Syllabus



Jan 22 T Read Taylor Ch. 1 before lecture.  You were misinformed.  Review of 1303, overview of 3344. Notes from Carlos, My scanned notes.
    24 R Coordinate systems; Div, grad, curl and all that. Notes: part 1, part 2, Notes from Carlos, My scanned notes.

    29 T Read Taylor Ch. 2 before lecture.  Mathematica tutorial.
    31 R Differential equations: order, linearity, homogeneity.  Complementary and particular solutions.  
         Notes from Nicole, Notes from Carlos, My scanned notes.

Feb  5 T Finish Taylor Ch. 2 before lecture.  How to integrate like a boss.  Notes from Carlos, My scanned notes.
     7 R Start reading Taylor Ch. 3 before lecture. Conservation of linear momentum, center of mass, Noether's theorem, 
         gravitational slingshot, Cantilevered blocks demonstration, Rocket

    12 T Finish Taylor Ch. 3 before lecture. Homework #1 solutions
    14 R Start reading Taylor Ch. 4 before lecture. Galilean Cannon; Homework #2 solutions

    19 T Continue reading Taylor Ch. 4. Force as function of t, v, x, Nonlinear Simple Pendulum
    21 R Finish reading Taylor Ch. 4 before lecture. Homework #3 solutions; Loop-the-loop

    26 T Start reading Taylor Ch. 5 before lecture.  Oscillations, More oscillations, Phobos death spiral, Swing set physics
    28 R Finish reading Taylor Ch. 5 before lecture.  Homework #4 solutions; Damped Driven Oscillations.

Mar  5 T Midterm exam in lecture
     7 R Start reading Taylor Ch. 6 before lecture.  Exam solutions; Green function, More Green function, Still more Green function

    12 T Spring Break
    14 R Spring Break

    19 T Finish reading Taylor Ch. 6 before lecture.  Finish Green Functions; Fourier Series, my Fourier class notes, the Functional.
    21 R Start reading Taylor Ch. 7 before lecture.  Calculus of Variations

    26 T Continue reading Taylor Ch. 7 before lecture.  More Calculus of Variations
    28 R Finish reading Taylor Ch. 7 before lecture.  Homework #5 solutions;  Euler-Lagrange equations for higher derivatives; 
       Two stationary solutions to the catenary: solution 1 MAXIMIZES the potential energy, solution 2 MINIMIZES the potential energy.

Apr  2 T Start reading Taylor Ch. 8 before lecture.  Cylinder on an incline with Lagrangian technique; Principle of Least Action Feynman Lecture
     4 R Finish reading Taylor Ch. 8 before lecture.  Homework #6 solutions; Curved Space Feynman Lecture - variational principle for General Relativity: proper time is maximized.

     9 T Central forces, two-body problem; Euler-Lagrange equation for r, effective potential, one-body problem; orbit r(θ), Bertrand's theorem; Lagrangian points
    11 R Start reading Taylor Ch. 9 before lecture.  Homework #7 solutions; Orbits; Kepler's 3rd Law; Planetary Orbit Simulator

    16 T Finish reading Taylor Ch. 9 before lecture.  Non-inertial reference frames - part 1; 
    18 R Start reading Taylor Ch. 10 before lecture.  Homework #8 solutions; Non-inertial reference frames - part 2.

    23 T Finish reading Taylor Ch. 10 before lecture. Moment of inertia; Equilateral Triangle Moment of Inertia.
    25 R Class canceled

    30 T Start reading Taylor Ch. 11 before lecture.  Homework #9 solutions; Inertia tensor; Eigenvalue problem; Stability.
May  2 R Finish reading Taylor Ch. 11 before lecture.  Homework #10 solutions; Coupled Oscillations; Example: two coupled pendula; Normal modes.

    13 M Final Exam 8:00-11:00AM


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