MA2342, advanced classical mechanics II, Hilary term 2014


This page is being continuously updated with all relevant information. For any questions and suggestions contact me by e-mail vel145@gmail.com or in person.


Link to the timetable


Tutorials are given jointly with Robert Murtagh murtagr@tcd.ie

Compulsory homeworks are checked by Eamonn O'Shea eaoshea@tcd.ie

Assessment

Continuous assessment will contribute 20% to your final score. It includes 15% for home works and 5% for a multiple-choice test at the end of the term.

Curriculum

Answers to MCT

Tutorials

Tutorials is an important part of this course. Some topics are covered only during tutorials, not during lectures. Moreover, some of the lectures will be intentionally replaced by tutorials to give you more time for exercises. I strongly encourage you to attend all the tutorials.


Lecture notes

Based on your request, here I upload lecture notes. The files below do not represent a complete account of lectures. I recommend Goldstein for an additional reading. Solving and studying solutions to the problems is a more important part of the course.


Home Work

***Attach this cover to each homework:
Cover with instructions: Cover without instructions: ***

I advice you to start doing HW's well in advance, you might be not capable to finish everything overnight. The submission deadline will be always adjusted to be at least one week after you receive the necessary information on lectures or tutorials, but there are always questions which are feasible earlier than that. Assignments will appear online approximately two weeks before the deadline.


Though not required, it is a useful practice to take a look on the exercises and try to solve them even before the corresponding lecture or tutorial. The necessary literature links are provided in the HW's text.


     Compulsory HW's

 #    Topic   Due  PDF   Solution 
1   Basics of Hamiltonian mechanics     7 Feb      
3  Vector flows 21 Feb    
5   Canonical transformations and Hamilton-Jacobi equation     7 Mar      
7   Special relativity     26 Mar      
9   Continuous systems     4 Apr      

Mathematica nb for HW5:  

Due to lack of time, I could not support properly facultative HW's this term. As a result, only one facultative HW was proposed


     Facultative HW's

 #    Topic   Due  PDF   Solution 
2 Exterior algebra and differential forms 12 Feb    

Literature

Classical mechanics is a well-established topic, there are dozens of good quality books which you may want to use. Below are the books that I am using to prepare lectures and tutorials.


  1. Wikipedia, youtube, research engines (usually information online is very nice, but be critical about what you are reading!)
  2. L.D. Landau and E.M. Lifshitz, Mechanics , Butterworth-Heinemann
  3. Herbert Goldstein, Classical Mechanics , third edition, Addison Wesley
  4. V.I. Arnold, Mathematical Methods of Classical Mechanics , Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. K

Topics for exam


Exam will be 70%-80% of practical questions, and 20%-30% of theory.