UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON-CLEAR LAKE
SYLLABUS – Fall 2005
PHYS 5431 Classical Mechanics
M W 05:30 – 06:50PM SSB 3306
INSTRUCTOR: David Garrison
OFFICE: BAYOU 3531-2
EMAIL: garrison@uhcl.edu
TELEPHONE: 281-283-3796
Course Description: Lagrangian dynamics of particles, Hamiltonian mechanics; Canonical Transformations; Poisson brackets
Prerequisites: PHYS 3031 Univ Phys I-Mech, Heat & Sound
Textbooks: Mechanics, L.D. Landau and E.M. Lifshitz
Classical Mechanics, Herbert Goldstein
Policies:
1. Office Hours: M W 2:30-5:30 pm and by appointment
2. Measurements: Two in-class exams & take-home problem sets
Date Percent
Problem Sets 30
Mid-term Oct. 12 30
Final Dec. 7 40
3. Grading: The grade boundaries will be (whichever is lower):
A – 90% or more than one standard deviation above the mean
B – 80% or class average
C – 70% or one standard deviation below the mean
D – 65% or one and a half standard deviations below the mean
F – 60% or more than two standard deviations below the mean
Refined letter grade system, including Ò+Ó or Ò-Ò, will be used
4. Honesty Code: I will be honest in all my academic activities and will not tolerate dishonesty.
5. Make-ups: Make-up exams are not recommended. If you know ahead of time that you will be unable to attend an exam, please let me know in advance so that we can make other arrangements.
6. Disability Accommodation Statement: If you are certified as disabled and are entitled to accommodation under the ADA Act., sec 503, please see the instructor as soon as possible. If you are not currently certified and believe that you may qualify, please contact the Coordinator of Disabled Services, at 283-2627, in Health and Disability Services.
Week |
Topic |
Chapter(s) |
1 |
Equations of Motion (EOM) & Math Review |
LL1 |
2 |
LagrangeÕs Equation |
LL1 G2 |
3 |
LagrangeÕs Equation Continued |
LL1 G2 |
4 |
2-Body Problem |
LL2,3 G3 |
5 |
Collisions and Scattering |
LL4 |
6 |
Kinematics of Rigid Body Motion |
LL6 G4 |
7 |
Rigid Body EOM |
LL6 G5 |
8 |
Midterm Exam |
|
9 |
Small Oscillations |
LL5 G6 |
10 |
HamiltonÕs Equations |
LL7 G8 |
11 |
Canonical Transformations |
LL7 G9 |
12 |
Canonical Transformations Continued |
LL7 G9,10 |
13 |
Special Relativity |
G7 |
14 |
Thanksgiving Break |
|
15 |
Review |
|
16 |
Final Exam |
|