Lahore University of Management Sciences

PHY 301 – Classical Mechanics

Fall 2016

Instructor Ms. Shaheen Irfan

Room No. 9-231A
Office Hours MW 11:30 – 1:00
Email Shaheen.irfan@lums.edu.pk
Telephone 35608360
Secretary/TA
TA Office Hours
Course URL (if any)

Course Basics
Credit Hours 4
Lecture(s) No. of Lec(s) Per Week 2 Duration 110 min
Recitation/Lab (per week) No. of Lec(s) Per Week 1 Duration 75 min
Tutorial (per week) No. of Lec(s) Per Week Duration

Course Distribution
Core Core for Physics majors
Elective
Open for Student Category
Close for Student Category

COURSE DESCRIPTION
We will start with a quick review of basic concepts like linear and angular momentum, conservative forces and energy in Newtonian Mechanics.
We will learn how to draw the phase space trajectories to study the dynamics of objects subjected to various kind of potentials. Next we will
move on to develop Lagrange formalism of classical mechanics starting with the introduction of calculus of variation and will spend considerable
time dealing with various static (rigid body) and dynamic (rotations, oscillations and two body central force) problems. Further we will cover some
special topics like Hamilton principle, Poisson brackets, canonical transformations, and Non-linear dynamics.

COURSE PREREQUISITE(S)

 PHY 101 – Mechanics

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COURSE OBJECTIVES

 To bring the level of understanding of mechanics to a level where the students can connect it with quantum mechanics, and
classical and quantum theories of fields
 To help students see the dynamics in computer simulations

Learning Outcomes

 The students will be able to deal with complex physics problems using the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms.
 They will be able to better appreciate the formulation of quantum mechanics and field theory in terms of these two formalisms
 Students will be able to numerically solve physics problems through computer simulation
 Lahore University of Management Sciences
Grading Breakup and Policy

Assignment(s): 10%
Home Work:5%
Quiz(s):10%
Class Participation:
Attendance:5%
Midterm Examination: 15x2 = 30%
Project:
Final Examination: 40%

Examination Detail

Yes/No: Yes
Combine Separate: N/A
Midterm
Duration: 75 min x 2
Exam
Preferred Date:
Exam Specifications: Handwritten

Yes/No: Yes
Combine Separate:
Final Exam
Duration: 3 hours
Exam Specifications: Handwritten

COURSE OVERVIEW
Week/
Recommended Objectives/
Lecture/ Topics
Readings Application
Module
Review of Newtonian Mechanics, various Taylor Ch.1 – Ch. 5

examples
 Calculus of Variations Taylor Ch. 6
Lagrangian Mechanics, Generalized Taylor Ch. 7

Coordinates, Conservation Laws
Central Force Motion, Effective Potential, Taylor Ch. 8

Equation of Orbit, Kepler Orbits
 Exam 1
Non-inertial Mechanics, Newton’s Laws in Taylor Ch. 9

Rotating Frames, Coriolis Force
 Rigid body kinematics and dynamics Taylor Ch. 10
 Coupled Oscillators and Normal Modes Taylor Ch. 11
 Exam 2
 Hamiltonian Mechanics Taylor Ch. 13
 Non-linear Mechanics and Chaos Taylor Ch. 12
 Final Exam

Textbook(s)/Supplementary Readings

John R. Taylor, “Classical Mechanics, University Science Books, 2005.