018 See new protocol for presenting problems in class and getting grades for the presentation.

Prerequisites: undergraduate upper division mechanics course, or equivalent (see instructor for exceptions).

General Information and Comments:

The text will be ``Classical Mechanics, third edition'' by Goldstein, Poole & Safko, Addison Wesley.
The pace will be about 2 weeks per chapter. This is a one semester course. We will cover chapters:

Survey of Elementary Principles
Variational Principles and Lagrange’s Equations
The Central Force Problem
The Kinematics of Rigid Body Motion
The Rigid Body Equations of Motion
Oscillations
The Classical Mechanics of the Special Theory of Relativity

Please read the first chapter before Weds 28 August and do first problems by second meeting (changed to Tues 8/28 due to hurricane)
We will cover the mathematical topics as needed in the course. Much of this course will depend upon this knowledge, and it is important preparation for other courses. So, if you are weak in this area, or have never seen some of the mathematical material, it is time to hit the books before you get swamped. It will make more sense as we see the applications.... but these are tools you need for this semester and as a professional physicist.
Class attendance required (or -1 grade). Students will sometimes be asked to present problem solutions on the board in class. This is good practice, and helps us all get mutual understanding.
Homework requires thinking; no copied old solutions accepted. Think of solving these problems as a game, a mental exercise, a workout like going to the gym. The point is in doing them, not so much getting the precise answer... it is the mental struggle which is the real learning goal, learning to think like a physicist.
Classes will alternate between lectures and problem solving, and we shall follow the text linearly, for simplicity.
Because this is a small class, we will run it more in the tutorial style. Coming to class unprepared will not work. You need to put aside time to at least quickly read the chapter before class. It takes me a couple of hours to read a known chapter, it is not light reading.
Computer experience will be part of course. Mathematica is the preferred software. Everyone needs an email account.
Grades will be 70% class participation and 30% final exam. We will take turns in presenting solutions on the board and you will get 0 - 10 points for each presentation.
The final exam will consist of either an exam or paper presentations (schedule TBD), to be mutually decided between student and teacher.
This is a 3 credit course.
See student learning outcomes below.

Schedule: These dates and some problem numbers may change, but the schedule will remain roughly the same…

*Month*	*Date*	*Week*	*Day*	*Topic in Class*	*Assign due this Class Day*
Aug	21	1	Tue	*Introduction*	Read Chapt. 1
	23		Thu	Chapter 1	no class due to hurricane
	28	2	Tue		1.5
	30		Thu		1.9,10,13,16,17,18, 20, 23
Sep	4	3	Tue	2	continue on chapter 1 probs
	6		Thu		Read Chapt. 2;
	11	4	Tue		2.3, 5, 6, 8
	13		Thu		2.11, 12, 24
	18	5	Tue	3	Read Chapt. 3; 3.2, 9
	20		Thu		3.12, 17, 19, 23
	25	6	Tue		3.28, 29, 32, 35
	27		Thu
Oct	2	7	Tue	4	Read Chapt. 4; 6, 10
	4		Thu		4.13, 21
	9	8	Tue		4.22, 23
	11		Thu
	16	9	Tue	5	Read Ch.5, 5.5
	18		Thu		5.14,20
	23	10	Tue		5.27, 29
	25		Thu
	30	11	Tue	6	Read Ch. 6
Nov	1		Thu		6.3, 4
	6	12	Tue		6.6, 11
	8		Thu		6.14, 16
	13	13	Tue	7	Read Ch. 7
	15		Thu		7.6, 13, 16, 18
	20	13	Tue		7.19, 26, 30, 31
	22		Thu	8	Read Ch. 8; 11,14
	27	14	Tue		8.16, 19, 34, 35
	29		Thu	Thanksgiving	Read Ch. 9
Dec	4	15	Tue	9	9.9, 9.17
	6		Thu	Last Classes	9.25, 28, 31

				Final Exam

Student Learning Outcomes-

At the successful completion of this course a student is expected to have:

1 explain what are Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations of classical dynamics, their underlying assumptions, and their connections to quantum mechanics,

2 derive conserved quantities from symmetries of the system,

3 apply symmetry and relativity principles to restrict the form of the Lagrangian function and Lagrangian density,

4 solve problems similar to the examples and homework given in the course.

5 modest facility with the mathematical methods needed for this level of course

6 mastered Newtonian Mechanics;

7 come to appreciate the importance of oscillations in phenomena, and carry out simple calculations with the simple harmonic oscillator;

8 mastered first level applications in Newtonian gravitation;

9 understood methods in the Calculus of Variations and

10 perhaps most important, have made progress in learning to “think like a physicist’’.

teacher: Prof. John G. Learned
   office: 327 Watanabe Hall, UHM
   office phone: (808)-956-2964
   email: jgl at phys.hawaii.edu
   office hours: after class, until lunch time, and other times by appointment.

grader: Keita Fukushima

grader email: keitaf@hawaii.edu

Back to John Learned's Home Page

Department of Physics and Astronomy