Fall 2025 - PHYS 413 D100
Advanced Mechanics (3)
Class Number: 4985
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2025: Mon, Wed, Fri, 1:30–2:20 p.m.
Burnaby -
Exam Times + Location:
Dec 15, 2025
Mon, 3:30–6:30 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Igor Herbut
iherbut@sfu.ca
1 778 782-5768
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Prerequisites:
PHYS 384 or permission of the department. Non-physics majors may enter with MATH 252; MATH 260 or MATH 310; PHYS 211. All prerequisite courses require a minimum grade of C-.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Central forces, rigid body motion, small oscillations. Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations of mechanics. Quantitative.
COURSE DETAILS:
Course Details:
• Generalized coordinates, principle of least action
• Conservation laws
• Motion in a central field, Kepler's problem
• Motion of a rigid body
• Canonical formalism, Hamilton's equations, Poisson Brackets, Hamilton-Jacobi equation
• Classical chaos (time permitting)
Course delivery: In person
Grading
- Problem sets 40%
- Midterm 20%
- Final Exam 40%
Materials
MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:
Required Text:
Classical Mechanics, 3rd edition
Author: Goldstein, Poole, Safko
https://www.amazon.de/Classical-Mechanics-Herbert-Goldstein/dp/0201657023
Recommended Text:
Mechanics: Volume 1, 3rd edition
Author: Landau, Lifshitz
*Students can purchase textbooks from online retailers if e-book is not available at SFU Bookstore.
*Access to highspeed internet, computer (ideally with a webcam), headset with a microphone.
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
Department Undergraduate Notes:
Students who cannot write their exam during the course's scheduled exam time must request accommodation from their instructor in writing, clearly stating the reason for this request, within one week of the final exam schedule being posted.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.
To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit:
- SFU’s Academic Integrity Policy: S10-01 Policy
- SFU’s Academic Integrity website, which includes helpful videos and tips in plain language: Academic Integrity at SFU
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.