Learning goals:

  • Having completed the course the student remembers basic principles of mechanics and understands Lagrangian and Hamiltonian for a system,
  • is able to use Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics in constructing equations of motion for the system
  • is able to explain the constants of motion and conserved quantities of a physical system
  • is able to construct and solve simple variational problems and apply Hamilton's principle
  • Can explain basic ideas of special relativity theory and apply it to simple dynamical problems.

Content: Generalized coordinates and momenta. Variational principle. Hamilton's principle. Lagrangian, Hamiltonian, and equations of motion. Special relativity. Constants of motion, conserved quantities and symmetries.  Virtual displacements and D'Alambert's principle. Connection to quantum mechanics. Poisson brackets. Forces of constraint. Central forces. Electromagnetic field.

Course book: Fetter-Walecka: Theoretical Mechanics of Particles and Continua (Dover). (Herbert Goldstein: Classical mechanics and maybe also 1st volume of Landau& Lifshitz are good.) Additional course and online material. 

Structure: One 4 hours of lectures a week and one 2 hour exercise session. Final exam. Assignments continued outside contact hours. Get bonus points from assignments. 

Teachers: Jani-Petri Martikainen and teaching assistants Aino Haapalinna and Aapo Kössi

Last modified: Thursday, 2 November 2023, 11:36 AM