Course Syllabus

About the Course

Here is a PDF version for your convenience

Classical mechanics is a story of three different but equivalent perspectives: Newtonian, Lagrangian, and Hamiltonian mechanics. We will apply these perspectives to a number of fascinating problems and be blown away by deep insights into the nature of our universe, e.g. the amazing connection between symmetries and conservation laws. We will use these perspectives to dabble in rocket science, celestial mechanics, rigid body dynamics, and computational physics. I am excited to learn with you, this semester!

Course number and title:
PHYS 371 – Classical Mechanics

Credit hours:
3

Semester and year:
Fall 2020

Meeting time and place:  
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8-9:20 AM.

Face to Face:

Engineering and Physics Labs at Bennett Gymnasium (BEN) 219. For your convenience, here is a link to the ACU campus map.

Online:

Google Meet, Meeting Code: classical

Prerequisites/Corequisites: 
Undergraduate level PHYS 220 Minimum Grade of D or Undergraduate level PHYS 120 Minimum Grade of D. Corequisite: MATH 361.

Catalog description:
Vector methods of static systems of forces, couples and moments, particle dynamics, rigid body dynamics, work, kinetic and potential energy, momentum and the conservation laws, and Hamilton and Lagrangian methods.

Intended audience:
Junior engineering and physics majors.

 

About the Teacher

Howdy! My name is Jim Drachenberg, aka "Dr. Drach." I was delighted to return to my alma mater for the Fall 2018 semester. I previously held a faculty position at Lamar University and a visiting faculty position at Valparaiso University. I received my Ph.D. in physics from Texas A&M University and completed postdoctoral work at Valparaiso University. I am active in nuclear physics research as a member of the STAR collaboration at Brookhaven National Laboratory. One of my favorite things is working with students in cutting-edge research like building brand new detectors for STAR on campus or analyzing data for papers to tell the world about the cool stuff we're learning about our amazing universe.

Professor:
Dr. Jim Drachenberg, Associate Professor

Office location:
Onstead Science Center (OSC) 123A

Phone number(s):
(325) 674-6150

Email address:
jld00a@acu.edu. You may also contact me through the Canvas course.

Office hours/Contact expectations: 
MTWF 10:00 – 11:00 AM or by appointment. I welcome virtual appointments on Google Meet, meeting code: drach_officehours

 

Mission Statements

ACU Mission:
The mission of Abilene Christian University is to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.

College Mission:
The College of Arts and Sciences endeavors to educate students for worldwide Christian service and leadership through programs of study and other learning experiences that blend a liberal arts education with professional and career education. The college offers a broad spectrum of programs in the arts, humanities, social sciences, behavioral sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics as well as professional and pre-professional programs. Many courses in the college are designed to provide a unique liberal arts education from a Christian perspective to students of all majors throughout the university.

Department Mission:
ACU undergraduate engineering and physics majors pursue a deeper understanding of the physical world through theory, application, analysis and practical design. Their education comes under the mentorship of dedicated Christian engineers who bring a variety of experiences and backgrounds to the table and who guide students as they develop technical knowledge and skills the professional practice skills that prepare them for engineering careers. At ACU, we admire God’s handiwork in the laws of the universe and seek to understand and apply those principles to solve big problems while improving the lives of people around the world.

Unique Christian Perspective:
“He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.” –Ecclesiastes 3:11 Classical Mechanics is an upper-level course that digs deeper into the physical laws that govern the motion of objects in our world. We begin to grapple with the realization that realistic problems are messy. Even the simplest departures from the ideal render exact solutions impossible. Could there be in this a lesson on the nature of sin and the necessity of redemption by grace rather than the works of humanity?! As our reflections on the universe mature, we come to the realization that even the symmetries we observe have profound implications for physical law. If we believe that the laws of nature do not change with time–the cornerstone of the scientific method–then we must accept that the energy and matter comprising our universe have been the same throughout all of time. Our eyes turn to God, Who set eternity in our hearts. We grapple with the limitations of our discipline, which can only address what has been created. The creative act itself lies beyond our grasp. Yet, for we of faith, the realization of our limitations is freedom. We cannot reach the Divine ourselves. But God brings us to Himself as His children and there our existence is fulfilled beyond what this physical world can offer.

 

Course Content

Outline of topics:

• Newton’s Laws of Motion
• Projectiles
• Momentum and angular momentum
• Energy
• Oscillations
• Calculus of variations
• Lagrange’s equations
• Two-body central force problems
• Mechanics in non-inertial reference frames
• Rotational motion of rigid bodies
• Coupled oscillators and normal modes
• Hamiltonian mechanics

 

Format

Format of Class:  
Come to class prepared to engage and ask questions! Learning is most effective—and certainly more fun!—when there is active discussion between you, your peers, and me. To facilitate this, I expect you to complete the assigned reading and watch the pre-lecture recording, before coming to class. In class, we will focus on working problems together and on the portions of material, where I believe you most need my help. While I come prepared, I always welcome your feedback, e.g. office hours, e-mail, or Canvas discussions, on what specifically you would like me to cover.

On-line: When we must meet on-line, we will use Google Meet, code: classical. We will meet during our normal class time and do our best to recreate the face-to-face experience. In light of this, it is extremely important that you continue to come prepared by completing the readings and viewing pre-lecture recordings.

Proceed to Textbook & Materials