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 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 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
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
An accelerometer is a device used to measure linear acceleration without an external reference. The main idea has already been illustrated in the previous lecture with the example of the boy in the elevator. Clearly, if we know the weight of the boy when the acceleration is zero, we can determine from the reading on the scale the value of the acceleration. In summary, the acceleration will produce an inertial force on a test mass, and this force can be nulled and measured with precision. Below we have sketch of a very simple one axis accelerometer
