Instructor: Charles Torre , SER 232, 797-3426, Charles.Torre@usu.edu

Lectures: T-TH, 9:00 – 10:15, BNR 278

Office Hours: T-TH, 10:30 – 11:30, or by appointment

Text:  Classical Mechanics,  John R. Taylor

Final Exam:  Thursday, December 12, 9:30 – 11:20 a.m.

Goals: After completing this course you should:

• have a working knowledge of Newtonian, Lagrangian, and Hamiltonian formulations of mechanics;

• have an introductory understanding of variational principles in general and in mechanics;

• begin to be well-versed in a suite of exactly soluble dynamical systems (e.g., the harmonic oscillator, the 2-body central force system, etc.);

• begin to have a solid understanding of conservation laws, their utility, and their roots in symmetries of variational principles;

• begin to be proficient in mapping mechanical systems to mathematical representations and analyzing the resulting mathematical model;

• begin to be proficient with certain features of analytic geometry, vector analysis and ordinary differential equations;

• begin to be proficient in scientific exposition.

Miscellaneous information:

•  The plan is to cover: Newtonian mechanics, conservation laws, important soluble systems, variational principles, Lagrangian mechanics, Hamiltonian mechanics.

• My teaching strategy is based upon the fact that you can read the book as well as I can. My lectures will not just be a version of the text. Rather, the text along with my lecture notes should be your principal references which help you to solve the various problems you are assigned. 

• I will make available typed notes which summarize - but may not always exhaust - the content of the lectures. They will be posted in PDF format on the Physics 3550 web site and can be viewed with any PDF viewer.

• There will be a number of problem sets. Your primary goal in this course is to solve these problems using material given in the lectures and in the text, additional references, collaboration with your colleagues, etc.  I cannot over-emphasize the importance of problem solving experience to the learning of classical mechanics (or any other subject in physics, for that matter). To help you agree with me, the bulk of your grade will stem from your homework. Don't neglect it!

• Your grade will be determined according to the following approximate scheme: Quizzes - 40%, Exams 60%.  Quizzes will be brief (~ 15 minute) and will occur every week or two.  Exams will occupy an entire class period and the final exam period.  I will drop the lowest quiz score.  No make-ups if you miss one.
 
• Keep an eye on the Physics 3550 website, particularly the Announcements, for useful information.

Disability Resource Center

            Students with ADA-Documented physical, sensory, emotional or medical impairments may be eligible for reasonable accommodations. Veterans may also be eligible for services. All accommodations are coordinated through the Disability Resource Center (DRC) in Room 101 of the University Inn. (435)797-2444 voice, (435)797-0740 TTY, (435)797-2444 VP, or toll free at 1-800-259-2966. Please contact the DRC as early in the semester as possible. Alternate format materials (Braille, large print or digital) are available with advance notice.

 
Honor Code

The honor code will be strictly enforced in this course. Any suspected violations of the honor code will be promptly reported to the honor system. For more information please visit: http://www.usu.edu/policies/PDF/Acad-Integrity.pdf