Physics 313
CLASSICAL DYNAMICS
Spring 2014
Syllabus version 2.0
Instructor: Brian Stewart
Office: Exley Science Center, room 237
Office phone: x2054
Lab phone: x2055
Home phone: 344-8128
email: bstewart@wesleyan.edu
Office hours: Tuesday, 3:00-4:30 p.m. (ends at 4:00 days of faculty meetings)
Friday, 1:10-2:30 p.m.
in addition, I will stay after class most days for discussion and questions.
Please do not hesitate to contact me. If you cannot come to office hours, I will schedule a
meeting with you at another time. If you run into difficulty with the homework, don’t
delay getting in touch with the T.A. or me!
Course Assistant: Junsik Matthew Lee
email: jlee12@wesleyan.edu
Problem Solving Sessions: Sunday and Monday, 7:00-9:00 p.m. in Exley 201. Mr. Lee
will attend the second of these sessions (and occasionally the Sunday session as well).
Grader: Hamed Emamy
email: hemamy@wesleyan.edu
Textbook: required: Classical Mechanics, by John R. Taylor, and
Classical Mechanics: an Introduction, by Dieter Strauch (available at
ezproxy.wesleyan.edu:7790/login?url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-73616-5).
recommended: Classical Mechanics, by Kleppner & Kolenkow;
Introduction to Classical Mechanics, by D. Morin;
Newtonian Dynamics, by R. Baierlein;
Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems, by Thornton & Marion.
The first two of the recommended books are intended for an elementary audience but are
full of solved problems and excellent explanation. Baierlein’s book is a thin volume that
does a wonderful job of explaining advanced material. Thornton and Marion is the
standard textbook at the level of this course.
Course Website: There is a moodle website for this course available through your
portfolio or at moodle2.wesleyan,edu. This course information, as well as
announcements, problem sets, solutions, and grades will be found there.
Grading: Course grades will be determined approximately as follows:
Homework 35%. Problem sets will be assigned each week. I urge you to collaborate in
solving the problem sets, although answers must be written up individually. It is
not permitted to use the online search method to solve a problem! It is expected
that students will collaborate on problem sets; in general, it is difficult to solve
problems alone, and this is not intended. Physics is a collaborative process, and in
general discussion of a problem with a peer is a tremendous aid to the thought
process. Although collaboration is expected and encouraged, each problem must be
written up by the individual submitting the problem set in his or her name.
Problem sets are due at the start of class on Wednesday unless otherwise
announced. If you must turn in a late problem set, please place it in the grader’s
box in the Cady Lounge. Late problem sets are subject to penalties and are graded
at the discretion of the grader.
Solo Problem Sets 20%. There will be a final problem set at the semester of a review
nature. You will be required to do this problem sets with the assistance of the two
course books, your lecture notes, your problem sets, and assistance from the
instructor, but no other resources. It will be due on a date of your choosing
between Thursday, 01 May and Friday, 09 May.
Quizzes 40%. I plan to give weekly in-class quizzes; these quizzes will cover recent
material and emphasize the things a physicist needs to have at his or her command.
They will be brief, taking no more than 20 minutes in general. Two quizzes will be
double quizzes.
Participation & Instructor Discretion 5%. The best way to earn points for participation
is to participate. Both participation in in-class discussion and office visits count.
Instructor discretion is based upon the instructor’s perception of your attitude and
effort; I might also add these points to one of the other categories if I feel it is
warranted.
I encourage you to think of grades (in all your courses) as follows:
A
B
C
mastery
proficiency
familiarity
2
Preliminary Course outline: The topics covered in this course, along with tentative
dates, are outlined in the following table. Readings in the main texts are indicated by T
for Taylor and S for Strauch.
Lecture
Day
Date
Description
Reading
1
2
3
4
Mon
Wed
Mon
Wed
27 Jan
29 Jan
03 Feb
05
introduction, Newton’s laws
1D Newtonian mechanics I
1D Newtonian mechanics II
2D Newtonian mechanics
5
6
7
Mon
Wed
Mon
10
12
17
momentum I
momentum II
angular momentum
8
9
Wed
Mon
19
24
10
11
12
Wed
Mon
Wed
26
03 Mar
05
T1-2, S1.1-1.7,2
Quiz 1
Quiz 2
T3
T3
energy I
energy II
Quiz 3
T4
calculus of variations
Lagrangian mechanics I
Lagrangian mechanics II
No Quiz
T6
T7, S3
Quiz 4 – double
** SPRING BREAK **
13
14
Mon
Wed
24
26
Lagrangian mechanics III
Lagrangian mechanics IV
Quiz 5
15
16
Mon
Wed
31
02 Apr
Two-body problem I
Two-body problem II
Quiz 6
17
18
Mon
Wed
07
09
Hamiltonian dynamics I
Hamiltonian dynamics II
Quiz 7
19
20
Mon
Wed
14
16
Mechanics in non-inertial frames I
Mechanics in non-inertial frames II
Quiz 8
21
22
23
Mon
Wed
Mon
21
23
28
Rotation I
Rotation II
Rotation III
24
25
26
Wed
Mon
Wed
30
05 May
07
Scattering
Scattering
T8, S5
T13, S9
T9, S7
T10, S8
Quiz 9
Quiz 10
Quiz 11 – double
3
T14, S6