Physics 321

      Mechanics

      Fall Semester, 2009

      Instructor:Bryan Peterson
      Office:N355 ESC           Research Area:C341 ESC
      Phone:422-7417           Phone:422-5665
      Office Hours: 1:00-1:50 MWF and by appointment.
      If I am in either my office or my research area, I am often available for quick questions.
      E-mail: bryan_peterson@byu.edu

      Section 1: MWF 11:00-11:50 AM, C460 ESC

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      About the Course

      Course Calendar

      Homework

      Homework assignments are due at midnight on the date specified. Late homework will be accepted up to one week late and will be penalized 30%.

      Submit homework by sending an email, with a Maple or Mathematica file attached, to phys321hw@byu.edu.

      Please include your name and the assignment number in the subject line of your email.

      1. Due 9/2: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      2. Due 9/4: [PDF File] [Excel 2.1 Worksheet] [Excel 2.2 (and later) Worksheet]
      3. Due 9/9: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      4. Due 9/11: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      5. Due 9/14: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      6. Due 9/16: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      7. None
      8. Due 9/21: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      9. Due 9/23: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      10. Due 9/25: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
        NOTE: Homework 11 is not due until Wednesday, 30 September, at the same time as homework 12.
      11. Due 9/30: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      12. Due 9/30: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      13. None
      14. Review
      15. Due 10/7: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      16. Due 10/9: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      17. Due 10/12: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      18. Due 10/14: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      19. None
      20. Due 10/19: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      21. Due 10/21: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
        NOTE: Due to students traveling to the 4-corners meeting, homework #22 won't be due until Monday, 26 October.
      22. Due 10/26: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      23. Due 10/26: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      24. None
      25. Due 10/30: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      26. Due 11/2: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      27. Review
      28. Due 11/11: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      29. Due 11/13: [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      30. Due 11/16: [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      31. Due 11/18: [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      32. Due 11/20: [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      33. Due 11/23: [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      34. None
      35. Due 11/30: [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      36. None
      37. Due 12/4: [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      38. None
      39. None
      40. Review

      Take-Home Exams

      Take-home exams are due at midnight on the date specified. Late take-home exams will be penalized 10%/day they are late.

      Submit exmas by sending an email, with a Maple or Mathematica file attached, to phys321test@byu.edu.

      1. Class 1--4, due 9/17: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      2. Class 5--10, due 10/1: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      3. Class 11--16, due 10/15: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      4. Class 17--22, due 10/29: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      5. Class 23--28, due 11/19: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      6. Class 29-32, due 12/3: [PDF File] [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]

      Sample Midterm and Final Exams

      NOTE: The midterm exams will be given in the testing center. They will be open book and open notes. You will be allowed to use a calculator but not a laptop. Your cell phone (i.e., iphone) is always prohibited in the testing center.

      • Midterm Exam #1: PDF File
      • Midterm Exam #2: PDF File
      • Final Exam: PDF File

      Maple and Mathematica Examples

      • Class 3: Drag [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 3: Linear vs. Quadratic Drag on a Sphere [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 4: Lorentz Force [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 5: Collisions [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 8: Vector Calculus [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 9: Potentials I [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 9: Potentials II [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 11: Lissajous Figures [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 12: Damped Oscillator [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 12: Driven Oscillator [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 13: Frequency Response in Driven Oscillators [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 13: Driven Oscillator and Fourier Transforms [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 15: Snell's Law and Minimum Principle [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 16: Pendulum [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 16: Spring on Pendulum [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 17: Ball on Block [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 17: Spring and Wheel [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 19: Pendulum on Incline [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 20: Hamiltonians I [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 21: Hamiltonians II [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 22: The Monkey Problem [Problem Description]
      • Class 22: The Moon's Orbit [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 23: Solutions of the Orbital Equations [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 23: Changing the Solution from Polar to Cartesian Coordinates [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 23: Examples of Newtonian Orbit [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 25: Rotating Coordinate Systems [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 29: Principal Axes [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 30: Book: Ellipsoids of Motion [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 30: Book: Euler's Equations [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 30: Football: Euler's Equations [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 31: Euler Rotation and Kinetic Energy [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 31: Finding the Football Lagrangian [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 32: Football: Lagrange's Equations [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 32: Top: Lagrange's Equations [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 33: Coupled Carts [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 33: Masses on Springs (Fig. 11.1) [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 34: Normal Coordinates vs Normal Modes [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 35: Nonlinear Equations: Successive Approximations [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 35: State Space Plot: SHO [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 35: DDP: Frequency Doubling Cascade [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 35: DDP: Understanding the log plots of Section 12.5 [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 35: DDP: Sensitivity to Initial Conditions [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]
      • Class 35: Nonlinear Equations: Attractors [Mathematica Notebook] [Maple Worksheet]

      Other Course Documents of Interest

      • Rotations
      • A Geometric Treatment of the Foucault Pendulum
      • Kinematics for Scattering in the CM and Lab
      • Impact Parameter and Scattering Angle

      Related Course Links

      • Physics 230 manual (Mathematica version)
      • Wolfram Corporate Site (There are some training items and examples available here)
      • Physics 230 manual (Maple version)
      • Maplesoft Corporate Site (There are some training items and examples available here)
      • Chaos course by Dr. Matthew A. Trump, Univ. of Texas at Austin
      • Understanding cylindrical coordinates
      • Understanding spherical coordinates
      • Giant waterslide jump

      Check Your Scores

      Get a CID (Class ID) number

      Contact Bryan Peterson with questions or comments about this page.