Undergraduate Course: Hamiltonian Dynamics (PHYS11012)
Course Outline
School |
School of Physics and Astronomy |
College |
College of Science and Engineering |
Course type |
Standard |
Availability |
Available to all students |
Credit level (Normal year taken) |
SCQF Level 11 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Credits |
10 |
Home subject area |
Undergraduate (School of Physics and Astronomy) |
Other subject area |
None |
Course website |
None |
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Course description |
This course assumes a knowledge of Lagrangian dynamics. The main topics covered are: the Hamiltonian formulation for systems with a finite number of degrees of freedom, the
symplectic structure of classical mechanics,
canonical transformations and Hamilton-Jacobi theory, action-angle variables and an introduction to continuous systems. |
Course Delivery Information
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Delivery period: 2010/11 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
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WebCT enabled: No |
Quota: None |
Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | | 11:10 - 12:00 | | | | King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | | | 11:10 - 12:00 | King's Buildings | Tutorial | | 1-11 | | | 09:00 - 10:50 | | |
First Class |
Week 1, Tuesday, 11:10 - 12:00, Zone: King's Buildings. JCMB |
Additional information |
Workshop/tutorial sessions, as arranged. |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course it is intended that a student will be able to:
1)know how to derive Hamiltonians for simple mechanical systems and to appreciate the power of the variational approach for deriving the equations of motion;
2)be familiar with the concept of phase space for describing the motion of time dependent systems;
3)understand the significance of canonical transformations, in particular leading to the Hamilton-Jacobi equation and to the advantages of using action-angle variables;
4)be familiar with the behaviour of dynamical systems near fixed points;
5)appreciate the difference between integrable and non-integrable systems;
6)have a deeper insight into the (symplectic) structure of classical mechanics and its formal connection to quantum mechanics;
7)to be able to apply what has been learnt in the course to solving new problems. |
Assessment Information
Degree Examination, 100% |
Please see Visiting Student Prospectus website for Visiting Student Assessment information |
Special Arrangements
Not entered |
Contacts
Course organiser |
Dr Roger Horsley
Tel: (0131 6)50 6481
Email: rhorsley@ph.ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary |
Mrs Linda Grieve
Tel: (0131 6)50 5254
Email: linda.grieve@ed.ac.uk |
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copyright 2010 The University of Edinburgh -
1 September 2010 6:35 am
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