Lecture Description
Momentum and its conservation during collisions is introduced. Kinetic energy can decrease or increase during collisions. When kinetic energy is conserved, we call it an elastic collision. The momentum vector, internal forces, external forces and the conservation of momentum are discussed. Professor Lewin does some air track experiments where the released energy is from a compressed spring; kinetic energy increases but momentum is conserved. The definition of the center of mass is described. The center of mass behaves as if all the matter were together at that point.
Course Description
This course is a first-semester freshman physics class in Newtonian Mechanics, Fluid Mechanics, and Kinetic Gas Theory. In addition to the basic concepts a variety of interesting topics are covered in this course: Binary Stars, Neutron Stars, Black Holes, Resonance Phenomena, Musical Instruments, Stellar Collapse, Supernovae, Astronomical observations from very high flying balloons (lecture 35), and you will be allowed a peek into the intriguing Quantum World.
Related Resources
Transcript
| Assignment 4
| Assignment 4 Solutions
Course Index
- Measurements of Space and Time
- 1-Dimensional Kinematics, Speed, Velocity, Acceleration
- Vectors, Dot Products, Cross Products, 3D Kinematics
- 3-D Kinematics, The Motion of Projectiles
- Circular Motion, Centrifuges, Moving Reference Frames
- Newton's Three Laws
- Weight and Weightlessness
- Friction
- Exam-I Review
- Hooke's Law and Simple Harmonic Motion
- Work and Mechanical Energy
- Resistive Forces
- Conservative Forces and SHO
- Satellite Orbits - Energy - Power
- Collisions and the Center of Mass
- Elastic and Inelastic Collisions
- Change of Momentum, Impulse, Rockets
- Exam Review II
- Rotational Kinetic Energy
- Angular Momentum
- Torques, Oscillating Bodies
- Elliptical Orbits
- Doppler Shift and Stellar Dynamics
- Rate of Change of Angular Momentum
- Static Equilibrium
- Elasticity of Materials
- Pressure in a Static Fluid
- Buoyant Force and Bernoulli's Equation
- Exam Review
- Other Oscillating Systems
- Forced Oscillations and Resonance
- Heat, Conductivity and Thermal Expansion
- Ideal-Gas Law and Phase Transitions, Isothermal Atmosphere
- The Wonderful Quantum World
- X-ray Astronomy and Astrophysics