Physics 325: Intermediate Mechanics I Spring 2013
Instructor:
Richard Weaver. Office: 4115 ESB. Tel: (217) 333-3656 r-weaver@illinois.edu
Discussion Leaders:
Mark Schubel schubel2@illinois.edu
Peter Sahanggamu asahang2@illinois.edu
Graders:
Li Chen lichen5@illinois.edu , ( HW group "A")
Tsung-Han Ye tyeh6@illinois.edu ( HW group "B")
Instruction for this course begins
with your first discussion section meeting on Monday evening Jan 14th. You should go to the
section you are registered in, as space is limited. Attendance at these discussions is part of your grade.
Our first lecture is the next day,
Tuesday Jan 15. 2:00 - 3:20
pm 151 Loomis
The schedule (subject to change)
can be found here.
General Overview
Physics 325 is the first half of
the complete classical mechanics sequence (Physics 326 is the second
half). Physics 325 will probably
require more work than your previous physics courses and is a serious departure
from "the plug-n-chug from the formula sheet" mode of operation with
which you might have become accustomed.
You will be deriving analytic expressions, and learning to critique and
interpret and apply them. I
expect you to know first year calculus thoroughly and be prepared to go beyond
that level. Topics such as
matrices, vector mathematics, multivariable calculus, and differential
equations covered in PHYS 225 will be assumed. Concurrent registration completion of Math 285 or equivalent
is also expected.
Here are links to a couple of collections of math and physics
formulas that you may find useful during this course, some of which you may
recognize.
Syllabus
The
course schedule, and by implication the coverage, can be found here. Watch this site for changes.
Texts
* Taylor, Classical Mechanics
* Marion and Thornton, Classical Dynamics of
Particles and Systems.
(the fifth edition is best, but earlier
editions are also fine)
I've put these books on reserve
for PHY 325 in Grainger Library.
Online access
Some of the on-line activities
(e.g. gradebook) for this course run on a secure server and must be logged
into. You'll see something like:
Students enrolled in (and staff
associated with) the course must log in using their UIUC NetID and their NetID
password. If you are enrolled in the course and are having trouble logging in,
send email to Rebecca Wiltfong rwiltfon@illinois.edu. You should always log out
of the secure server at the end of your work session.
Lecture notes
Lectures will be held on Tuesdays
and Thursdays from 2:00-3:20 pm in 151 Loomis. Lecture notes will be posted
after each lecture at the course website. You will be able to access the
lecture notes through the course schedule page.
Almost every lecture will conclude
with a very short quiz related to that day's material. This will be graded, if at all, only
for attendance. Solutions
will be posted as part of the notes.
Discussion Problem sessions
The problem sessions will take
place weekly on Monday evenings and will last for one hour. There are six
sessions, each lasting one hour every Monday between 4 and 9 pm.
You are registered for one of
these (Space is limited, so go to the section for which you are registered.).
Attendance at your Monday evening problem session is obligatory. Show up on
time to receive full credit.
We’ll take 15% off the credit for each 5 minutes of being late. If you
are late by more than 30 minutes you will not receive credit. You will be able to access
the problem session materials and solutions through the course schedule page,
but not before class. The
idea is that you work out the problems in groups, so doing them before class is
not advised.
Homework
Homework is an essential part of
this course. The homework to be done will generally be handed out at the end of
the each Thursday lecture and will cover the lecture material of that week. I will collect your solutions at the
beginning of lecture one week later.
(See the course schedule page for details.) You may also place your completed homework in the yellow
PHYS 325 box located at the beginning of the second floor "Interpass"
in Loomis, but it must be in the box by 2:00 pm on the day that it is due to
receive full credit. Late work will be marked down by 15% each day that it is
late and will not be graded if it is more than one week late. If you do hand in your HW late, email
the graders to tell them when you did so, otherwise it will be assumed to have
been deposited just before the grader checked the box. I don't object to people working on the
homework problems together (some years students have set up a facebook page for
the course) as long as the work that you hand in for grading is your own. I strongly recommend
that you thoroughly struggle with the problems yourself first. You'll learn
more this way and you'll do better on the exams when you're on your own.
You will be able to access the
homework materials electronically through the course schedule page as well as
by hardcopy in the lecture.
Exams
There will be two midterm exams
and one final exam. Dates times
and places will be announced.
Please check the course schedule calendar for full details.
Office hours
Office
hours are during the following times and in the following locations (watch for
changes):
* Richard Weaver r-weaver@illinois.edu Tues & Ths 3:30 – 4:00 4115 Engineering Sciences Building
* Mark
Schubel schubel2@illinois.edu Weds
1:00– 2:00 279 Loomis
* Peter
Sahanggamu asahang2@illinois.edu Tuesdays 4:00-5:00 279 Loomis
* Li Chen lichen5@illinois.edu
( HW group "A")
Weds 5:00-6:00 279
Loomis
* Tsung-Han Ye tyeh6@illinois.edu (HW group "B") Weds 6:00-7:00 279 Loomis
You are welcome to arrange
appointments (use email to set time and place) when these hours are not
suitable.
Grading
Your course grade will be based on
your homework (~35%), exams (~18,
18 and 26%) and attendance in weekly problem sessions (~5%). There will be two midterm exams and a
final exam.
Academic Integrity
The giving of assistance to or
receiving of assistance from another person, or the use of unauthorized
materials during University Examinations can be grounds for disciplinary
action, up to and including expulsion from the University.
Please be aware that prior to or
during an examination the instructional staff may wish to rearrange the student
seating. Such action does not mean that anyone is suspected of inappropriate
behavior.
Unless a problem explicitly states
otherwise, you are not to use any calculating devices or symbolic manipulation
tools in any of your work.
No calculators, no computers, no slide rules. And no use of electronic search tools to find solutions to
problems you are working. I
will only permit paper and pen, and information you can find in textbooks and
reference works. You are on your honor to hold to this.