“…
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
WELCOME!
Exponential
integral Ei(z)
Euler's
constant
Exam preparation: if
you do this BEFORE
you'll feel like this AFTER
Chaos
in the solar system
Lynx and hare
populations in Canada
Earth's
J2 is changing!
3-body
figure 8 orbit
Lagrange
points
Practice Exams (Univ. Michigan)
Text: There Once Was A Classical Theory..., by
Morin.
See the syllabus for more detailed information.
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).
Corequisites: PS 303 (Modern Physics)
Other textbooks
Mechanics, by Symon
Classical Mechanics, by Kibble
SCHEDULE
|
Week |
Topics |
Chapters in Morin |
|
1-3 |
Newton’s
laws & conservation laws |
2, 4 |
|
6-7 |
Linear
(& coupled) oscillations |
3 |
|
11-12 |
Central
force motion |
6 |
|
|
Exam 3 – Wed Apr 28 |
All |
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.
(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.
