PHY00A2:

CLASSICAL MECHANICS
AND SPECIAL RELATIVITY
IT’S ALL ABOUT : MOTION
HOW THINGS MOVE
AND WHY
 MOTION:

a change of position in space

in time
THE UJ DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS SUPPORTS 5 STREAMS OF
RESEARCH

STUDENTS ENCOUNTER THESE STREAMS DIRECTLY

IN THEIR HONOURS, MASTERS AND DOCTORAL RESEARCH:
THE UJ DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS SUPPORTS 5 STREAMS OF
RESEARCH

theoretical nuclear physics

condensed matter physics
physics of solar energy
physics education
astrophysics
 theoretical nuclear physics
condensed matter physics
physics of solar energy
physics education
astrophysics

the course topics in CM/SR have been chosen to feed into

all of these streams
 AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH NEW SECTION:

“Why are we doing this?”

SKILLS KNOWLEDGE
COURSE PARAMETERS AND LOGISTICS
 From the Study Guide on Blackboard:

Broadly speaking, the following six topics are covered in this course on Classical
Mechanics and Special Relativity:

1. Oscillatory behaviour
2. Applications of advanced Newtonian mechanics
3. Elements of non-linear dynamics
4. Lagrangian mechanics
5. Hamiltonian mechanics
6. Special Relativity

Approximately 2/3 of the course will be devoted to the first three topics.
 From the Study Guide on Blackboard:

Prescribed textbook and its role in this module:

The prescribed textbook is: Classical Mechanics by R. Douglas Gregory (Cambridge

University Press, first printing 2006 or any later printing)
Let’s get started!
ESSENTIAL REVISION: CMG [‘CLASSICAL MECHANICS by GREGORY’]:

Subsection on basis sets (pp. 6-8)

Section 1.3 on scalar products (pp. 10-13)
Section 1.4 on vector products (pp. 13-14)

[plus as much of chapter 1 as you can manage]

Section 2.2 – Section 2.6 (pp. 28-43)

Section 3.1 – Section 3.5 (pp. 50-59)

[TOPICS: vector algebra, motion of particles and of solid bodies respectively,

Newton’s laws of motion and related definitions].
FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE NUGGET (FKN) 1:

GRAVITATIONAL FIELD OF A SPHERE

FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE NUGGET (FKN) 1:

GRAVITATIONAL FIELD OF A SPHERE

“Why are we doing this?”

SKILLS KNOWLEDGE
 GRAVITATIONAL FIELD OF A SPHERE

“Why are we doing this?”

SKILLS KNOWLEDGE

Integration in more than one Newtonian gravity of a

dimension sphere is equivalent to
that of a point source
FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE NUGGET (FKN) 1:

GRAVITATIONAL FIELD OF A SPHERE

[CF. CMG SECTION 3.7]

1. 2-PARTICLE GRAVITATION: OLD HAT…..

> 2-PARTICLE GRAVITATION?

SIMPLE MODEL FOR AN EXTENDED BODY: 2 PARTICLES

SEPARATED IN SPACE: TE

BOARDWORK……………..
 3.7 Gravitation by a distribution of mass

• Aim is to calculate the gravitational force on a particle by a distribution of mass

(disc or sphere).
• We start with gravitational attraction by a pair of particles.
Example 3.4 : Attraction by a pair of particles

A particle C of mass m and two particles A and B each of mass M are placed as shown below.
Calculate the gravitational force exerted on C.
OBSERVATION:

A SYMMETRIC, EXTENDED MASS DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL MASS M BEHAVES

- GRAVITATIONALLY – LIKE A SINGLE POINT MASS M, IN THE LIMIT :

x
 
a
FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE NUGGET (FKN) 1:

GRAVITATIONAL FIELD OF A SPHERE

[CF. CMG SECTION 3.7]

1. 2-PARTICLE GRAVITATION: OLD KNOWLEDGE

> 2-PARTICLE GRAVITATION?

SIMPLE MODEL FOR AN EXTENDED BODY: 2 PARTICLES

SEPARATED IN SPACE:

2. NOW EXTEND THE 2-PARTICLE MODEL TO A CONTINUOUS

MASS DISTRIBUTION:

i) A UNIFORM ROD TE

[meaning: ‘SHOULD BE KNOWN AND

UNDERSTOOD FOR TESTS AND EXAMS’]
SO, NOW: INSTEAD OF LOOKING AT THE GRAVITATIONAL FORCE AT POINT P, AS A
RESULT OF ONLY 2 PARTICLES OF EQUAL MASS LOCATED SYMMETRICALLY ABOVE AND
BELOW THE X-AXIS, WE WANT TO EXPLORE THE FORCE AT P AS A RESULT OF A
CONTINUOUS, MACROSCOPIC BODY LIKE THE ROD SHOWN IN THE DIAGRAM.

BOARDWORK……………..