Physics 110a, Mechanics 2011

Professor: Ken Intriligator
5234 Mayer Hall
keni (at) ucsd.edu
Office Hours: after class,
or by appointment. 		 TA: Casey Conger
4523 Mayer Hall
caconger @physics.ucsd.edu
Office Hours: 3-4 pm Thursday in MH 4523.
 

Text: Classical Mechanics by John Taylor. (This and other possibly useful texts will be placed on reserve at the Library.) We will cover chapters 1 to 8, and chapter 11 and some of 13. (Chapters 9 and 10 will be covered in 110b.)

Course Times: Lecture: MWF, 2:00-2:50pm, WLH 2204

Homework: Assigned weekly, due the following week, at the START of lecture.

Midterms: Weds. Oct. 12 and Weds. Nov. 9, during the lecture time. Bring bluebooks.

Final: Wednesday Dec 7, 3:00-6:00p. No late or early finals, check your schedule now!

Grading: Homework=10%, Midterm 1=15%, Midterm 2=15%, Final=60%. For any questions about the grading, contact Casey.

Dan Arovas' Lecture Notes       

Histograms                                                        

Date Topics (and link to lecture notes) Homework
9/23 Introduction to dynamics 
9/28 Dynamics. Conservation of momentum  HW 1 (Due Oct. 5)           solutions
9/28 Drag force examples cont. dimensional analysis            
9/30 Rocket. Conservation of L            
10/3 KE, work, PE, conservation of E            
10/5 U(x) applications            
10/7 Oscillations, damped  HW 2 (due Oct 12)           solutions
10/10 Oscillations, damped and forced            
10/12 Midterm 1 (with solutions)            
10/14 Fun with Functionals, least action            
10/17 Euler Lagrange equations, applications  HW3 (Due Oct 26)           solutions
10/19 Euler Lagrange equations, applications cont            
10/21 Lagrangians, examples cont.             
10/24 Lagrangian and conservation laws   HW 4 (Due Nov 7)           solutions
10/26 cont. Noether's theorem and conservation laws             
10/28 Hamiltonian. L with constraints.            
10/31 L with constraints, cont.            
11/2 rolling example, virial theorem            
11/4 Central forces  HW5 due Nov 18           solutions
11/7 Central force cont.             
11/9 Midterm 2, with solutions            
11/14 central force motion cont            
11/16 central force motion cont            
11/18 coupled oscillators  HW 6 (due Nov 30)           solutions
11/21 coupled oscillators cont            
11/28 finish oscillators.             
11/30 Hamiltonian mechanics