EP 222 Classical Mechanics (Autumn 2016-17)

Instructor Name: Prof. Anirban Sain

Course Type: Core

Pre-requisites: Formal: none; Informal: MA 105 (Multi-variable calculus)

Course Content: Principle of least action, small oscillations, central force problems, rigid body motion, canonical transformations

Other Topics Covered: Euler-Lagrange equations for various minimization/optimization problems, Noether's theorem and converse (a poor man's version of the proof of Noether's theorem)

Books: Classical mechanics by Herbert Goldstein; Analytical mechanics by Louis N. Hand and Janet D. Finch

Lectures: No formal attendance policy, blackboard teaching method was followed

Assignments: Ungraded tutorials, mostly taken either from Goldstein or Hand and Finch; quality of problems was on the better side, but a mixed bag in terms of difficulty

Exams and Grading: 2 quizzes (10% each), 1 midsem (30%), 1 endsem (50%)

Pro-Tips: Goldstein takes more time to study, so be prepared to invest more effort if you read that. Hand and Finch is lighter in comparison, focuses more on problems.

Respondent: Arkya Chatterjee

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