DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY -- (202) 806-6245 (main office), -5830 (fax)

Physical Mechanics 2
PHYS-183 & PHYS-209 [CRN: 12960]: MWF, 12:30 - 2:00, in TKH 304;
[Topics][Daily Schedule][Assignments][eGear][Welcome]

Instructor: Tristan Hübsch

TKH 213, 806-6267 thubsch@mac.com
Office hrs.: M 3:00-5:00, F 10:00-12:00, and by appointment (at least one day ahead, confirmed)

Textbook:

required: G.R. Fowles & G.L. Cassady, Analytical Mechanics

Component	Time	Remark	% of Grade
Homework	See in daily schedule	Late HW = 0 credit !!!	25%
Exams (two midterms)	See in daily schedule	not comprehensive	(each) 25%
Final exam	Last week of semester	comprehensive	25%

The aim of the course is to cover: (1) mechanics of systems of particles, (2) noninertial reference systems, (3) mechanics of rigid bodies in 2 and 3 dimensions, (4) Lagrangian mechanics, (5) dynamics of oscillating systems.

Topical schedule:

§5: Noninertial reference systems
§7: Dynamics of systems of particles
1st Midterm exam--§5 &7
§8: Mechanics of Rigid Bodies: Planar Motion
§9: Mechanics of Rigid Bodies in Three Dimnesions
2nd Midterm exam--§8-9 [open text, in-class] -- March 29th
§10: Lagrangian Mechanics
§11: Dynamics of Oscillations
Final exam--comprehensive: (almost) everything [one week take-home]

Day-to-day schedule: Students are required to read ahead

(after change of instructor)
03/13-21: Spring Recess
03/22: Euler's equations and free rotations: §9.3-7
03/24: Precession and nutation: §9.7-8
03/26: Applications: §9.9-10
03/29: 2nd Midterm Exam (§8-9) open-book
03/31: Hamilton's principle and generalized coordinates: §10.1-3
04/02: Lagrange's equations of motion: §10.4-5
04/05: Canonical momenta, contstraints and generalizd forces: §10.6-8 [§9.HW due]
04/07: The Hamiltonian and Hamilton's equations: §10.9
04/09: Equilibrium and systems with one degree of motion: §11.1-2
04/12: Coupled systems and normal coordinates: §11.3 [§10.HW due]
04/14: Vibrating systems in general: §11.4
04/16: Applications: §11.5
04/19: [§11.HW due] Final Exam (comprehensive, take-home) given; due 4/28/04 5:00 PM.
04/21: review

Homework assignments

1. §9.HW: Problems 1, 5, 8, 15, 20 due on 04/05, 5:00 PM
2. §10.HW: Problems 1, 5, 8, 15, 20 due on 04/12, 5:00 PM
3. §11.HW: Problems 1, 5, 8, 15, 20 due on 04/19, 5:00 PM

All homework assignments are due by 5:00 pm of the day indicated and should be either given to the instructor in hand, left in the instructor's mailbox in TKH#105, or slid under the instructor's office door, TKH#213. Late homework will not be accepted, except in cases of proven (medical) emergency.

Collaboration policy
Collaboration -- but not blind copying -- on the homework assignments is strongly encouraged; students should use this to learn from each other. All exams and quizzes are open text and open class-notes (including notebooks and class handouts), but no collaboration is allowed; by signing the exams and quizzes, the student implicitly agrees to abide by this policy. Violation of this policy is covered under University regulations on academic dishonesty and cheating.

Presentation and organization
While a neat presentation of home,- quiz- and exam-work is not required for full credit, it certainly makes it easier to assess the quality of the work and give the proper credit due. In all cases, include a simple sketch if it might help conveying the approach or the calculations. Where necessary, include all units and symbols such as the measure of an integral, arrow on a vector, vertical bars for the absolute value of a quantity, for the magnitude of a vector or for the determinant of a matrix, etc.

• Homework: Submitted answer sheets should be stapled (preferably in the top-left corner). The Student's full name (and ID number) should be indicated on the first (cover) page. Solutions should be labeled and ordered consecutively by the problem numbers. Include all calculation/work and give full reference to any result quoted from any source other than the text, and page/equation number for results quoted from the text.
• Mid-term exams: All exam questions are given on a question sheet and include the detailed point distribution and the place to write in the Student's full name and ID number. This question sheet is to be stapled on the top of the answer sheets, in the top-left corner. It will be used to indicate the acquired points, part by part and in total, the average score and the standard deviation.
• Final exam: All exam questions are given on a question sheet and include the detailed point distribution and the place to write in the Student's full name and ID number. This question sheet is to be stapled on the top of the answer sheets, in the top-left corner. It will be used to indicate the acquired points, part by part and in total, the average score and the standard deviation. The final exams are stored by the instructor, but are available to the individual student for review after the exam.

ADA disclaimer

Howard University is committed to providing an educational environment that is accessible to all students.  In accordance with this policy [details], students in need of accommodations due to a disability should contact the Office of the Dean for Special Student Services at 202-238-2420, for verification and determination of reasonable accommodations as soon as possible after admission to the Law School, or at the beginning of each semester.

© Tristan Hübsch, 2004