PHI101

MECHANICS, WAVES
AND OSCILLATIONS

Class 1, 2 & 3
 Syllabus

Scalar and Vector Fields:

Scalar and vector fields, gradient of a scalar field and its physical
significance. Divergence and curl of a vector field and related problems,
vector integration: line, surface and volume integrals. Stokes, Gauss and
Greens theorems, Laws of motion, motion of variable mass system, motion
of a rocket, multi-stage rocket, conservation of energy and momentum,
definition of rigid body, rotational kinematic relations, and equation of motion
for a rotating body, angular momentum and inertial tensor.

Central Forces:

Central forces – definition and examples, conservative nature of central

forces, conservative force as a negative gradient of potential energy,
equation of motion under a central force, gravitational potential and
gravitational field, derivation of Kepler’s laws. Galilean relativity, absolute
frames, Michelson-Morley experiment, Postulates of special theory of
relativity. Lorentz transformation, time dilation, length contraction, addition
of velocities, mass-energy relation.
Simple Harmonic Oscillator

Simple harmonic oscillator and its solution, physical characteristics of

SHM, torsion pendulum, - measurements of rigidity modulus, compound
pendulum, measurement of ‘g’, Lissajous figures, damped harmonic
oscillator and its solution, comparison with undamped harmonic oscillator,
logarithmic decrement, relaxation time, quality factor, differential equation
of forced oscillator and its solution, amplitude resonance, velocity
resonance, coupled oscillators.

Transverse wave propagation

Transverse wave propagation along a stretched string, general solution of

wave equation and its significance, modes of vibration of stretched string
clamped at ends, overtones, energy transport, transverse, longitudinal
vibrations in bars- wave equation and its general solution, Boundary
conditions, clamped free bar, free-free bar, bar supported at both ends.
Learning Resources:
Text books:

1. Fundamentals of Physics, Halliday/Resnick/Walker Wiley India, 10th

Edition, 2013.
2. Berkeley Physics Course. Vol.1, Mechanics, C. Kittel, W. Knight, M.A.
Ruderman - Tata-McGraw hill Company, fourth Edition 2008.

Reference books:
1. University Physics, Hugh D. Young, Roger A. Freedman Pearson
Education ,14th Edition,2017.
2. An introduction to Mechanics, Daniel Kleppner & Robert Kolenkow.
TMH,2017.

Online resources:
1. https://nptel.ac.in/courses/115/106/115106119/.
2. https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in/noc20_ph22/preview.
Scalar and Vector fields
 gradient in 2D
gradient in 3D

In 3D form, Gradients are surface

normal to particular points.
In 2D format, Gradients  tangents
representing the direction of steepest
descent or ascent.

Consider water flowing through a large pipe.
Now, it has smaller pipes joined to it. Hence,
as the water flows, more water is added along
the way by the smaller pipes. Hence, the
mass flow rate increases as the water flows.
In another case, consider that there is a
leakage in the pipe. Hence the mass
flow rate decreases as it flows. This
change in the flow rate through the
pipe, whether it increases or decreases,
is called as divergence. Divergence
denotes only the magnitude of change
and so, it is a scalar quantity. It does not
have a direction.
When the initial flow rate is less than
the final flow rate, divergence is positive
(divergence > 0). If the two quantities
are same, divergence is zero. If the
initial flow rate is greater than the final
flow rate divergence is negative
(divergence <0).
Physical meaning of divergence
• Imagine pouring water in a cup. The water won’t just low linearly but
rather, as it reaches the end of the cup, it will flow in a rotational
motion before settling in the cup. Or consider water draining down the
sink, it will swirl in a rotational motion before going out. If we plot
this rotational flow of water as vectors and measure it, it will denote
the Curl.
 
• Curl is a measure of how much a vector field circulates or rotates
about a given point. when the flow is counter-clockwise, curl is
considered to be positive and when it is clock-wise, curl is negative.
Sometimes, curl isn’t necessarily flowed around a single time. It can
also be any rotational or curled vector.

• If a vector field has the circulation or rotation at a point, then the curl
of the vector field measures circulation per unit area around that point
or rate of rotation. Thus, “the curl of a vector field at a point is a vector
having a magnitude equal to the maximum circulation at that point and
direction of which is along the perpendicular to the plane of
circulation”.
Vector Integration