WiSe2021/22. Theoretical Physics I: Theoretical Mechanics

Wiki

For
  • announcements
  • discussion with the students
  • video recordings of the lectures
  • the lecture notes
  • publishing exercises
  • providing solutions for the exercises
I set up a password-protected Wiki.


Topic Overview

We will come to know different approaches to determine the classical equations of motion of mechanical systems, and to discuss the features of the solutions of these equations. The following topics will be covered

Mathematical Methods.     Vectors, coordinates, complex numbers, equations of motion, conservation laws
basics of variational calculus, solutions of differential equations
Newtonian mechanics. axioms, Galileo-transformations, phase space
Lagrange mechanics. derivation, equations of motion
Model systems. motion of planets and asteroids: Kepler problem
solid bodies: center of mass, rotation, reflection


Supplementary literature, animations, programs

Literature

David Morin     Introduction to Classical Mechanics (Cambridge, 2007)
an elaborate introduction with a lot of worked exercises
our lectures will cover (al most) the chapters 1–8
    
John R. Taylor     Classical Mechanics (Univ. Science Books, 2005)
our lectures will cover (al most) the chapters 1–9
    
Siegfried Großmann     Mathematischer Einführungskurs für die Physik (Springer, 2012)
lucit introduction to mathematical concepts in physics — unfortunately on available in German
    
Leonard Susskind, George Hrabovsky     The Theoretical Minimum: Classical Mechanics (Penguin, 2013)
a hero of quantum field theory and a science journalist develop a course for interested laymen
with Youtube-Channel and extensive support page
    

Internet Ressources

Real World Physics Problems with lots of idea, animations, and excellent explanations
    
Mathematical Impressions of the Simons Foundation features excellent movies on Applied Mathematics and Physics
    
Thomas Hempels Web-Seiten     Notes and Exercises on "Mathematischen Methoden der Naturwissenschaften" (in German, sorry!)
a large number of lecture notes, and a huge amount of exercises on the level of the course and beyond
    
Franz-Josef Elmers Pendulum Lab     Interaktive simulations of the motions of pendula with a splendit Lecture Room
    
PhET Interactive Simulations     interaktive simulations on many topics in mathematics and science
animations and interactive training on many topcs of the course, check out for instance Masses and Springs
    
    

Sage, Python, and PhyPhox

Python and Sage will be used for numerical studies and visualization. The script files are notebooks that run interactively in Jupyter. Please store them on your computer, start Jupyter, and then open the notebook. The files contain absolutely minimalistic explanations and comments. I assume that you know what they are intended to do because we discussed the problems in a seminar or in class.

As introductions to Python and Sage I recommend the books Steward: "Python for Scientists" and Zimmermann u.a.: "Computational Mathematics with SageMath".

At times I will also use PhyPhox to illustrate the relation between observations, models and theory.

Lecture Notes

I am striving to TeΧ my lecture notes. The present state of this project is available here. Help is greatly appreciated. I offer guest access to the full project such that you get access to the files, follow tickets, open issues, and submit contributions to the project. Please register at the GitLab Server of the University, and contact me if you wish to participate.



Lectures, Seminars, and Tutorials

Due to the present circumstances lectures can only be delivered online presently:
    Lectures           Tue 13:15 – 15:00      BigBlueButton Channel
          Thu   13:15 – 15:00      BigBlueButton Channel
    
For an open discussion concerning questions and problems I offer an additional
    Tutorial           Fri 17:15 – open end      BigBlueButton Channel
    
There also will be seminars where the homework exercises are discussed. The time slots for these events will be arranged in mutual agreement.

Please work in teams to discuss the material covered in the class and the homework assignments. The aim of these discussions should be to reach an understanding that allows you to formulate your own solution to the problem. The corrections of the submitted exercises are a feedback how well you understand the topic, and how well you perform in formulating your solutions. It is necessary for you to pass the exam. Your perfomance helps me to figure out how well you can follow my lectures, and make me aware of issues that need additional attention in the lectures.

I found some students who are interested to serve as student buddies for the course. They are willing to interact with you about the lectures and provide help with the exercises. More information will be provided on the wiki.



Exams

There will be open-book exams on
         Friday,  18 February 2022      at 11 am
Tuesday,      29 March 2022      at  1 pm