Reading Guide

First two tables inside the cover: Without studying them explicitly, you will learn all that's in these tables as the semester progresses. Check your progress occasionally.

Back four tables: By the end of the semester you should be able to navigate around these tables and use them comfortably. You should know which formulas, say for rate of change of angular momentum, apply to which situation. In the process you will undoubtedly learn some of the formulas.

Preface: Read and absorb pages vii - xi.

Chapter 1: Read and understand pages 1-4 carefully, skim the rest.

Chapter 2: You need to know all of this vector material well. Skim the whole chapter and read carefully any sections that you are insecure about.

Chapter 3: Skim the chapter and carefully read sections you have doubts about. You need to know the material here well.

Chapter 4: The ideas in the introduction and sections 4.1, 4.4 and 4.5 are essential for dynamics. Skim the rest of the chapter so you know what's there.

Chapter 5: The introduction and sections 5.1 and 5.3 are all-important. You should know all the ODEs on pages 228-9 inside and out for this and other courses. Sections 5.6-8 are basically easy and you have to know them too. Read sections 5.2, 5.4 and 5.5 quickly for the ideas but don't labor over the details unless you are interested or ambitious. Section 5.9 is easy and important. Section 5.10 starts off easy but then goes on to a lot of theory which you should learn by the end of the semester, but can mostly put off for a while - just quickly read through the later parts without laboring over the details until you are ready for them.

Chapter 6: This whole chapter is straightforward. Nothing to procrastinate on here.

Chapter 7: Look at the sample problems for a sense of the topic. You should understand the whole chapter.

Chapter 8: The first section you should understand thoroughly. Some of the derivations associated with the moment of inertia matrix you can digest more slowly. But you should learn how to evaluate angular momentum and its rate of change both by integration and using the moment of inertia matrix. You should know how to use the moment of inertia matrix in coordinates that are aligned with the symmetry of the body as well as with coordinates lined up with the axis of rotation.

Chapter 9: All the mechanics equations are the same as you know. The key thing here is the kinematics, especially that in section 9.6. Path coordinates are an important concept, but don't worry about the calculation details of finding the osculating circle etc.

 

Text Downloads
Only for Cornell's TAM 203 spring 2000. Copyright 1994-2000 by Rudra Pratap and Andy Ruina.
The cover inside pair of pages and the 4 pages of back tables are provided at prelims and the final exam.
The Complete contents, the complete *'d problem answers, and complete index will not be passed out until the end of the semester.

Text errors (content related, not minor typos): PLEASE SEND IN ANY ERRORS YOU FIND. - Thanks.

* page 150, V=T=(100/sqrt(2)) N not 100*sqrt(2) N
* page 298, eqn 5.79. The "2 pi" should be outside the square root sign. The numerator of the fraction inside is then 1.
* page 302, 2nd to last equation in box, on the right hand side should be v_cm not r_cm.
* page 329, the second to last paragraph: "Simples" should be "simplest" and "as is" should be "axis".
* page 352, line 11 should be " -mg sin theta = ml theta double dot" NOT  "-mgcos theta =ml theta double dot".
* page 420, figure 8.21 should show sin(phi) and cos(phi) and not sin(theta) and cos(theta).
* page 441, second line of equations in left column. The previously undefined "e sub t" should be "e sub theta".
* page 448 the very first line is missing an "omega" in the second term of the cross product.

* problem 6.2 needs point A labeled in the obvious place for it.
* problem 6.13 an 6.14 are supposed to refer to each other not  to problems 6.30 and 6.31.
* problem 7.66 needs equal signs after r_B, lambda_A, and lambda_B . Part (c) should refer to r_C not lambda_C.

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