PHYS 110, Spring 2012
Classical Mechanics
Syllabus
Lectures
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, 11:00–11:50 AM in Sequoia 122
Instructor
Dr. Jerome Buerki
Office, Phone
Sequoia 432,
Email
buerki@csus.edu (This is the best way to contact me)
Course Website
http://www.csus.edu/indiv/b/buerkij/A/PHYS110.html
Required Text:
Office hours
278-6540
SacCT:
http://www.csus.edu/sacct/
Classical mechanics, by J. R. Taylor (University Science Books, 2005).
A couple of useful references are Classical Dynamics, 5th edition, by
Thornton and Marion, and Analytical Mechanics, 7th edition, by Fowles
and Cassiday.
Wednesdays, 10:00 am – 10:50 am in Sequoia 432
Fridays, 2:00 pm–2:50 pm in Sequoia 432, or by appointment or email.
Tutoring center
Wednesdays, 1:00 pm–1:50 pm in Sequoia 124
Midterms
due Monday, February 27 at 11AM
due Monday, April 16 at 11AM
Wednesday, May 16, 10:15 AM –12:15 PM
Final exam
Course content:
Fundamental principles of statics and dynamics, including Newton’s equations and conservation laws,
damped and forced oscillations, central force motion, accelerated coordinate systems, coupled oscillations,
normal modes, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian methods, introduction to nonlinear systems and chaos theory.
Prerequisites:
Students must complete MATH 45, PHYS 11C and PHYS 105 (or MATH 105A) with a minimum Cgrade or better to enroll in this course.
Course objectives:
The objective of this course is to develop a conceptual understanding and a working knowledge of the
principles and methods of classical mechanics. It is an intermediate level mechanics course which builds
upon, and expands, the contents of the introductory course on mechanics (Physics 11A or other). Make
sure to review and thoroughly understand your first mechanics course textbook, and keep referring to it
when appropriate.
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PHYS 110, Spring 2012
Classical Mechanics
Syllabus
Lectures:
Lectures will be divided between formal lecture, discussion, example and problem solving. Attendance is
not mandatory, but highly recommended.
Homework:
Homework will be assigned regularly, more or less on a weekly basis, to reinforce the material covered
in class. Assignments will be made available online on SacCT. The due date will be indicated on the
homework, and will be about a week to ten days after it is made available. Solutions will be posted on
SacCT after the due date is passed.
Homework will be checked for “reasonableness,” i.e. you will get credit if it looks like you made a good
faith effort to solve the problem, but I will not go into details for the corrections. It is up to you to check
your work with the solutions.
Late homework will be accepted for half credit if occasional and will not be accepted otherwise.
Note that working through the examples in the textbook and on the homework problems and thoroughly
understanding them is a major component of the learning process. Do not use solution manuals or
any other source of solutions to the homework problems, as it is both dishonest and counterproductive.
However, do not hesitate to ask questions about the homework, or study and work with friends or in
groups.
However, make sure that this serves the purpose of dealing with your misconceptions and gaining a full
understanding of the matter at hand, and that the end product is your work. Needless to say, copying
solutions (from any source), or letting your partner do the thinking while you do the writing, defeats the
very purpose of the exercise and is not acceptable.
You will only receive credit for your own work, based on your learning and understanding.
Exams:
There will be two midterm exams and one two-hour final exam. A typical exam will consist of a number
of short-answer questions and a few longer problems to be worked out. Any subject matter covered in
lectures and homework may be included.
The midterm exams will be take-home and will be due on the dates indicated above. They will cover the
material discussed in class up to about a week before the exam. I cannot prevent you from discussing the
problems with colleagues, but the work you turn in must be individual, and any evidence of copying will
be punished.
The final exam will be in-class and is two-hour long. It is comprehensive, but will be somewhat weighted
to the material covered after the last midterm exam. The exam is open book, and you are allowed a
scientific calculator, but nothing may be programmed on it. I reserve the right to clear the memory of
your calculator prior to or during the exams. No PDA or Phone based calculators are allowed.
Use of cell phones and PDAs is prohibited during exams, and all rings must be muted! If you
are expecting an important phone call, let me know before the beginning of the exam.
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PHYS 110, Spring 2012
Classical Mechanics
Syllabus
Grades:
Credit for the various components of the course are as follows:
Midterm 1
25 %
Final exam
35 %
Midterm 2
25 %
Homework
15%
Letter grades will be assigned approximately as follows:
A
B
C
D
F
90–100 %
77–89 %
66–76 %
55–65 %
0–54 %
However, I will take into consideration the distribution of scores prior to making a final decision.
Academic Dishonesty Statement:
The Department of Physics and Astronomy has unanimously approved the following statement:
“The faculty of the Department of Physics and Astronomy will not tolerate academic dishonesty. Falsification of data, copying, unauthorized collaboration, plagiarism, alteration of graded materials, or other
actions (as described in, but not necessarily limited to the Sacramento State Policy Manual) will be
promptly reported to the Office of Student Affairs. The offending student will be penalized on the assignment in question. Serious infractions will result in course failure and a recommendation for administrative
sanctions.”
If you have any questions regarding this statement, please come and speak with me about it.
Additional Information:
If you have a disability and require accommodations, you need to provide disability documentation to
SSWD, Lassen Hall 1008, 916-278-6955. Please discuss your accommodation needs with me after class
or during my office hours early in the semester.
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PHYS 110, Spring 2012
Classical Mechanics
Syllabus
Approximate schedule
Week
Date
Chapter
1
Jan 23
1
2
Jan 30
1,2
3
Feb 6
2
4
Feb 13
3
Momentum and Angular Momentum
5
Feb 20
4
Energy
6
Feb 27
4
7
Mar 5
5
8
Mar 12
5, 6
Mar 19
Subject
Exams
Newton’s Laws of Motion
Projectiles and Charges Particles
Midterm 1, due M 2/27, ch. 1-3
Oscillations
Calculus of Variations
Spring break
9
Mar 26
7
10
Apr 2
7
11
Apr 9
8
12
Apr 16
8, 9
13
Apr 23
9
14
Apr 30
10
15
May 7
10
Lagrange’s Equations
Two-Body Central Force Problems
Mechanics in Noninertial Frame
Midterm 2, due M 4/16, ch. 1-7
Rotational Motion of Rigid Bodies
May 16
Final exam
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