Welcome to Phys 105, 2011!
- No quiz on this Thursday (Nov. 3). Study 116 instead. Quiz on homework 5 related materials will be on next Thursday (Nov. 10).
- We will be wrapping up the Lagrangian/Hamiltonian formalism rapidly next class (Nov. 1), and then move on to gravity (Ch. 5) and Kepler problem (Ch. 8). Chaos (Ch. 4) will be pushed back all the way to the end of the quarter. It will be the last topic to discuss, after coupled oscillators (Ch. 12) and waves (Ch. 13).
Positive acts will get noticed. Feel free to vote (positively) on the forum site -- every registered user can vote. Asking a question is one of the most positive acts (to yourself and others)!
What is this course about?
Classical mechanics is a beautifully ripe subject, albeit with hidden surprises. In this course, we will get a complete overview of classical mechanics. We will learn Newtonian and Lagrangian views of classical mechanics. We will cover some basic topics such as linear systems and the central force problem, and also not so basic topics such as non-linear dynamics (chaos), and many particle systems (field theory). If time allows (very unlikely), we may cover the special theory of relativity as well.
Checking out last year’s course web site might be of some use. Last but not the least, remember that you are the one!