Individual course details
Study programme Physics
Chosen research area (module) Theoretical and Experimental Physics
Nature and level of studies Bachelor academic studies
Name of the course Theoretical Mechanics
Professor (lectures) Suncica Elezovic-Hadzic
Professor/associate (examples/practical) Dragoljub Gocanin
Professor/associate (additional)  
ECTS 7 Status (required/elective) required
Access requirements Mathematics 1B and 2B, Physical mechanics
Aims of the course Introduction to the basics of the contemporary theoretical physics.
Learning outcomes Students should acquire the fundamental concepts and formalisms of analytical and continuum mechanics. In particular, they should learn Lagrange and Hamilton formalism applied on discrete systems, as well as basic theoretical methods used in continuum mechanics.
Contents of the course
Lectures 1. Basic concepts of classical nonrelativistic systems. Fundamental theorems of classical mechanics and corresponding laws of conservation. 2. Motion with constraints. D'Alembert-Lagrange principle. 3. Lagrange's equations. 4. Systems with one degree of freedom. 5. Small oscillations of conservative systems with stationary constraints. Normal modes. 6. Central conservative forces. Kepler problem. 7. The two-body problem. 8. Scattering cross-sections. Rutherford scattering. 9. Rigid body kinematics. Kinetic energy, angular momentum and tensor of inertia. Coriolis theorem and Euler equations for the rigid body. Analytical method for the rigid body dynamics. 10. Hamilton's equations. Symmetry and conservation laws. 11. Hamilton's principle. 12. Canonical transformations. 13. Continuum hypothesis, Eulerian and Lagrangian description of motion, material derivative.  Strain rate tensor and vorticity vector. 14. Body and surface forces, stress vector and stress tensor. Continuity equation. Fundamental equation of continuous matter motion. 15. Ideal fluids. Navier-Stokes fluids. Elastic body.
Examples/ practical classes Examples are given during the lectures and problems are solved during practical classes.
Recommended books
1 Dj. Musicki, Uvod u teorijsku fiziku I (Teorijska mehanika), Naucna knjiga, Beograd, 1980
2 B. Milic, Kurs klasicne teorijske fizike, prvi deo, Njutnova mehanika, Studentski trg, Beograd
3 S. Elezovic-Hadzic, Beleske za predavanja iz Teorijske mehanike sa resenim zadacima (ebook)
4 T.W. Kibble and F.H.Berkshire, Classical mechanics, Addison Wesley Longman Limited 1996 
Number of classes (weekly)
Lectures Examples&practicals   Student project Additional
4 3      
Teaching and learning methods Lectures, practical classes, homeworks, consultations
Assessment (maximal 100)
assesed coursework mark examination mark
coursework   written examination 13
practicals   oral examination 50
papers 22    
homework 15