Learning Outcomes
On Completion, the students should be able to;
1. relate the concepts of space coordinates, time and linear motion;
2. describe particle dynamics, equilibrium and conservative forces;
3. solve problems on central forces, energy and angular momentum,
4. explain the dynamics of rotational motion;
5. discuss and apply the potential theory;
6. explain the dynamics of rigid bodies;
7. apply Newton’s theory of gravitation to problems of planetary motion and space travel;
8. use inertial forces to explain motion from the viewpoint of rotating frames of reference; and
9. derive the general relation between the angular velocity and angular momentum of a rigid
body, and use this to solve problems in rotational dynamics.
Course Contents
Introduction to classical mechanics. Space and time. Linear kinematics. Linear and angular
momentum. Force and torque. Motion in a plane. Newtonian gravity. The two-body systems.
Forces and equilibrium. Particle dynamics. Force fields and potentials. Collisions. Conservative
forces. Inertial frames and non-inertial frames. Motion in rotating frames. Centrifugal force.
Central force motions. Kepler’s motion in a central force field. Particle orbits as conic sections.
Kepler’s laws. Rigid body motion and rotational dynamics. Moment of inertia. Free rotation and
stability. Gyroscopes.
