| # | Date | Read | Topic |
| 1. | Mon, Aug 29 | G 1.1-1.3; FW 1.1-1.3 | 0. Introduction. Class info. Newton's laws. Mechanics of a particle. Conservation laws: momentum, energy, angular momentum. |
| 2. | Wed, Aug 31 | G 1.2-1.3; FW 1.2-1.3; LL 1 | Mechanics of a system of particles. Conservation laws. Center of mass frame. |
| 3. | Fri, Sep 2 | LL 2 | HW 1 given. Constraints. Generalized coordinates. 1. Lagrangian formalism. Variational calculus. Euler equations. Example: shape of soap film. |
| Mon, Sep 5 | NO CLASSES. Labor Day. | ||
| 4. | Wed, Sep 7 | LL 2 | Variational calculus. Euler equations. Example: shape of soap film. Lagrange multipliers. Example: maximal area with given perimeter. Hamilton's principle (the principle of least action). Example of a single particle. |
| 5. | Fri, Sep 9 | LL 3-5 | Symmetries of space and time. Galilean invariance. Lagrangian of an isolated particle. Lagrangian of a system of particles. |
| 6. | Mon, Sep 12 | LL 5-7 | HW 2 given. Lagrangian of a system of particles. Examples. 2. Conservation laws. Conservation of energy. |
| 7. | Wed, Sep 14 | LL 5-9 | Homogeneity and isotropy of time and space. Conservation of energy, momentum, and angular momentum. |
| 8. | Fri, Sep 16 | JS 3.2.2, LL 10 | Noether's theorem. Gauge symmetries of the Lagrangian. Scaling transformations and mechanical similarity. |
| 9. | Mon, Sep 19 | LL 10-11 | HW 3 given. The virial theorem. 3. 1D motion. Solution of 1D motion in quadratures. Phase portrait. |
| 10. | Wed, Sep 21 | LL 13-15 | 4. 2D motion. Central force motion. Reduced mass. Motion in central field. Kepler's problem. Kepler's laws. |
| 11. | Fri, Sep 23 | LL 15-16 | Conic sections. Time dependence in Kepler problem. Orbit precession in almost Newtonian potentials. Particle decay. |
| Mon, Sep 26 | NO CLASSES. Prepare for the exam. | ||
| 12. | Wed, Sep 28 | LL 1-15 | Midterm 1. (open book). |
| 13. | Fri, Sep 30 | LL 16-20 | HW 4 given. Collision between particles. Total and differential scattering cross sections. Rutherford cross section. |
| Mon, Oct 3 | NO CLASSES. Rosh Hashanah. | ||
| Wed, Oct 5 | NO CLASSES. Rosh Hashanah. | ||
| 14. | Fri, Oct 7 | LL 17, 20, 21 | Scattering in laboratory reference frame. Scattering by small angle. 5. Small oscillations. Harmonic oscillator. |
| 15. | Mon, Oct 10 | LL 21-22 | Harmonic oscillator. Forced oscillations. Complex notations. Resonance. Beatings. |
| 16. | Wed, Oct 12 | LL 23-24 | HW 5 given. Oscillations with many degrees of freedom. Eigenfrequences and normal modes. |
| 17. | Fri, Oct 14 | LL 24-25 | Example on normal modes. Degeneracies. Vibrations of molecules. Damped oscillations (1 degree of freedom). |
| 18. | Mon, Oct 17 | LL 25-26, 31 | Damped oscillations (many degrees of freedom). Dissipative function. Forced oscillations under friction. 6. Rigid body motion. Angular velocity. |
| 19. | Wed, Oct 19 | LL 32-33 | HW 6 given. Kinetic energy of the rigid body. The inertia tensor and its properties. |
| 20. | Fri, Oct 21 | LL 33-34 | Angular momentum of the rigid body. Symmetric top I. Equations of motion. |
| 21. | Mon, Oct 24 | LL 35-36 | Euler angles. Equations of motion in the moving frame. |
| 22. | Wed, Oct 26 | LL 36-37 | HW 7 given. Euler equations. Symmetric top II. Asymmetric top. |
| 23. | Fri, Oct 28 | LL 39, 40 | Motion in an non-inertial frame of reference. Centrifugal and Coriolis forces. 7. Hamiltonian and Hamilton-Jacobi formalism. Hamilton's equations. |
| 24. | Mon, Oct 31 | LL 40, JS 5.1, G 8.5 | Hamilton's equations. The Legendre transform. Variational formulation. |
| 25. | Wed, Nov 2 | LL 42, 45 | HW 8 given. Poisson brackets. Examples. Canonical transformations. |
| 26. | Fri, Nov 4 | LL 45 | Canonical transformations. |
| 27. | Mon, Nov 7 | LL 46 | Invariants of canonical transformations: Poisson bracket, phase volume. Liouville therem. |
| 28. | Wed, Nov 9 | LL 47-48 | The Hamilton-Jacobi equation. Example. Separation of variables. |
| 29. | Fri, Nov 11 | LL 48-49 | Separation of variables. Adiabatic invariants (example of harmonic oscillator). |
| 30. | Mon, Nov 14 | LL 50, 52 | Adiabatic invariants. Action-angle variables. Conditionally periodic motion. |
| 31. | Wed, Nov 16 | G | Action-angle variables (examples). 8. Nonlinear dynamics and chaos. Introduction. |
| 32. | Fri, Nov 18 | LL 16-49 | Midterm 2. (open book). |
| 33. | Mon, Nov 21 | G 11.1-11.3; JS 6.3 | HW 9 given. Periodic motion. Perturbations. |
| 34. | Wed, Nov 23 | G 11-4,5,7; LL 27-30 | KAM. Attractors. Chaotic trajectories. |
| Fri, Nov 25 | NO CLASSES. Thanksgiving. | ||
| 35. | Mon, Nov 28 | G 11.8 | Poincare maps. The logistic equation. |
| 36. | Wed, Nov 30 | LL 27,30 | HW 10 given. Parametric resonance. |
| 37. | Fri, Dec 2 | LL7 1-2 | 9. Elasticity theory. Displacement field. the strain tensor. The stress tensor. |
| 38. | Mon, Dec 5 | LL7 2-4 | The stress tensor. Elastic energy. Elastic moduli (Hooke's law). |
| 39. | Wed, Dec 7 | LL7 4-5, 7 | Elastic moduli (Hooke's law). Homogenious deformations. Equilibrium for isotropic bodies. |
| 40. | Fri, Dec 9 | LL7 7, 11-12 | Equilibrium for isotropic bodies. Equilibrium for a plate. |
| 41. | Mon, Dec 12 | LL7 22 | 10. Dynamics of continuous systems. Elastic waves. 11. Final remarks: towards field theory and quantum mechanics. |
| 42. | Mon, Dec 19 | Room P-112 | Solving problems in classical mechanics. |
| Final | Wed, Dec 21 | 8:00-10:30 AM | FINAL, P-112. Open book. Notes and textbooks are allowed. 4 problems. |