Undergraduate Course: Dynamics and Relativity (PHYS09014)
Course Outline
| School | School of Physics and Astronomy |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 10 |
| Home subject area | Undergraduate (School of Physics and Astronomy) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
http://www2.ph.ed.ac.uk/teaching/course-notes/notes/list/62 |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course emphasises frames of reference in discussing the classical mechanics of particles. It starts with a review of Newtonian mechanics, the importance of inertial frames and the classical description of collisions and scattering processes. Non-inertial frames are introduced, leading to a discussion of the centrifugal and Coriolis forces. There follows a substantial section on Special Relativity, which introduces Lorentz transformations, Minkowski spacetime, relativistic kinematics, and the application of four-vector methods to particle collisions and decays. The course concludes with an introduction to General Relativity through a discussion of the equivalence principle, and the idea of curved spacetime. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course it is intended that a student will be able to:
1)state the definition of an 'inertial frame', understand the virtues of using the 'Lab' and 'Centre of Mass' frames and exploit them in problem-solving by means of the Galilean transformation
2)Apply appropriate conservation laws to two particle scattering problems, and hence determine scattering trajectories, differential cross-sections and total cross-sections;
3)Explain the occurrence of 'fictitious forces' in accelerating reference frames;
4)Interpret and apply formulae for the centrifugal and coriolis forces in a rotating frame'
5)State the postulates of Special Relativity and discuss their implications for 'simultaneity';
6)State the Lorentz transformation and demonstrate the utility of Minkowski diagrams;
7)Apply the Lorentz transformation in problem solving and use it to derive time dilation, length contraction and velocity addition formulae;
8)State the definition of 4-vectors, demonstrate the Lorentz invariance of their scalar products and appreciate their significance in the context of causality;
9)Apply the 4-vector formulation of relativistic dynamics to particle decays and relativistic collisions;
10)Discuss 'Equivalence' and space-time curvature, and derive the gravitational Doppler shift formula. |
Assessment Information
Coursework, 10%
Degree Examination, 90%
Visiting Student Variant Assessment
Coursework, 10%
Degree Examination, 90% |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
¿ Newton's laws, single particle dynamics and classical relativity
¿ Introduction to the calculus of variations and Lagrangian dynamics
¿ Beyond inertial frames, centrifugal and Coriolis forces
¿ Two body systems, collisions and scattering
¿ Lorentz transformations 4-vectors and relativistic dynamics
¿ Particle decays
¿ Relativistic scattering
¿ Introduction to General relativity
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| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | DynRe |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Jamie Cole
Tel: (0131 6)50 5999
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Jillian Bainbridge
Tel: (0131 6)50 7218
Email: |
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