Intermediate Mechanics

Welcome to the Rice Fall 2015 undergraduate intermediate classical mechanics course, PHYS 301. We will cover mathematical tools and physical concepts required to calculate the behavior of complex classical dynamics and qualitatively reason about their behavior. The tools introduced - for example, Lagrangians, Hamiltonians, Fourier transform methods, and Green's functions - are extensively used in other parts of physics, such as statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics. One crucial aspect to learning this material and understanding its purpose is solving problems. Therefore, challenging homeworks and weekly homework discussion sessions will stimulate students' mastery of these ideas.

You can find the syllabus, schedule, lecture information, teaser questions, and homeworks here and in links. There are also resources for learning about and playing with classical mechanics.