Physics 320 ANALYTICAL MECHANICSPreface: Welcome to mechanics! Newtonian mechanics is a complete, logically consistent theory, which describes a wide range of phenomena quite well. It is adequate to navigate a spacecraft to Neptune or to compute the motion of anything on earth large enough to see with an ordinary microscope and no more than a few thousand times faster than a speeding bullet. I hope you enjoy becoming more proficient with it.Prerequisite: Physics 325 Introduction to Mathematical Physics. If you have not completed this course or an equivalent one elsewhere see me to discuss the possibility of taking this course by permission. It is also assumed that you have had a first course in mechanics, such as Physics 114 Introduction to Physics I, and the calculus sequence. Text: Analytical Mechanics, 7th ed., by Grant R. Fowles & G. Cassiday (Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2004, ISBN 0534494927). Buy it at the bookstore or online. Other useful books: It is often helpful to get additional viewpoints from other books. Other good texts include Introduction to Classical Mechanics , 2nd ed., by Atam P. Arya (Prentice-Hall, 1997) and Classical Dynamics of Particles & Systems, 4th ed., by Stephen T. Thornton & Jerry B. Marion (Thomson Brooks/Cole, 1995). You will be expected to solve some problems using symbolic software, such as Mathematica or MathCad. You may find a book helpful here, and A Physicist's Guide to Mathematica (Elsevier, 1997) by Patrick Tam is one of several good books. For completeness, see The Mathematica Book, which is available online. As a sample, see the section on numerical solution of differential equations. Other sources: Several professors teaching similar courses have put their lecture notes, demonstrations, and other material on the web. These include Prof. Ray Egerton at Portland State University (Ch. 6-10). At times you may wish to consult a first-year physics text. View the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse. Download and print my handout on the central potential. If you think water flowing down a drain is governed by the earth’s rotation, see Bad Coriolis. If you feel that reviewing some of your first semester physics might be helpful see Some Resources for Introductory Physics. A list of dimensions and units used in mechanics may be helpful, along with the excellent summary of dimensional analysis at the University of Guelph. If you don't see why it is essential that you always state units with your answers, read the 6th paragraph of the report on the failure of the Mars Climate Orbiter. See a clever application of dimensional analysis. I have posted some lecture notes on the solution to the Kepler problem. Topics: I expect to cover the following chapters of the text: 1-5, 10, 6, 7, part of 8. Assignments and Grading: Two midterm exams will each determine 20% of your grade, the final exam will be 30%, and homework will count 30%. Check your current standing. Using Software: We have entered a second revolution. The first, which occurred during my career but before yours, was the calculator revolution. Students no longer spend much time on multiplication, division, or square roots, but they still need to understand these processes and to realize when their calculators are giving them nonsense. Similarly, Mathematica and its competitors are now ready to take over calculus manipulations. In the future you will spend little time on differentiation, integration, or solving differential equations, but you will still need to understand these processes and to realize when your software is giving you nonsense. You can find Mathematica is on the computers in several computer labs on campus. See Software Lists for which ones. You can even buy Mathematica at the bookstore (at a substantial student discount) and use it on your own machine. Please see Learning Mathematica. Other lectures: Each Monday at 4:00 p.m., from February 6 through May 8 (excluding vacation and holidays), the Department of Physics and Astronomy will present a free public lecture in its renowned "What Physicists Do" series. You will find these lectures a valuable supplement to your course work, as they will help you to know what is currently happening in physics and related fields. University Policies: University policies, such as the add/drop policy, cheating and plagiarism policy, grade appeal procedures, accommodations for students with disabilities, and the diversity vision statement may be found at http://www.sonoma.edu/uaffairs/policies/studentinfo.shtml. Office hours: My office is in Chalk Hill (map), phone 664-2594. It is best to call before making the long trek out there if you are coming at a time other than my official office hours, which will be Mondays and Fridays 10:00 - 10:50. E-mail to joe.tenn@sonoma.edu is an excellent way to contact me. If you have any problems which affect your performance in this course, please contact me. Do not stop attending classes.
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