Throughout the term we will be discussing various aspects of Newtonian Mechanics . However, we will not do this in a manner where Newtonian Mechanics is given to you as a set of tenets to be memorized.

Rather, this class will consist of doing physical and virtual experiments that are designed to get you to determine what kinds of measurements can be made in a given system.

From measurement flows understanding and its this process that will be emphasized throughout this term.

What is Newtonian Mechanics ?

Description of forces and energies associated with moving objects; a manifestation of forces acting on material objects

Well okay, a manifestation implies that we can measure some attribute of a system. What can we measure? ( You will need a JDK 1.1 browser to view these. Use either IE4.0 or Netscape 4.06 with JDK plugin)

• Consider a Cannon:
• Dropping a ball on different planets

• Mass = measure of a resistance to force; the total number of atoms in some material.

• Velocity = speed and directon of a moving object

• Acceleration = a change in the velocity of an object; an object moving at constant velocity has no acceleration.

• Force = causes an acceleration; a change in velocity is a manifestation of a force being applied to an object. If there are no forces acting on an object there will be no acceleration.

  Your intution already has physics knowledge
  

  Real Physics looks like this

  Our Version of Physics is more like the following:

  1. You can't move a building
  2. A train accelerates more slowly than a motorcycle
  3. What goes up must come down
  4. On the freeway you would rather have a headon collision with a mosquito instead of a semi
  5. You get tired after climbing a long flight of stairs
  
  
  Newton described mechanics fully in terms of three laws: constant velocity with no forces, F= ma, equal and opposite reactions