PHYS 510 Syllabus

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 2

PHYSICS 510: Classical Mechanics

T Th 11-12:15 LA5-248
• Instructor Galen T. Pickett, gpickett@csulb.edu, 562-985-4934, PH1-221.
• Course Webpage http://www.csulb.edu/∼gpickett/phys510/phys510.html
• Textbook
1. Classical Mechanics, 3rd edition by Goldstein, Poole and Safko.
2. Grading There will be no curve in this course. Semester averages will determine
your grades as follows: 100-A-90, 89-B-80, 79-C-70, 69-D-60 59-F-0. Your semester
average comes from:
(a) 50% Problem sets. Sets of problems from the book will be due every second
week of the course on Thursdays.
(b) 25% Midterm examination. A take-home examination will be distributed in class
on Thursday, Oct. 16, and will be due at the start of class, Tuesday Oct. 21.
(c) 25%Final examination. A take-home final will be distributed on Thursday, Dec.
11, and will be due at 12 noon, Tuesday Dec. 16 in the Department of Physics and
Astronomy office, PH1-210.
3. Absences Any university-approved absence will entitle you to a reasonable extension
of an assignment’s due dates.
4. Accommodation Anyone who requires accommodation through the DSSC should see
me as soon as possible.
• Schedule
1. Aug. 30-Sept. 3 Introduction. Everything you ever knew about mechanics. Con-
straints. Chapter 1.
Problem set 1: Chapter 1: Derivations 1,3,4,9,10; Exercises 13,15,18,19,23.
2. Sept. 6-10 Chapter 1 continued. Some things you may not have known about mechan-
ics. Virtual work, Lagrange’s equations.
PS. 1 due Sept. 9.
3. Sept. 13-17 Chapter 2. Variational principles, Hamilton’s principle, constraints.
Problem set 2: Chapter 2: Derivation 3; Expercises 6,7,10,11,13,16,20,22,23.
4. Sept. 20-24 Chapter 2 continued.
PS. 2 due Sept. 23.
Problem set 3: Chapter 8: Derivations 1,2; Exercises 12,13,19. Chapter 9: Derivations
2,4,5; Exercises 21,26.
5. Sept. 27-Oct. 1 Chapter 8. Hamilton’s formulation of mechanics.
6. Oct. 4-8 Chapter 9. Canonical transformations.
Problem set 3 due Oct. 7.
7. Oct. 11-15 Chapter 3. Central forces, two-body formulation.
MIDTERM ASSIGNED Oct. 15.
8. Oct. 18-22 Chapter 3 (finish).
MIDTERM DUE Oct. 19.
Problem set 4: Chapter 3: Derivations 6,7; Exercises 12,18,19,20. Chapter 4: Deriva-
tions 3,5; Exercises 10,14,20.
9. Oct. 25-29 Chapter 4. Rigid bodies.

1
10. Nov. 1-5 Chapter 5. Torque-free motion of a rigid body.
PS. 4 due Nov. 4.
Problem set 5. Chapter 5: Exercises 13,15,20,22,24. Chapter 6: Derivations 1,2; Exer-
cises 3,4.
11. Nov. 8-12 Chapter 5 cont, Chapter 6 start. Oscillations and normal coordinates.
12. Nov. 15-19 Chapter 6 (finish).
PS. 5 due. Nov. 18
Problem set 6: Chapter 7: Derivations 2,3; Exercises 12,13,19.
13. Nov. 22-26 Thanksgiving.
14. Nov. 29-Dec. 3 Chapter 7, Special relativity.
15. Dec. 6-10 Chapter 7, (cont.).
PS. 6 due Dec. 9.
FINAL EXAMINATION ASSIGNED Dec. 9
16. Dec. 16. FINAL EXAMINATION DUE to my mailbox in the department office at
12 noon.

You might also like