Course Syllabus

PHY 3320 - Mechanics I

University of Central Florida

Department of Physics

Spring 2016

Description: PHY 3320 is an introductory course on Classical Mechanics. It is a core requirement for the Physics B.S. degree.

Objectives: To develop fundamental concepts and appropriate formulations for the dynamics of particles systems, with emphasis on symmetries and conservation laws.

Prerequisites: Physics for Engineering and Scientists I (PHY 2048) and Ordinary Differential Equations I (MAP 2302).

Instructor: Dr. Eduardo Mucciolo (office in PS 457, tel. 407-823-1882, email mucciolo@ucf.edu).

Schedule and Location: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 2:30 -- 3:20 pm, in MSB 306 (Math Sciences Building). Instructor's office hours: Mondays and Tuesdays 1:00 -- 2:00 pm, or by appointment.

Course web site: https://webcourses.ucf.edu/courses/1172036. Students should check Webcourses frequently. Discussions, course materials, homework assignments, solutions, and notes will be all posted there.

Content:

• Elementary Newtonian Mechanics: space and time, Newton's laws, inertial frames, relative motion and Galilean transformations; motion in curvilinear coordinates; projectile motion and charged particles; linear and angular momentum; many-particle systems, center of mass, momentum conservation; kinetic energy and work; potential energy and work; conservative forces, time-dependent motion; central forces; oscillations; harmonic oscillator on one and higher dimensions; damped oscillators; driven oscillators; coupled oscillators and normal modes; two-body central force problems, Kepler orbits; noninertial frames, centrifugal and Coriolis forces. (Approximately 24 lectures)

• Principals of Canonical Mechanics: variational principle; Euler-Lagrange equations; generalized coordinates and constraints; generalized momenta and ignorable coordinates; conservation laws; Legendre transformations; Hamiltonian function; Hamilton's equations; phase space, Liouville's theorem; Poisson brackets. (Approximately 10 lectures)

• Mechanics of Rigid Bodies: rotations about a fixed axis and about any axis, inertia tensor; principal axes; Steiner's theorem; angular momentum precession; Euler angles and Euler's equations of motion; free top. (Approximately 6 lectures)

Textbook: The textbook for this course is Classical Mechanics by John R. Taylor (University Science Books, 2005). ISBN 1-891389-22-X.

Other recommended books are:

• Classical Mechanics, 3rd edition, by H. Goldstein, C. Poole, and J. Safko (Addison Wesley, 2001).

• Mechanics, 5th edition, by Florian Scheck (Springer-Verlag, 2010). Notice that all UCF students have free on-line access to this book! The URL is http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-642-05370-2

  (free access only from a campus IP or through UCF's library website).

There are many other books covering the material of this course. Ask the instructor if you would like to see an extensive list.

Grading system: The overall grade will be based on the homework average (20%) and three exams: two mid term and one final (26.67% each). About twelve homework assignments will be handed out and graded. Late homework will receive zero points and will be counted toward the average. Grading will be done over a scale from 0 to 100, with letter grades distributed as: A (100-90), B (89-76), C (75-66), D (65-50), and F (49-0). Pluses and minuses may be used. Students are encouraged to interact outside class time and discuss homework assignments, but solutions must be developed individually.

Exam schedule: The tentative day for the mid-term exams are February 12 (Friday) and March 25 (Friday) during normal lecture time. The final exam has been scheduled for May 4 (Wednesday), from 1:00 pm to 3:50 pm in MSB 306.

Students with disabilities: UCF is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. The instructor shares the same commitment. Students with disabilities who need accommodations must be registered with Student Disability Services (SDS) before requesting accommodations from the instructor. Students who are registered with SDS and need accommodations in PSC1121 must contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to discuss needed accommodations. No accommodations will be provided until the student has met with the instructor to request accommodations.

Attendance: Mandatory (it will be taken). University-excused absences exist only for religious observances, intercollegiate activities and athletics, and university-verified family or medical emergency.

Make-up exams: Only given to students taking part in University-sanctioned activities. Authentic justifying documentation must be provided in advance. Exceptions are to be made for medical and family emergencies at the discretion of the instructor.

Plagiarism and cheating: Many incidents of plagiarism result from students' lack of understanding about what constitutes plagiarism. However, they are expected to familiarize themselves with UCF's policy. UCF's Golden Rule defines plagiarism as follows: ``whereby another's work is used or appropriated without any indication of the source, thereby attempting to convey the impression that such work is the student's own.''

Plagiarism and cheating of any kind on an exam or assignment will result in zero points (and may, depending on the severity of the case, lead to an "F" for the entire course) and may be subjected to appropriate referral to the Office of Student Conduct for further action. See the UCF Golden Rule for further information. Students are assumed to adhere to the academic creed of this University and maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. The instructor will also adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity.