Physics 382 Spring 2008
Classical Mechanics 2
Welcome to Classical Mechanics. We will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays during
4th period (1:40 to 3:00 pm) in ARC 105 on Busch.
NOTE: The room is in a different building than 381 last semester
There is an assigned text for
the class
Classical Mechanics by Taylor .
It is really a very good text. I
found it much more readable than the average 300-level textbook.
Instructors
Amitabh Lath, Serin 324
136 Frelinghuysen Rd, Piscataway NJ 08854
(732)445-5853.
lath -at- physics.rutgers.edu
Office Hours: By appointment (send me email).
Grader: Mr. Yue Zhao
Syllabus
We will cover six basic topics.
Non-Intertial Frames (including coriolis force) Ch9
Ridgid Body rotation Ch 10
Hamiltonian Mechanics Ch 13
Scattering and Collitions Ch 14
Oscillations and Normal Modes Ch 11
The Wave Equation (first 2 sections of Ch 16)
These topics have been chosen because they are the building blocks
of further study in physics and engineering. If you intend to take
the physics GRE they will be required knowledge.
Note that I've put Ch 11, Oscilations and Normal Modes out of
sequence right before study of general waves.
If time
remains at the end of the semester we may tackle special topics
such as the Statistical Mechanics or Special Relativity.
Homework
Homeworks will be assigned every Tuesday, and will be due in one week (exceptions as noted).
Here is the homework list .
Here is a
directory with homework solutions .
Homework help
Please do the homework by yourself. I encourage you to work in "study groups" and discuss
problems with your friends, but do try the problem yourself FIRST.
If you get stuck, send email (to me, your friends, etc.).
I will respond as soon as I can (usually within 24 hours).
Remember, doing the problems is the only way to learn the material.
Exams
We will cover six basic topics, and after each I will give out a take-home
exam with a few (2 or 3) problems. They will be due the next lecture, and you will
absolutely not discuss them with anyone else.
We will have a final exam with six problems, one on each basic topic.
Grading
The grades will be assigned as follows
Homeworks: 18%
6 take home exams: 42 % (each is 7% of your grade)
Final Exam: 40%
Extras
Hints for homeworks, exam prep stuff, computer programs, and other
miscellaneous items will appear
here.
Grade Book
There is a gradebook set up on the web for this course.
here
Students with Disabilities
Please consult me as early as possible if you have a disability
that might interfere with an optimal learning experience.
Also, please consult the
website on disabilities . The University has coordinators
for students with disabilities.
Amit &
Last modified: Tue Apr 29 10:27:22 EDT 2008