| Date | Notes |
| W 1/9 | Introductions, course policies. |
| F 1/11 | Review of vectors. Adding vectors, dot (scalar) product. Class photos. |
| M 1/14 | Cross product. Differentiation of vectors. Started cylindrical coordinates. See lecture notes. |
| W 1/16 | Finished cylindrical coordinates. Briefly discussed spherical coordinates. Started discussion of Newton's Second Law, using the example of a block sliding off a frictionless cylinder. |
| F 1/18 | Finished discussion of block sliding off of the cylinder. |
| M 1/21 | MLK Day (no classes) |
| W 1/23 | Started calculus of variations. Set up brachistochrone problem, catenary problem, soap film problem. |
| F 1/25 | Discussed stability analysis briefly. Other problems which require the calculus of variations. Review of calculus of a single and several variables. Started minimization of a functional. Problem Set 2 due. |
| M 1/28 | AD at U Chicago-class to be rescheduled. |
| W 1/30 | Derived Euler's equation. Examples: shortest distance between points on the plane, started brachistochrone. |
| F 2/1 | Derive the "second" form of Euler's equation. Finished brachistochrone problem (solution is a cycloid). Started soap film problem. |
| M 2/4 | Solved soap film problem. Discussed surface tension, soap films and bubbles, (Young)-Laplace law. Motorway problem. Problem Set 3 due. |
| W 2/6 | Motivation for Lagrangian mechanics. Hamilton's Principle. Lagrange's equations. |
| F 2/8 | Constraints. Generalized coordinates. Example: plane pendulum. Problem Set 4 due. |
| M 2/11 | Lagrange's equations in generalized coordinates. Holonomic constraints. Kinetic energy in cylindrical and spherical coordinates. |
| W 2/13 | Examples: particle moving inside cone; block sliding down moving incline. |
| F 2/15 | More examples: swinging Atwood's machine, block on moving incline. |
| M 2/18 | Numerical solution of the equations of motion for the swinging Atwood's machine. Started discussing conservation of energy. |
| W 2/20 | Conservation of energy, linear momentum, and angular momentum. Connection between symmetries and conservation laws. |
| F 2/22 | First quiz (in class). |
| M 2/25 | Central force motion. Reduction of the two body problem using relative and center of mass coordinates. Conservation laws. |
| W 2/27 | Angular momentum conservation, Kepler's Second Law. Started discussing qualitative aspects of orbital motion. |
| F 3/1 | Derivation of the orbit equation. |
| 3/4-3/8 | Spring break. |
| M 3/11 | Orbits in an inverse-square force field (Kepler problem). |
| W 3/13 | Examples from M&T on central force motion. |
| F 3/15 | Started dynamics of many-particle systems. Center of mass. Problem Set 7 due. |
| M 3/18 | Lecture by Filippos Klironomos: AD at March meeting of APS. Conservation of linear and angular momentum. |
| W 3/20 | Lecture by Filippos Klironomos: conservation of energy for many-particle systems. |
| F 3/22 | Lecture by Filippos Klironomos: discussion of homework assignment. Problem Set 8 due. |
| M 3/25 | Scattering geometry. CM vs. LAB frames. |
| W 3/27 | More on elastic collisions. Applications to finding the optimal moderator for a nuclear reactor. |
| F 3/29 | Scattering cross sections. Scattering from an impenetrable sphere. Problem Set 9 due. |
| M 4/1 | Rutherford scattering. |
| W 4/3 | Kinematics of rigid rotations. Velocity and acceleration in noninertial frames. Fictitious forces: Coriolis and centrifugal forces. |
| F 4/5 | Second quiz (in class). |
| M 4/8 | Unsuccessfully tried to watch the "Frames of Reference" video. Simple examples of the use of the centrifugal and Coriolis forces. |
| W 4/10 | Bead on a rotating wire example solved in the rotating frame. Starting discussing motion near the Earth's surface and deflection due to the Coriolis force. |
| F 4/12 | Finished discussion of deflection of a falling body. Started rigid body motion (Chapter 11 material). |
| M 4/15 | Kinetic energy-separation into translation and rotational pieces. Inertia tensor, moments and products of inertia. Problem Set 10 due. |
| W 4/17 | Examples. Center of percussion. |
| F 4/19 | Angular momentum. Principal axes of inertia. Parallel axis theorem. |
| M 4/22 | Course evaluations. Euler angles. Started discussion of the motion of a heavy symmetric top. |
| W 4/24 | Finished discussion of the heavy symmetric top. Brief discussion of Euler's equations. Problem Set 11 due. |
| W 5/1 | Final exam, 5:30-7:30 p.m. |