Physics 151, Classical Mechanics

Harvard University, Fall Term 2017

Arthur Jaffe

@L
May the @q be with you!
Summary:
Most fundamental concepts in quantum physics have an analog in classical mechanics. For this
reason, classical mechanics provides a foundation for the understanding of all theoretical physics.

Lagrangian and Hamiltonian methods are a prerequisite to understanding statistical physics and
condensed matter physics, as well as to understanding all aspects of quantum theory. One central
theme of this course, and one of the most important themes in physics, revolves about the relationship
between symmetries and conservation laws. Variational principles have become central to the
formulation of laws of nature, as well as to understanding their consequences. Theories of dynamical
systems, chaos, and turbulence, arise in the context of classical mechanics. Perturbation theory occurs
everywhere as well. Even the phenomenon known as “renormalization” arises from the study of
motion of a solid body in a fluid. Solitons are particle-like solutions to classical non-linear field
equations, and they too have become universal. Physics 151 will touch on all these topics; further
details can be found at the end of this course summary.

Schedule:
Lecture: Tuesday and Thursday, Jefferson 453, 10:00—11:30
Section: tentatively Monday 6:30-7:30

Web Site:
Handouts, assignments, solutions, announcements, etc. will be posted.

Contact Information:
Course Head, Arthur Jaffe office: Lyman 338
Phone: 617-495-4320
Email: jaffe@physics.harvard.edu
Office Hours Tu-Th 11:30-12:00: Look for me any time I am in my office. If you cannot find
me or want to arrange for a meeing at a specific time, plesase send an email!
Teaching Fellow, Sruthi Narayanan:
Phone: 305-613-4388
Email: sruthi_narayanan@g.harvard.edu
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 5:30-6:30, in Lyman 529 (G2 area)
Staff Assistant, Barbara Drauschke office: Jefferson 348
Phone 617-495-4320
Email: drauschke@fas.harvard.edu

Assignments:
There will be 6 problem sets during the semester, generally due on Thursdays before start of class
(schedule on next page). Handing in ALL assignments is a requirement to complete the course. You
need to authorization in advance from Jaffe for any extension.
You may colloaborate with classmates on preliminary work on the homework, including discussions
about methods and approaches to solving the problems. If you are stuck, you should ask for guidence
in section (and this can be helpful for all those attending) or from your meetings with the instructors.
But the homework solutions that you hand in must be worked out and written up individually.

Hour Tests:
Two in-class tests: Tuesday October 26, November 30

Grades:
Final Grade = (0.6 Homework) + (0.3 tests) + (0.1 Class Participation).

Books:
The basic text is H. Goldstein, C. Poole, and J. Safko, Classical Mechanics, 3rd Edition. I will
supplement this by handouts on other material.

Standard references include the following:

V. Arnold’s Mathematical Methods of Classical Mechanics (This beautiful exposition is a standard
reference, written by a major contributor to recent advances in mechanics. But it can be rough
going for a beginner, as important details often need to be added by the reader.)
G. Gallavotti's The Elements of Mechanics. This is another advanced book.
R. Douglas Gregory, Classical Mechanics
T. Kibble, Classical Mechanics.
E. Mach, The Science of Mechanics. This historic text contains foundational material, including the
meaning of “mass,” and is reprinted by Dover.
D. Morin, Introduction to Classical Mechanics
L D. Landau and E. M. Lifshitz, Classical Mechanics, This is a classic, known for its insights and
brevity. Like Sommerfeld and Thirring, it is part of a “course in theoretical physics” series.
F. Scheck, Mechanics: from Newton's laws to deterministic chaos
Arnold Sommerfeld Mechanics
Walter Thirring, Classical Dynamical Systems

Class Meetings, Problem Sets, Tests:

August 31
September: 5, 7 (ps1-out), 12, 14 (ps1-in, ps2-out), 19, 21, 26, 28 (ps2-in, ps3-out)
October: 3, 5, 10, 12 (ps3-in, ps4 out), 17, 19 (ps4-in), 24 (review), 26 (test 1, ps5 out), 31
November: 2, 7, 9 (ps5-in, ps 6-out), 14, 16 , 21, 28 (ps6-in, review), 30 (test 2)

Topics:
Central Force Motion and Rutherford Scattering
Linear Oscillations
Lagrangians and Variational Principles
Symmetry of Space and Group Theory
Conservation Laws, Symmetry, and Noether’s Theorem
Hamiltonians, Legendre Transforms
Flows on Phase Space
Perturbation Theory
KAM Theory
Lagrangian Formulation for Fields
SolitonsClassical Mechanics and Quantum Theory