PHY 3211 - Analytical Mechanics

Credits: 4

Prerequisite(s): PHY 2711 and MTH 3420, or Permission of instructor

Description: This is a course in classical mechanics at the intermediate level. Topics include Newtonian mechanics of a single particle, gravitation, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Mechanics, orbital dynamics, two-body interactions, motion in a non-inertial reference frame, and dynamics of rigid bodies. Although many of these topics were covered in the first semester of the calculus-based introductory physics course, more sophisticated mathematical techniques (e.g., vector calculus, ordinary differential equations, matrix mechanics, calculus of variations) are applied to more complicated problems. These techniques will also prove useful in other upper-division physics courses.