Advanced Mechanics (PHYS*3400)

Course Information

Department of Physics
Advanced Mechanics (PHYS*3400)
Fall 2023 (LEC:4) [0.50]

For Course Instructor, Class Time and Location, please check CourseLink.

Course Description

This course covers rotations and rigid-body motion, Lagrangian mechanics and Hamiltonian mechanics. Topics include rigid-body motion and the Euler equations, D'Alembert's principle, virtual displacements, applications of Lagrangians, least action principles, Poisson brackets, Liouville's theorem, canonical transformations, and Hamilton-Jacobi theory.

Timetable

Lectures/Discussions

The scheduled class periods will be used for discussions and clarifications of the recorded lectures, provide supplemental material and practice problems, review of assignments, etc. 

While the sessions will be scheduled for the times as above, there may be individual classes that will not be required, or will be of shorter duration. The instructor also must travel for research purposes, and thus some sessions may be conducted online via Zoom. The schedule will be shared with students as soon as it is known. 

No class will be held on Thursday Sept. 7.  Our first class will be conducted, in person, Tuesday Sept. 12. 

Midterm Exam

Please check CourseLink. 

Final Exam

Please check CourseLink.

Evaluation

There will be 5 assignments for this course that will be posted on the Courselink site. No assignments will be accepted after the posting of the solutions on the course webpage. Submitted assignment solutions must show calculational details, be legible, and written with a logical flow. Marks on assignments will rapidly trend to zero if not presented well.

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Courselink (Website)
The lecture and course notes will be posted on Courselink. 

Additional Resources

• Classical Mechanics (3rd Edition) (Textbook)
  Herbert Goldstein, Charles P. Poole, and John L. Safko, Classical Mechanics (3rd Edition) (Addison Wesley, 2002; ISBN 0201657023; QA 805.G6)
• Classical Mechanics: Systems of Particles and Hamiltonian Dynamics (Textbook)
  Walter Greiner, Classical Mechanics: Systems of Particles and Hamiltonian Dynamics (Springer, 2003; ISBN 0-387-95128-8)
• Classical Mechanics: Point Particles and Relativity (Textbook)
  Walter Greiner, Classical Mechanics: Point Particles and Relativity (Springer, 2004; ISBN 0-387-95586-0)
• Classical Mechanics and Relativity (Textbook)
  Harold J W Müller-Kirsten, Classical Mechanics and Relativity (World Scientific, 2008; ISBN-10: 981-283-252-1)
• The Variational Principles of Mechanics (4th Edition) (Textbook)
  Cornelius Lanczos, The Variational Principles of Mechanics (4th Edition) (Dover Publications, 1986; ISBN 0486650677; QA 845.L3)
• Mechanics (3'rd Edition) (Textbook)
  Keith R. Symon, Mechanics (3'rd Edition) (Addison-Wesley, 1971; ISBN 0-201-07392-7)

Course Statements

Collaboration versus Copying

Scientists work alone or in groups, very often consulting fellow scientists and discussing their research problems with peers. Collaboration is a feature of scientific activity and there are many benefits to working with others. However, no ethical scientist would ever publish or claim the work of others as his or her own and generally scientists give reference to the appropriate source of ideas or techniques which are not their own.

You are a young scientist and, in this spirit, I encourage you to discuss with others as you learn the material and work on the problem assignments. However, the work that you submit as your assignment must be your own and not a copy of someone else’s work. Identical scripts will be given a mark of zero and plagiarism will be dealt with severely. I encourage you to cite your references, citing books and other articles when they are used and acknowledging discussions with those who have helped you in your understanding and completion of the problem. This is good scientific practice.

Course Evaluation Information

The Department of Physics requires student assessment of all courses taught by the Department. These assessments provide essential feedback to faculty on their teaching by identifying both strengths and possible areas of improvement. In addition, annual student assessment of teaching provides part of the information used by the Department Tenure and Promotion Committee in evaluating the faculty member's contribution in the area of teaching. The Department's teaching evaluation questionnaire invites student response both through numerically quantifiable data, and written student comments. In conformity with University of Guelph Faculty Policy, the Department Tenure and Promotions Committee only considers comments signed by students. Your instructor will see all signed and unsigned comments after final grades are submitted. Written student comments may also be used in support of a nomination for internal and external teaching awards.

NOTE: No information will be passed on to the instructor until after the final grades have been submitted.

University Statements

Illness

Requests for Academic Consideration may require medical documentation as appropriate.

Email Communication

As per university regulations, all students are required to check their e-mail account regularly: e-mail is the official route of communication between the University and its students.

When You Cannot Meet a Course Requirement

When you find yourself unable to meet an in-course requirement because of illness or compassionate reasons please advise the course instructor (or designated person, such as a teaching assistant) in writing, with your name, id#, and e-mail contact. The grounds for Academic Consideration are detailed in the Undergraduate Calendar.  

Drop Date

Students will have until the last day of classes to drop courses without academic penalty. The deadline to drop two-semester courses will be the last day of classes in the second semester. This applies to all students (undergraduate, graduate and diploma) except for Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Associate Diploma in Veterinary Technology (conventional and alternative delivery) students. The regulations and procedures for course registration are available in their respective Academic Calendars. Undergraduate Calendar - Dropping Courses 

Copies of Out-of-class Assignments

Keep paper and/or other reliable back-up copies of all out-of-class assignments: you may be asked to resubmit work at any time.

Accessibility

The University promotes the full participation of students who experience disabilities in their academic programs. To that end, the provision of academic accommodation is a shared responsibility between the University and the student. When accommodations are needed, the student is required to first register with Student Accessibility Services (SAS). Documentation to substantiate the existence of a disability is required; however, interim accommodations may be possible while that process is underway. Accommodations are available for both permanent and temporary disabilities. It should be noted that common illnesses such as a cold or the flu do not constitute a disability. Use of the SAS Exam Centre requires students to book their exams at least 7 days in advance and not later than the 40th Class Day.

Academic Integrity

The University of Guelph is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity, and it is the responsibility of all members of the University community-faculty, staff, and students-to be aware of what constitutes academic misconduct and to do as much as possible to prevent academic offences from occurring. University of Guelph students have the responsibility of abiding by the University's policy on academic misconduct regardless of their location of study; faculty, staff, and students have the responsibility of supporting an environment that encourages academic integrity. Students need to remain aware that instructors have access to and the right to use electronic and other means of detection. Please note: Whether or not a student intended to commit academic misconduct is not relevant for a finding of guilt. Hurried or careless submission of assignments does not excuse students from responsibility for verifying the academic integrity of their work before submitting it. Students who are in any doubt as to whether an action on their part could be construed as an academic offence should consult with a faculty member or faculty advisor. Undergraduate Calendar - Academic Misconduct 

Recording of Materials

Presentations that are made in relation to course work - including lectures - cannot be recorded or copied without the permission of the presenter, whether the instructor, a student, or guest lecturer. Material recorded with permission is restricted to use for that course unless further permission is granted.

Some learning activities (e.g., synchronous lectures or student presentations) may be recorded by faculty, instructors and TAs and posted to CourseLink for grading and dissemination; students may be recorded during these sessions. By enrolling in a course, unless explicitly stated and brought forward to their instructor, it is assumed that students agree to the possibility of being recorded during lecture, seminar or other “live” course activities, whether delivery is in-class or online/remote.

If a student prefers not to be distinguishable during a recording, they may:

1. turn off their camera
2. mute their microphone 
3. edit their name (e.g., initials only) upon entry to each session
4. use the chat function to pose questions.  

Students who express to their instructor that they, or a reference to their name or person, do not wish to be recorded may discuss possible alternatives or accommodations with their instructor. 

Resources

The Academic Calendars are the source of information about the University of Guelph’s procedures, policies, and regulations that apply to undergraduate, graduate, and diploma programs. Academic Calendars