College of Science

PHYS41100 (PHYS411) Spring 2008

Physical Mechanics II (Honors)

Current session: NOT IN SESSION

Offering: Sem. 2, Class 2, Credit 2

Prerequisites: PHYS-410 and more

Description: This is a course in Analytical Mechanics intended for Purdue Physics undergraduate students who are in the Honors program. Admission to the course is by special permission. The material covered is at a somewhat more advanced level than the typical undergraduate course on the subject. Topics will range from aspects and applications of hamiltonian dynamics, to canonical transformations, finally to some concepts of modern non-linear dynamics and chaotic motion. A good working knowledge of lagrangian and hamiltonian dynamics is necessary. Although a certain knowledge of mathematical methods for Physics will certainly turn out useful, the course is mostly self-contained. NOTICE: Prospective students are expected to be able to write down at once the correct expression for the kinetic energy of a particle in the standard coordinate systems.

Textbook(s) for Spring 2008
Course Title Author Edition ISBN Publisher
PHYS411 Analytical Mechanics Louis Hand & Janet Finch 1998 (Paperback) 0-521-575729 Cambridge University Press