Major topics to cover in a 1-semester, 4-credit, first course after
the intro sequence:
* coupled oscillators
* Lagrangian, Hamiltonian, and variational methods
* the Kepler problem
* accelerated coordinate systems
My questions:
1. What text should I consider?
Baierlein "Newtonian Dynamics" - mixed reviews but looks promising
Barger & Olsson "Classical Mechanics" - compact, not too
mathematical, out of print
Chow "Classical Mechanics" - first edition typos
Marion & Thornton "Classical Dynamics" - a bit dense, boring intro,
but standard
Taylor "Classical Mechanics" - brand new -> unproven? but looks promising again
2. Could someone who is currently using Marion & Thornton (in a
vaguely similar course) tell me how it's working out?
** I'd still like to hear more answers to this question. **
new question 3. What are good ways in general to explore possible
textbooks for a course one is newly teaching?
my ideas so far:
* talk to faculty (here, on PHYS-L, etc)
* browse my library (a bit limited) & the university library (not a
good indicator of current texts)
* search keywords on amazon (a good start because they carry a lot
and have some reviews FWIW)
* browse syllabi by googling "classical mechanics" (often tells me
what they use but not usually why)
I'd love to hear from more folks with experience to share. Thanks, Carl
--
Carl E. Mungan, Asst. Prof. of Physics 410-293-6680 (O) -3729 (F)
U.S. Naval Academy, Stop 9C, Annapolis, MD 21402-5026
mungan@usna.edu http://physics.usna.edu/physics/faculty/mungan/