General Physics (I) (2024 Fall)
Classic Mechanics and Thermodynamics

Course Syllabus 【download】

Textbook: Feynman Lectures Vol. I【visit caltech.edu】

Instructor:  Shengchao Li （lishengchao[at]westlake.edu.cn）

Office: E5-226, Yungu

Hour: Friday 10:00-11:00

TAs: 

Siyi Yang (yangsiyi[at]westlake.edu.cn)  Office: E5-229, Yungu

Ruijiang Fu (furuijiang[at]westlake.edu.cn)  Office: Buld3-306, Yunqi

Lecture: 

Monday 9:50-11:25; Thursday 10:40-12:15

Venue: H6-207

Lecture Notes:

Classical Mechanics

Lecture 1:【Introduction: Physics and Natural Philosophy Theories】

Supplemental Material: 【铀235临界质量的估算 (吴从军)】

Lecture 2:【Vectors】(Refs: Feynman Ch.11,Berkeley Ch.2)

Lecture 3:【Motion】(Ref: Feynman Ch.8)

Lecture 4:【Newton's Law of Dynamic】(Ref: Feynman Ch.9)

Lecture 5:【Oscillators】(Ref: Feynman Ch.21)

Lecture 5.5:【Forced Oscillators】(Ref: Feynman Ch.23-25)

Lecture 6:【Planetary Motion and Gravity】(Ref: Feynman Ch.7)

Supplemental Material:【Kepler’s Problem】

Lecture 7:【Inertial and non-inertial frames】(Ref: Feynman Ch.7)

Supplemental Material:【Coriolis Force】

Lecture 8:【Conservation:Energy】(Ref: Feynman Ch.4)

Lecture 9:【Conservation:Energy2】(Ref: Feynman Ch.4)

Lecture 10:【Conservation:Momentum】(Ref: Feynman Ch.10)

Lecture 11:【Conservation:Angular Momentum】(Ref: Feynman Ch.18)

Lecture 12:【Application:Kepler's Problem (cont'd)】(Ref: Feynman Ch.18&9)

Lecture 13:【Rigid Body Rotation】(Ref: Feynman Ch.18-20)

Lecture 14:【Euler Equation】(Ref: Feynman Ch.18-20)

Thermal Dynamics 

Password: GP1

Lecture 15:【Kinetic Gas】(Ref: Feynman Ch.39)

Lecture 16:【Temperature】(Ref: Feynman Ch.39)

Lecture 17:【Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution】(Ref: Feynman Ch.40)

Homework:

Homework0: read Feynman Ch.1-3, 11

Homework1 【download】 due Sep.19 in class

Homework2 【download】 due Sep.30 in class

Homework3 【download】 due Oct.10 in class

Homework4 【download】 due Oct.14 in class

Homework5 【download】 due Oct.17 in class

Homework6 【download】 due Oct.29 in class

Homework7 【download】 due Nov.7 in class

Homework8 【download】 due Nov.14 in class

Homework9 【download】 due Nov.25 in class

Tutorial Notes:

Time: Saturday 10:30-11:30

Tutorial 1: 【notes】09.21-Siyi&Ruijiang

Tutorial 2: Solution to Hw1

Tutorial 3: Solution to Hw3

Tutorial 4: Solution to Hw4&2

Tutorial 5: Solution to Hw5

Tutorial 6: Q&A for Midterm 

Extracurricular project:

Project 1: Search for Dark Matter Signal with Hamornic Oscillator （Due date Oct.10)

Instruction and example code 【download】

To run, visit https://jupyter.org/try-jupyter/lab/ and upload. 

To submit, send your completed (with answers in your own words) .ipynb file to general_physics_1[at]westlake.edu.cn, with the title: [your name] GPI Project1