PH 428:PARADIGMS IN PHYSICS: ROTATIONAL MOTION

Syllabus for Spring 2005

 Course Information

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 Last Update: 4/6/2005

Date

Day

Topic Subtopic

Reading (Main, Optional, Homework)

Work due

M 3/28

1

Compound Systems
   Forces and torques
  Center of mass
Rigid Bodies
   Moment of inertia about an axis
  Period of non-ideal pendulum

HRW 12.3-9
MT 9.1-9.4
PJS I, II A.1-3,C,D
Exercise 1

T 3/29

2

Cage Exercise 1
   Cages on axles
   Balance and mass centers
   Oscillations about fixed axes

Workbook: CageX1

W 3/30

3

Separation of Center of Mass Motion
   demonstrations
   translations and rotations
   angular velocity vector
   velocity, kinetic energy
   angular momentum

MT 11.1-11.3
PJS II B, C.1
Worksheet 1: Dumbbells

Exercise 1

R 3/31

4

Vectors, Tensors and Matrices
   tensor notation
   inertial tensors for extended bodies   

Worksheet 2: Inertial Integrals

F 4/1

5

Translating Inertial Tensors    

MT 11.5
Worksheet 3: TranslatingTensors

Worksheet 1: Dumbbells
Workbook CageX1
 

M 4/4

6

Rotating Vectors
   change of basis
   direction cosines

MT11.7
PJS Appendix A
Worksheet 4: RotatingVectors

T 4/5

7

Principal Axes

MT 11.4, 11.6, 11.7
PJS II A.4,
Appendix B
Worksheet 5: RotatingTensors
Worksheet 6: Principal Axes

numerical results needed in class: TranslatingTensors 

W 4/6

8

Euler angles 

Worksheet 2:  Inertial Integrals

R 4/7

9

Cage Exercise 2
   
Spinning around principal axes
    Observing stability

Workbook: CageX2

Worksheet 3:  TranslatingTensors

F 4/8

10

Equations of Motion
   
Eigenmodes

PJS II E
MT 11.8, 11.11
 

Worksheet 4:  RotatingVectors
Worksheet 5:  RotatingTensors
Rotate This

M 4/11

11

Equations of Motion
    Stability

PJS II E
MT 11.8, 11.11

Worksheet 6:  PrincipalAxes 
Group Tensors

T 4/12

12

Cage Exercise 2
   
Spinning around principal axes
    Observing stability

Workbook: CageX2

numerical results
needed in lab: Principal Axes

W 4/13

13

Forced Precession
   
Gravity-driven precession
    Classical Larmor precession

MT 11.9
PJS II E.4, III A

CageX2  

R 4/14

14

Cage Exercise 3
   
Gravity-driven precession

Workbook CageX3

F 4/15

15

Rotations in Quantum Mechanics Forced Precession
   
Quantum Larmor Precession
Feedback and evaluation

Report due Monday includes CageX3  

M 4/18

Final Exam 7:30 pm

5/31-6/3

Postscript



If you have comments or suggestions, email me at mcintyre@ucs.orst.edu

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