Classical Mechanics (2025)

Classical mechanics is the ancient skeleton of every modern theory — still bearing the weight. Everything else — relativity, electromagnetism, statistical mechanics, even quantum mechanics and quantum field theory — builds on it.

In this course, we will learn to see the world with a physicist’s eyes, and to model it using simplified pictures that we translate into equations — equations we aim to understand, and sometimes even solve.

Equally important are the underlying concepts: degrees of freedom, symmetry, action, stability, integrability, flows, and adiabatic invariance — and their consequences. These ideas give us a new pair of eyes, revealing fresh pictures in more abstract spaces.

Target Audience

This is course PHY-104.1 in the TIFR graduate school.

This page will be updated regularly with course-related information. Please check frequently.

Administrivia

Time: Tu, Th at 530pm

Venue: AG69 + Zoom (link on Moodle page)

First lecture: 26 Aug

Credit policy: Tutorials (30%) + Midterm (30%) + Endterm (40%)

Instructor: Basudeb Dasgupta

Tutors: Aditya Dwivedi and Aaghaz Mahajan

Course Webpage: Moodle [TIFR only]

Lecture Notes: TBA

Course Contents

1. Recap of Newtonian Mechanics and Fundamentals

2. Lagrangian Mechanics

3. Rigid Bodies, Central force, Scattering, and Oscillations

4. Hamiltonian Mechanics

References

1. Goldstein (or later editions): Classic text. Still hard to beat.

2. Landau and Lifshitz Vol.1: Slim but packed. Best treatment of oscillations.

3. Rana and Joag: Has a very good discussion throughout, and has excellent examples on biomechanics, Can be used as an alternative to Goldstein.

4. Jose and Saletan: If you'd like the language of differential geometry, it is a nice self-study book.

5. Arnol'd: More advanced. Useful for specific topics.

6. Lecture notes by David Tong (Cambridge): Very accessible. Contains everything that one must know.

Problem Sets

PS1 (Newtonian Mechanics and Fundamentals): assigned on 02/09 on Moodle; due on TBD

PS2

PS3

PS4

PS5

Exams

1. Midterm (TBA) in week of 13-17 Oct

2. Endterm (TBA) in week of 8-12 Dec

Lecture Summaries (tentative)

Lecture 1 (26 Aug)

Newton's miracle
F=ma in noninertial frames
Counting DoFs
Integrating out DoFs

Lecture 2 (2 Sep)

Why Classical Mechanics?
Newton's 2nd and 1st Laws
Conservation of P, L, E, & role of conservative forces
Many particles : Conservation of P, L, E, & role of 3rd Law (weak and strong form) and conservative forces
What about 3-body forces? Stronger form of 3rd Law needed?

Lecture 3 (9 Sep)

DoFs, Coordinates, Transformations, Constraints

Lecture 4 (11 Sep)

Symmetry, Lagrangian, Action

Lecture 5 (16 Sep)

Lecture 6 (18 Sep)

Lecture 7 (23 Sep)

Lecture 8 (25 Sep)

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