PHYS 3313
Fall 2007

Last changes August 28, 2007

Course Description: (3 hours credit, 3 lecture hours weekly)
A mathematical treatment of the fundamentals of classical mechanics. Topics include particle dynamics in one, two and three dimensions; conservation laws; dynamics of a system of particles; motion of rigid bodies; central force problems; accelerating coordinate systems; gravitation; Lagrange's equations and Hamilton's equations. Prerequisites: PHYS 1301/1101 or PHYS 2325/2125; MATH 2414.

Meetings: 9:30-10:45 TR, Hill 102

Faculty: Dr. Paul H. Cox, Professor
Office: Hill 211
Phone: 2623; or department phone 2618.
email: phcox at tamuk.edu
Department fax number: (361)593-2184
webpage:http://physics.tamuk.edu/~cox/ (Note no www on the front.)

Office hours:
Scheduled office hours (subject to change):
MWF 12:00-12:50; TR 9:30-12:50;
Note: I may be elsewhere in the building during these times, but what I'm doing will usually be interruptable.
Unscheduled Office Hours by appointment
Informal office hours when in

Course objectives:
Students who should pass this course should be able to work first-year-physics mechanics almost as fast as they can read them, and be able to solve advanced problems in the areas covered.

Student learner outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to recognize, in unfamiliar contexts, the concepts covered in the course, and will be able to work unfamiliar problems involving these concepts, as evidenced by satisfactory completion of an assessment exam.

Text: Fowles and Cassidy, Analytical Mechanics, 7th edition.

Evaluation:
Final exam: One quarter
Midterm exam: One quarter
Assignments and Participation: One half

Attendance, etc.:
Prompt regular attendance is important to success in every scheduled endeavor, including classes. If circumstances that require your absence from class discussions are explained promptly to the instructor and are reasonable, other components will be given increased weight to adjust for lack of participation.

Content, schedule:
Most material in Chapters 1 through 10 will be covered. Assigned problems will be announced in class, to be due in about a week. The pace should be at least a chapter a fortnight; students are expected to read ahead so as to be prepared with questions on any confusing points. I do not drop students for excessive absences, normally; if you simply stop coming, you may expect to receive an F.

The following Tentative Schedule is provisional; it is subject to change.
Aug. 22-Sep. 7: Chapter 1
Sep. 10-28: Chapters 2, 3
Oct. 1-12: Chapters 4, 5
Oct. 15: Midterm
Oct. 17-31: Chapter 6:
Nov. 2-16: Chapters 7, 8, 9
Nov. 19-30: Chapter 10:
Dec. 3-5: Other topics
By published schedule: Final exam

Students with Disabilities, including learning disabilities, may have reasonable accommodations made if appropriate notice is given. This normally requires registration, including appropriate documentation, with the Services for Students with Disabilities office.

Misconduct: See the Student Handbook. Students who engage in any form of misconduct are subject to disciplinary procedures. This includes academic misconduct which specifically includes plagiarism and all forms of cheating.

The purpose of tests is to see if you have learned at least some of what you were supposed to. In a physics course that learning does not involve straight memorization, it involves understanding of basic principles and of how to apply them. The reason physics is required or recommended by most curricula that expect it, is that people in that field believe it is important for you to understand these principles and be able to use them in new situations - the situations that were not covered in your courses. The only way to test if you have some degree of that ability is to give you test problems that call for you to apply your knowledge in a new situation, or at least one that is at least somewhat different from those that were previously discussed.

"If you don't ask questions, you stay stuck wherever you are." - Madeleine L'Engle
I think the approach to learning physics that seems to work for the most students is: read, then work problems, then ASK QUESTIONS. First, read the text, seeing if it seems to make sense. If so, try some problems. If a single problem gives you some difficulty, try another before spending a lot of time on one: just a change of context might be enough to let you recognize what you missed on the first try. As a rule of thumb, if you have spent half an hour on a single problem without making progress, it's time to look at a different one. (A long problem may require more than half an hour simply to work out the details; that's wht I indicate 'half an hour without progress'.) At whatever point you encounter significant difficulty, you have identified something to ask about in class. Continue reading and noting questions through the chapter; you may even find that some later application of the concept answers your early questions. Now attend the class, and ask your questions. After lecture continue with reading and problems. When no one asks questions, a lecture may go smoothly but not as much learning may occur.

IF YOU DON'T ASK YOUR QUESTION, IT PROBABLY WON'T GET ASKED. And in that case you won't have the knowledge you need come test time. Don't wait, thinking to ask someone else; they are likely to have an inadequate answer, if not a wrong one, if they have an answer at all. As college students, you are becoming adults, expected to act responsibly on your requirements; you are also expected to be learning how to acquire knowledge on your own initiative, not waiting for it to be handed to you. Even if I recognize what your difficulty may be, I won't come to you to resolve it. In most cases I won't even recognize what your problem is until you can put it into some specific question.

Return to Dr. Cox's homepage.