In this course we will study Classical Mechanics. Particle motion in Classical Mechanics is governed by Newton's laws and is sometimes referred to as Newtonian Mechanics. These laws are empirical in that they combine observations from nature and some intuitive concepts. Newton's laws of motion are not self evident. For instance, in Aristotelian mechanics before Newton, force was thought to be required in order

is a vector equation that relates the magnitude and direction of the force vector, to the magnitude and direction of the acceleration vector. In the previous lecture we derived expressions for the acceleration vector expressed in cartesian coordinates. This expressions can now be used in Newton's second law, to produce the equations of motion expressed in cartesian coordinates

In this lecture we will look at some other common systems of coordinates. We will present polar coordinates in two dimensions and cylindrical and spherical coordinates in three dimensions. We shall see that these systems are particularly useful for certain classes of problems Like in the case of intrinsic coordinates presented in the previous lecture, the reference frame changes from point to point. However, for the coordinate systems to be presented below, the reference frame depends only on the position of the particle. This is in contrast with the intrinsic coordinates, where the reference frame is a function of the position, as well as the path

In lecture D2 we introduced the position velocity and acceleration vectors and referred them to a fixed cartesian coordinate system. While it is clear that the choice of coordinate system does not affect the final answer, we shall see that, in practical problems, the choice of a specific system may simplify the calculations considerably. In previous lectures, all the vectors at all points in the trajectory were expressed in the

We have seen that the work done by a force F on a particle is given by dw =. dr. If the work done by F, when the particle moves from any position TI to any position T2, can be expressed as, W12=fdr=-(V(r2)-V(1)=V-v2, (1) then we say that the force is conservative. In the above expression, the scalar

In this lecture we will consider the equations that result from integrating Newtons second law, F=ma, in time. This will lead to the principle of linear impulse and momentum. This principle is very useful when solving problems in which we are interested in determining the global effect of a force acting on a particle over a time interval Linear momentum We consider the curvilinear motion of a particle of mass, m, under the influence of a force F. Assuming that

In addition to the equations of linear impulse and momentum considered in the previous lecture, there is a parallel set of equations that relate the angular impulse and momentum. Angular Momentum We consider a particle of mass, m, with velocity v, moving under the influence of a force F. The angular momentum about point O is defined as the \moment\ of the particle's linear

In the previous lectures we have described particle motion as it would be seen by an observer standing still at a fixed origin. This type of motion is called absolute motion. In many situations of practical interest, we find ourselves forced to describe the motion of bodies while we are simultaneously moving with respect to a more basic reference. There are many examples were such situations occur. The absolute motion of a passenger inside an aircraft is best

In the previous lecture, we related the motion experienced by two observers in relative translational motion with respect to each other. In this lecture we will extend this relation to our third type of observer.That is, observers who accelerate and rotate with respect to each other. As a matter of illustration, let us consider a very simple situation, in which a particle at rest with respect

Non-Inertial Reference Frame Gravitational attraction The Law of Universal Attraction was already introduced in lecture D1. The law postulates that the force of attraction between any two particles, of masses M and m, respectively, has a magnitude, F, given by F= (1) where r is the distance between the two particles, and G is the universal constant of gravitation. The value of G is empirically determined to be