Mechanics and Special Relativity

Harvard FAS

Newtonian mechanics and special relativity for students with good preparation in physics and mathematics at the level of the advanced placement curriculum. Topics include oscillators (damped/driven and resonance), an introduction to Lagrangian mechanics and optimization, symmetries and Noether's theorem, special relativity, collisions and scattering, rotational motion, angular momentum, torque, the inertia tensor (dynamic balance), gravitation, and planetary motion.