Physics 5200 Home Page
Course syllabus
and grading scale .
Homework Problems
Here are some problem
solving guidelines that you may find useful.
Web Based Aids
Here I have assembled a collection of links to web sites with
useful information or demonstrations. Most of these are java
applets that require a java enabled browser. If you have trouble
running or accessing any of these sites, please let me know.
- Have trouble visualizing the vector cross product? Try
out this
applet from Syracuse University.
- Kepler's
second law.
- This gravity
simulation applet is fun to play with. A many body
problem is simulated, and you can see how test particles
react to the gravitational fields produced by the massive
bodies. This is not directly applicable to the topics we
are covering.
- This simulation
of central force motions is a bit more advanced, but
includes a discussion of orbits around a black hole. Be
sure to check out the "orbit applet" by
clicking the link near the bottom of the page.
- The impact
simulator applet is full of things (friction,
viscosity, gravity, and bouncing balls), and I haven't
had time to try it out! If you do, let me know what you
think.
- This
page does some calculations for Helium atoms at low
temperatures, approximating the binding with the
Lennard-Jones potential. This is the function that
appeared on the first midterm exam.
Lecture Notes