Phys 521 - Theoretical Mechanics                                Fall 2008


Instructor:  Cass Sackett     email:  sackett@virginia.edu

Class location: Physics 210

Office Hours: Wednesday 3:00-5:00 PM, in Physics 155

Textbook:  Classical Mechanics of Particles and Continua, by Fetter and Wallecka.  

Course information:  syllabus

Lecture Notes:
8/26 - Newton's Laws 9/11 - Constraint Forces 9/30 - Non-inertial frames 10/23 - Euler equations 11/11 - Quantum connections 12/2 - Green's functions II
8/28 - Central Forces 9/16 - Conservation  Laws 10/2 - Motion on Earth 10/28 - Euler angles 11/13 - Action-angle variables 12/4 -  Perturbation Theory
9/2 - Scattering 9/18 - Normal modes 10/7 - Noninertial Lagrangians 10/30 - Top in gravity 11/18 - Sturm-Liouville eqn
9/4 - Lagrangian Mechanics 9/23 - Linear chain 10/9 - Rigid bodies 11/4 - Hamiltonian dynamics 11/20 - Completeness
9/9 - Lagrangian Techniques 9/25 - Continuous systems 10/21 - Fixed axis rotation 11/6 - Canonical transforms 11/25 - Green's functions I

Supplemental notes:  
8/28 - Calculation of Kepler Orbit
9/9 - Lagrange Multipliers

Homework Assignments:  (Follow links for problem statements, hints, and solutions)

Assignment 1, due 9/4:  F&W problems 1.2, 1.4, 1.7, and 1.11; qual problem #1.  (Hints)   Average =  36/40

Assignment 2, due 9/11:  F&W problems 1.12, 1.13, 1.17, and 3.3; qual problem #2.  (Hints)   Average = 37/40

Assignment 3, due 9/18:  F&W problems 3.5, 3.14, 3.17, 3.19; qual problem #3.  (Hints)   Average = 37/40  

Assignment 4, due 9/25:  F&W problems 4.3, 4.4, 4.9(a); qual problem #4.  (Hints)    Average = 25/30

Assignment 5, due 10/2:  F&W problems 4.11, 4.13, 4.15, 4.17; qual problem #5.  (Hints)    Average = 35/40

Assignment 6, due 10/9:  F&W problems 2.1, 2.2, 2.5, 2.7*; qual problem #6.  (Hints)      Average = 36/40
            * I changed 2.7 a bit, use the version in the assignment sheet linked above.

Assignment 7, due 10/23:  My problems S1, S2; no qual problem.  (Hints)     Average = 18/20

Assignment 8, due 10/30:  F&W problems 5.2, 5.5, 5.6; qual problem #7.  (Hints)     Average = 27/30

Assignment 9, due 11/6:  F&W problems 5.3, 5.9, 5.10; qual problem #8.  (Hints)     Average = 27/30

Assignment 10, due 11/13:  F&W problems 6.4, 6.5, 6.8, 6.12; qual problem #9.  (Hints)      Average = 36/40

Assignment 11, due 11/20:  F&W problems 6.16, 6.17*, 6.18, my problem S3; qual problem #10.  (Hints)       Average = 37/40
            * I changed 6.17 a bit, use the version in the assignment sheet linked above.

Assignment 12, due 12/4:  F&W problems 7.5*, 7,9, 7.10, my problem S4; no qual problem.  (Hints)      Average = 32/40
            * I changed 7.5 a bit, use the version in the assignment sheet linked above.

Qualifer Guide:  Classical Mechanics
Please note that the study guide will be updated at some point during the semester.  Problems assigned from the study guide will be numbered consecutively for this class, and a statement of the problem will be included in the homework assigment links above.

Exams:
   Midterm: in class, Thursday October 16
            midterm    solutions
            Average = 21/40
   
   Final:  Wednesday, December 10, 2-5 pm  
             final    solutions
            Average = 69/120

Grade Distribution
A+ 1
A 3
A- 1
B+ 6
B 0
B- 3