Program Overview

Course Overview

Course Details

The course code is TFY4345, and the course name is Classical Mechanics. The course is worth 7.5 credits and is taught at the second degree level. The course starts in the autumn of 2025 and lasts for one semester. The language of instruction is English, and the course is located in Trondheim.

Course Content

Constraints and Generalized Coordinates

The course covers constraints and generalized coordinates, virtual displacements, Lagrange's equations, variational calculus, and Hamilton's principle. It also includes the Lagrangian for a particle in an electromagnetic field, constants of motion, symmetry properties, and the virial theorem.

Central Forces and Rigid Body Motion

The course covers central forces, elements of the kinematics and dynamics of rigid bodies, and special relativity. It also includes normal coordinates, Hamilton's equations, and canonical transformations.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge

• Understanding the physical principle behind the derivation of Lagrange's and Hamilton's equations, and the advantages of these formulations.
• Being able to relate symmetries to conservation laws in physical systems, and apply these concepts to practical situations.
• Being familiar with the fundamental principles of the special theory of relativity.
• Understanding the intricacies of moving-reference frames and rigid-body motion.

Skills

• Analytic solving of differential equations of mechanical systems (equations of motion).
• Applying linear transformations for rotations, coupled differential equations, and Lorentz transformations.
• Special techniques in Hamiltonian dynamics (Poisson brackets, generating functions).
• Applying computational (numerical) methods for solving mechanical problems.

General Competence

• Master different problem-solving strategies within mechanical physics and assess which of these strategies is most useful for a given problem.
• Understanding the contribution of the Lagrangian/Hamiltonian formulation of classical physics in statistical physics, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics.

Learning Methods and Activities

The course includes lectures and compulsory exercises. Computational physics components may be included in the lectures and the homework assignments. The expected workload in the course is 225 hours.

Compulsory Assignments

• Exercise

Evaluation

The examination arrangement is a school exam. When lectures and lecture material are in English, the exam may be given in English only. The re-sit examination (in August) may be changed from written to oral.

Recommended Previous Knowledge

Basic mechanics, electromagnetism, and special relativity.

Course Materials

• Textbook: to be announced (check instructor's web site prior to start).
• Reference material:
  1. H. Goldstein, C. Poole, and J. Safko: Classical Mechanics, 3. edition, Addison-Wesley, 2002.
  2. D. Strauch, Classical Mechanics - An Introduction, Springer, 2009 (ebook, NTNU library).
  3. D.W. Hogg, Lectures notes on special relativity, 1997 (pdf file available).

Credit Reductions

The course has academic overlap with the course TEP4145. If you take overlapping courses, you will receive a credit reduction in the course where you have the lowest grade. If the grades are the same, the reduction will be applied to the course completed most recently.

Subject Areas

• Physics
• Technological subjects

Examination Details

Ordinary Examination - Autumn 2025

• Examination arrangement: School exam
• Grade: Letter grades
• Weighting: 100/100
• Examination aids: Code H
• Date:
• Time: 15:00
• Duration: 4 hours
• Exam system: Inspera Assessment

Re-sit Examination - Summer 2026

• Examination arrangement: School exam
• Weighting: 100/100
• Examination aids: Code H
• Duration: 4 hours
• Exam system: Inspera Assessment
• Place and room: Not specified yet.