Dimensional analysis for quantum gravity
Binary Stars
hare and lynx populations
The Professor never really seemed to care
whether we figured out the right answer to a problem.
He
preferred our wild, desperate guesses to silence, and he was
even more delighted with those guesses led to new problems
that took us beyond the original one.
He had a
special feeling for what he called the "correct
miscalculation," for he believed that mistakes were often as
revealing as the right answers.
This
gave us confidence even when our best efforts came to nothing.
“… it was not clear to me as a young student
that access to a more profound knowledge of the more
basic principles of physics depends on the most
intricate mathematical methods. This
dawned on me only gradually after years of independent
scientific work."
--- Albert Einstein
Intuition:
being
able to see the final point of a given path in complete
obscurity, chosen essentially through the foundation of
the experience of the individual.
- Ivan Pavlov
Developing
one's
intuition
is a straightforward task -- it is a matter of further
study of the most diverse games (especially the
classics).
-- Genna Sosonko, chess grandmaster
| How to study | by students | by Carl Wieman, Nobelist |
| How to read textbooks | Lang | Sivjee |
| How to solve problems | Hubsch | Reynolds |
Text: Introduction
to Classical Mechanics, by David Morin. author's
web page
See the syllabus for more
detailed information.
(See also
Introductory
Physics I by Robert G Brown, especially the
"Method of 3
passes"))
This is the first semester in which you really apply the mathematics you have learned, and in which really begin to discover some of the more sophisticated concepts in physics. Your first taste of this was in PS 303 - Modern Physics, and now your "physical education" begins in earnest.
We will cover:
Fundamentals of mechanics,
oscillatory motion, systems of particles, varying mass, motion
under central forces, motion in three dimensions, gyroscopic
motion, generalized coordinates, normal coordinates,
Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations.
Prerequisites: MA 345 (Differential
Equations and Matrix Methods), ES 204 (Dynamics), PS 219
(Physics III).
Other
textbooks in the ERAU library
Classical
mechanics, by Kibble, QA 805 .K5
1986
An
introduction to mechanics, by Daniel Kleppner and Robert
J. Kolenkow; QA 805 .K62
Lectures on
Physics, by Richard Feynman - a Nobel Prize
winner deeply explains the why of physics.
Mechanics,
by Keith Symon - QC 125 .S98 1971 - another text at about the same level as
Morin
Classical Mechanics, by
Herbert Goldstein - QA 805 .G6
1980 - a graduate-level
text for those who wish more detail.
Online textbook
Newtonian
Dynamics, Fitzpatrick
SCHEDULE
|
Week |
Topics |
Chapters in Morin |
|
1-3 |
Newton’s laws & conservation laws |
1, 3, 5 |
|
6-7 |
Linear (& coupled) oscillations |
4 |
|
11-12 |
Central force motion |
7 |
|
|
Final Exam
–Sat 30 Apr - 14:45 - 16:45 |
Comprehensive |
Vito
Volterra (1860-1940), mathematician interested in integral
equations and predator-prey models.
Info concerning the Lotka-Volterra
model. Some other models of populations can be found here
and here.
Jocopo Riccati, physicist and mathematician who worked on nonlinear differential equations.
Jacob Bernoulli (1645-1705), first of the great Bernoulli family to study mathematics and astronomy.
Robert
Carpick, contemporary physicist who researches tribology,
the study of friction.
Available at the Jack R. Hunt Library are the
following items:
Lectures on
Physics, by Richard Feynman - a Nobel Prize
winner deeply explains the why of physics.
Mechanics,
by Keith Symon - another text at about the same level as Marion.
Classical Mechanics, by
Herbert Goldstein - a graduate-level text for those who wish
more detail.
Intermediate
An Introduction to Mechanics, by Kleppner and Kolenkow QA 805 .K62
(The following items are suggested
for my Physics I course. They can be, however, useful for
you if you feel that you need some review. Do not hesitate
to read through them, if only to realize how far you have come
in two years!)
Understanding
Physics, by Isaac Asimov - a great science
fiction writer explains physics.
Cartoon
Guide to Physics, by Huffman - physical
principles in a visual format.