PHY 321: Modern Classical Mechanics

Welcome to the course materials for PHY 321: Classical Mechanics 1 at Michigan State University.

📚 About This Repository

This repository contains the full set of course materials, notes, assignments, and resources for PHY 321. The course blends analytical and computational approaches to classical mechanics, emphasizing both foundational concepts and modern tools. This site was converted from the original Jupyter Book format to a Hugo-based website for improved navigation and usability using jupyter2hugo.

• Course Website: Built with Hugo for easy navigation and content management
• Content: Lecture notes, assignments, programming resources, logistics, and more
• Audience: Students, instructors, and anyone interested in classical mechanics

🧭 Structure

• content/ — All course content, organized by topic
  • course-information/ — Syllabus, policies, instructor info, textbooks
  • course-materials/ — Weekly notes, assignments, and projects
  • logistics-resources/ — Calendars, submission guides, and logistics
  • programming-resources/ — Numerical methods and Python examples
• layouts/ — Hugo templates for site rendering
• static/ — Images and static assets
• public/ — Generated site output

📝 Assignments & Projects

Assignments combine analytical and computational work. Submit via Gradescope as a single PDF. Collaboration in small groups is encouraged.

• Weekly Homeworks
• Midterm Projects
• Final Project

📖 Recommended Textbooks

• Classical Mechanics by John R. Taylor
• Elementary Mechanics using Python by Anders Malthe-Sørenssen
• Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos by Steven Strogatz
• Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences by Mary L. Boas

🛠️ Building the Site

This site uses Hugo. To build locally:

hugo server

📄 License

Content is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.