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(Prof. P. L. Read) : Classical Mechanics

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27 views

(Prof. P. L. Read) : Classical Mechanics

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osborne kachaje
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Classical Mechanics

(Prof. P. L. Read)
Lecture 1

Photograph
© Andrew Dunn,
5 November 2004.
What is Classical Mechanics?
• .. rational mechanics will be the science of motion
resulting from any forces whatsoever, and of the
forces required to produce any motion ... and
therefore I offer this work as the mathematical
principles of philosophy, for the whole burden of
philosophy seems to consist in this — from the
phenomena of motions to investigate the forces
of nature, and then from these forces to
demonstrate the other phenomena ...

– Newton’s Philosophiae Naturalis Principia


Mathematica (1687)
What is Classical
Mechanics?
• System of
mathematical physics
developed since the
time of Galileo,
Newton & Kepler
• Concerned with motion
and forces
• Prior to development
of quantum physics
and relativity (Special
& General)
Table of Mechanicks, 1728 Cyclopaedia.
Classical
Mechanics
valid on
scales
which are:
• Not too large!
– [Gravitational lens
produced by a
cluster of galaxies]
• Space is ‘flat’ in Cl.
Mech…?
• Time is
absolute…?
Classical
Mechanics
valid on
scales
which are:
• Not too small!
– [Images of atom
planes in a lattice
by Scanning
Tunneling
Electron
~10-9 m
Microscope]
Classical
Mechanics
valid on
scales
which are:

• Not too fast!


– [High energy particle tracks from CERN]
• V << c [speed of light in vacuo]
Classical Mechanics Lectures
• Two groups of lectures
– 8 in MT - mostly 1D motion without vectors
– 9+2 in HT - 3D full vector treatment of Newtonian
mechanics, rotational & celestial dynamics
+ brief introduction to Hamiltonian and Lagrangian
mechanics
• Info on the course is on the web here
– Includes a synopsis
– suggested book list
– Lecture notes
– Problem sets
Newton’s Laws
1. Every body continues in a state of rest or
in uniform motion unless acted upon by a
force.
2. The rate of change of momentum is given
by the applied forces; where momentum
is the product of mass and velocity.
3. Action and reaction are equal and opposite
at all times.
Quantitative Physics in Action

Physical laws
Quantitative
understanding
Mathematical
formulation
Test predictions
against experiment
Predictions
Galileo’s test of
EP

• Two different masses


dropped from the top
of the Leaning Tower
of Pisa
• Both masses landed at
~ the same time…..?
Recent tests of EP
• Lunar laser ranging (Williams
et al. 1996)
– Measures relative accelerations
of Earth and Moon towards the
Sun
• Torsional pendula (Baessler et
al. 1999)
– Compares gravitational
accelerations of ‘core’-like and
‘Moon/mantle’-like materials
• EP satisfied at least to ~5
parts in 1013….
A simple demo of EP
• Einstein’s EP toy,
(allegedly) presented on
his 76th birthday
• Two balls attached to the
base of a container by
elastic bands
• Balls stretched over the
side when container is at
rest
• What happens when
Cup at rest Cup in free-fall container is in free-fall?
Two-body collisions in 1-D
Before
u1 u2

m1 m2

After
v1 v2

• Two masses, m1 and m2, are in collision along a


straight line
• Initial velocities u1,2 and final velocities v1,2
Inertial frames and Galilean
Transformations

• Two (1D) inertial frames of reference, S and S’


• S’ moves at constant velocity u relative to S
Collisions in LAB and CM frames
Before

m1 m2 m1 m2

After
LAB CM
VCM

• Two equal masses (m1 = m2 = m) collide


• CM moves at velocity VCM
• View either in LAB frame or CM frame (moving at V CM)
Energy in Simple Harmonic
Motion

• PE = kx2/2
• KE + PE = E0 = constant
Potential energy functions

(a) V(x) = constant: F=-dV/dx = 0


(b) V(x) increases with x: F = -dV/dx < 0
(c) V(x) decreases with x: F = -dV/dx > 0
Potential with turning points

• V is a maximum: unstable equilibrium


• V is a minimum: stable equilibrium
Bounded and unbounded motion
(a) T(x) = Etot - V(x) > 0 for all
x
- Unbounded
(b) T(x) = Etot - V(x) > 0 only
for x < x2
- Turning point at x2
(c) T(x) = Etot - V(x) > 0 only
for all x1 < x < x2
- Bounded
SHM around stable equilibria
• Expand V(x) in Taylor
series about
equilibrium point x =
x0
• Retain up to the
quadratic term

d 2V
mr˙˙ = −r 2 +O(r 2 )
dx x0

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