Instructor: Dr. Sebastian Kuhn
OCNPS building Room 0223; also
NaPPRF, 1021 47th St. — Office 105
Phone 683 - 5804 (622-6640 home); FAX
683-5809
Electronic Mail: "kuhn@physics.odu.edu"
WWW page: http://www.physics.odu.edu/~kuhn/Default.html
Office hours: Wednesdays and Fridays
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. (OCNPS 223) and in the "Learning
Center" OCNPS Room 142, Wednesdays 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m., and by appointment
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Required Textbook: K.R. Symon - Mechanics, 3rd edition, Addison Wesley
Optional Textbooks: J.B. Marion - Classical
Mechanics of Particles and Systems, Academic Press
Landau & Lifshitz - Course of
Theoretical Physics Vol. 1; Pergamon Press
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Grading Scheme: 70% based on weekly "progress assessment" (see below)
30% based on Final Exam
INTRODUCTION
This is a one-semester course on Theoretical Mechanics. The level will be advanced undergraduate or introductory graduate. This course will be "individual guided study" (instead of the regular lecture course 451/551 which is not being taught in Fall 1999). It is a 3 credit hour, graded course. Topics of the course include Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalism, motion of rigid bodies and the special theory of relativity. Our emphasis will be on the proper use of more advanced mathematical methods and concepts, like tensor algebra and variational methods. Both the methods and the results learned in this course should build a solid foundation for a rigorous study of quantum mechanics and electrodynamics, as well as other fields of physics. Especially Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Dynamics are the foundations of all extensions of classical mechanics and will therefore be emphasized.
The course consists of "guided reading" of the required textbook (Mechanics by Keith R. Symon) and weekly "progress assessments". I expect to meet each student once a week (during the stated office hours or, on rare occasion, by special appointment). During these weekly meetings, I will answer questions, give instructions, and collect homework. Every student is expected to read the pages in the required textbook indicated for a given week (see schedule). Everyone is also strongly encouraged to consult both optional textbooks, at least occasionally. You also have to do the homework indicated for each week and turn it in at the "progress assessment" meetings. 70% of your grade will be based on my weekly assessment of your work (both the required reading and the homework). I may use "quizzes" to get a better feeling for your progress. Full points will be given if I can convince myself that you are putting in the required work (you don't have to get all the answers right).
The remaining 30% of the grade will be based on a final exam, to be given during the regular examination time. The exam will be open book, take home with at least 2 working days of time to solve the problems. I will grade that exam rigorously (i.e., you have to get the answers right to get points).
Addendum to Syllabus
This addendum to the Syllabus is to state and clarify my policy on allowed and unallowed cooperation in the preparation of homework and exam problems:
1) I consider it advantageous if students discuss both material of the lectures and specific homework problems with each other, and encourage that kind of cooperation.
2) I consider it unethical and a violation of the honor code to copy the solution of a homework or exam problem verbatim from another student's solution or a book.
I realize that there is somewhat of a "gray area" between 1) and 2). The following are some guidelines to determine what is allowed and what not:
- You may pose a specific question about a certain aspect of a problem to another student (just as you may come to me and ask such questions).
- You may discuss verbally the content and methods of solution of a problem.
- If you need to use writing to explain something to another student, use a blackboard or other clearly non-permanent means (scratch paper).
- DO NOT ALLOW other students to peruse your final (or close to final) write-up of the solution.
- You HAVE to try your hand on a given problem yourself.
- You need to make sure that you at least understood what you wrote down. This is a useful test of whether getting outside help is allowed; I may use it to prove or disprove claims of unethical copying.
- IF you find that a certain problem's solution is given in a freely available book, I'd prefer you to tell me. In any case, it is unethical to simply copy verbatim from that book - you have to formulate the solution in your own words and in accordance with the nomenclature used in class.
Finally, I want to remind everyone of the University policy: Any official sanction for cheating, including the assignment of a grade of F for a quiz or for a course as a penalty for cheating, will appear on the student's permanent academic transcript!