Classical Mechanics I

Classical Mechanics I (Fall '15, Fall '16)


[B. Sc. 1st year]

Textbooks: David Morin, Classical Mechanics (mainly).

Rough outline of content: review of Newtonian mechanics (standard stuff like block-pulley systems, Newton's laws, small oscillations, energy and momentum conservation etc).

Lagrangian formulations and rudimentary discussions of calculus of variations; small oscillations; symmetries and conservation laws; angular momentum, torque and rotational dynamics (only rudiments); rotating frames and fictitious forces (rudiments).

Rudiments of special relativity -- broad context, basic effects (time dilation, length contraction, loss of simultaneity), Lorentz transformations and the invariance of the interval, spacetime diagrams and lightcones, relativistic particle Lagrangian and rudiments of relativistic dynamics.

midsem: 30%

assignments: 35%

endsem: 35%

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