Stony Brook University, Department of Physics and Astronomy

 

CLASSICAL MECHANICS
(PHY 501)

Fall 2003

 

Initial Information

 

Instructor:   Prof. Konstantin Likharev

          Phone: 2-8159

          E-mail: klikharev@notes.cc.sunysb.edu

          Office hours: Thursday 4:30 to 6:30 pm, Rm. B-135

 

Web site: http://rsfq1.physics.sunysb.edu/~likharev/501/F04/index.html

 

Basic Textbook:       

          L. Landau and E. Lifshitz, Mechanics, 3rd ed. Butterworth-Heinmann, Oxford, 1976

 

Additional Reading From:

          A. Andronov, A. Witt, and S. Khaikin, Theory of Oscillators, Pergamon, 1966

          L. Landau and E. Lifshitz, Theory of Elasticity, 3rd ed. Butterworth-Heinmann, Oxford, 1986

          L. Landau and E. Lifshitz, Fluid Mechanics, 2nd ed. Butterworth-Heinmann, Oxford, 1987

          J. José and E. Saletan, Classical Dynamics: A Contemporary Approach, Cambridge U. Press, 1998


 Lectures: Approximately 40 lectures, Mon-Wed-Fri 9:35-10:30 am, Rm. P-112

 

Homeworks: Weekly (with just a few exceptions)

 

Exams: Two midterms and a final exam
          All exams: books open

 

Grade Components:           

          Homeworks:  20%

          Midterms:     30%

          Final exam:   50%

 

 

Syllabus

 (with approximate lecture count):

 

1. Introduction and review of fundamentals (2)

          Kinetics; dynamics; momentum; energy and work; angular momentum; many-particle systems.

 

2. Lagrangian formalism (3)

          Constrains and generalized coordinates; Lagrange equations.

          Hamiltonian and energy  conservation.


 

 

3. 1D motion (8)

          General properties of Hamiltonian systems.

          Linear (free, damped, and forced) oscillations.      

          Strongly nonlinear systems; numerical methods.       

          Weakly nonlinear and parametric oscillations; small parameter analysis; Van der Pol method.

 

4. 2D motion (5)

          Coupled oscillations.

          Central force motion; Kepler laws.

          Collisions and scattering; the Rutherford formula.

 

5. Rigid body motion (5)

          Rotation; inertia tensor; kinetic energy and angular momentum.

          Spinning tops.

          Translation plus rotation.

          Dynamics in non-inertial reference frames.

 

6. Elasticity theory (5)

          Elasticity theory fundamentals; bending beams; torsion rods.

          Elastic dynamics; acoustic waves.

          Lagrangian formalism for continuum dynamics.


7. Fluid dynamics (5)

          Fluid statics and dynamics; Euler and Navier-Stokes equations.

          Turbulence; the Reynolds number.

          Shock waves; the Mach number.


8. Chaos (3)

          Chaos in maps, logistic map.

          Chaos in dynamic systems;  forced  pendulum.

          Chaos in Hamiltonian systems; the Henon map.

          Chaos vs. turbulence.

 

9. Hamiltonian  and Hamilton-Jacobi formalisms (3)

          Hamilton principle.

          Generalized momentum; Hamilton equations; Poisson brackets.

          Hamilton-Jacobi equations.