Instructor: Brian LeRoy
Office: PAS 547
Email: leroy at physics.arizona.edu
Phone: 626-4726

Lecture: MWF 11:00-11:50 in PAS 416

Office Hours: TTH 11:00-12:00 in PAS 547. I am also available most other times (drop by my office or send an e-mail)

Textbook:    Required: Classical Mechanics, 3rd Edition Goldstein et al.
                   Optional: Mechanics, Landau and Lifshitz

Homework: I will assign homework approximately every two weeks. The tentative due dates are as follows:
    Problem Set #1 September 8
    Problem Set #2 September 22
    Problem Set #3 October 13
    Problem Set #4 October 27
    Problem Set #5 November 10
    Problem Set #6 December 1

Exams: There will be two midterm exams and a comprehensive final exam.

If you have a valid reason for not attending one of the exams I should be notified ASAP, but at least one week in advance so that alternative arrangements can be made if appropriate. Any lack of notification of absence at the exam before the exam is given will lead to an automatic 0 points for that particular exam. Cheating and getting caught will lead to an automatic grade F for the entire course.

Grading:
    30% Homework
    15% Exam 1 Friday, October 6
    15% Exam 2 Friday, November 3 (Tentative)
    40% Final Exam, Monday December 11, 11:00-1:00

Absence Policy: All holidays or special events observed by organized religions will be honored for those students who show affiliation with that particular religion. Absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students (or Dean's designee) will be honored.

Other policies/ reminders:
• Policies for threatening behavior by students: http://policy.web.arizona.edu/~policy/threaten.shtml
• Students with special needs who are registered with the S.A.L.T. Center (http://www.salt.arizona.edu/) or the Disability Resource Center (http://drc.arizona.edu/) must submit appropriate documentation to the instructor if they are requesting special accommodations;

Course Outline:
    1. Elementary Principles
    2. Variational Principles
    3. Central force problem
    4. Kinematics of rigid body motion
    5. Rigid body equations of motion
    6. Oscillations
    7. Hamilton equations of motion
    8. Canonical transformations
    9. Hamilton-Jacobi Theory
    10. Chaos

Any information contained in the course syllabus may be subject to change with reasonable advance notice.