Introduction to Continuum Physics

Instructor

Roman Grigoriev
Office: Howey W304 (office hours: Tuesday 3-4pm)
Phone: (404) 385-1130
E-mail:

Tuesday & Thursday, 1:35pm-2:55pm
Room L5, Howey Physics Building

Continuum physics describes the macroscopic physical world around us. The enormous progress of quantum physics in 20th century has almost eliminated this kind of physics from the core physics curriculum - still research in nonlinear science, geophysics, biology, engineering, demands increased mastery of its methodology. The course aims to redress the balance by offering a modern, unified introduction to the basic concepts and phenomenology of continuous systems.

The course is intended for physics, biology, math, engineering and geophysics advanced undergraduates, starting graduate students. The mathematical prerequisites are modest and are developed further as the need arises.

Benny Lautrup, "Physics of Continuous Matter: Exotic and Everyday Phenomena in the Macroscopic World," (IoP Publishing, 2005).

There will be a mid-term and a final exam; the grades will be based solely on the results of these exams (40%/60%). Homework assignments will be posted on the web every Thursday. They will not be graded (the textbook contains solutions), but we will have an in-class discussion of any difficulties you may have encountered. Homeworks are your way to prepare for the exams, as such you are required to worked them through. In general, you are expected to comply with the academic honor code.

August 22
1. Introduction
Reading: lecture notes
Check out these cool numerical simulations of continuum matter.

August 24
2. Pressure
Reading: lecture notes
Problems: 1.1, 2.16, 2.17, 2.18, 2.23 (rotation is around z axis).

August 29
3. Pressure (continued)
Reading: lecture notes

August 31
4. Buoyancy
Reading: lecture notes
Check out these numerical simulations and actual movies of fast rising bubbles.
Problems: 4.2, 4.3, 4.5, 4.7, 5.1, 5.2

September 5
5. Buoyancy (continued)
Reading: lecture notes

September 7
6. Planets and stars
Reading: lecture notes
Additional information about the planets of our solar system and the sun.
Problems: 5.5, 5.11, 6.3, 6.4

September 12
7. Hydrostatic shapes
Reading: lecture notes

September 14
8. Hydrostatic shapes (continued)
Reading: lecture notes
Problems: 6.6, 6.7, 6.8, 7.3, 7.5

September 19
9. Hydrostatic shapes (continued)
Reading: lecture notes

September 21
10. Surface tension
Reading: lecture notes
Problems: 7.8

September 26
11. Surface tension and little droplets
Reading: lecture notes
Fun stuff: water-walking, fluid chains and fishbones, Rayleigh-Plateau instability, droplets collisions (make sure to click "next")

September 28
12. Jet break-up and capillary effect
Reading: lecture notes
Problems: 8.1, 8.3
For your viewing pleasure: jet breakup of newtonian, slightly non-newtonian, and viscoelastic fluid shot using strobe light. More jet breakup for a non-newtonian fluid under continuous illumination.

October 3
13. Big droplets and bubbles
Reading: lecture notes
For your viewing pleasure: dripping faucet movie and theoretical model.

October 5
14. Stress
Reading: lecture notes
Problems: 8.4, 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4

October 10
15. Stress and strain
Reading: lecture notes

October 12
16. Strain
Reading: lecture notes
Problems: 9.6, 9.8, 9.9, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.8

October 17
Recess

October 19
17. Linear elasticity
Reading: lecture notes

October 24
Midterm

October 26
18. Midterm review

October 31
19. Linear elasticity
Reading: lecture notes

November 2
20. Buckling under load
Reading: lecture notes
Problems: 11.3, 11.4, 11.5, 11.6, 12.4

November 7
21. Elastic equilibrium
Reading: lecture notes

November 9
22. Elastic vibrations
Reading: lecture notes
Problems: 12.2, 12.5, 12.6, 14.1, 14.4

November 14
23. Fluids in motion
Reading: lecture notes

November 16
24. Euler equation
Reading: lecture notes
Problems: 15.2, 15.3, 15.4, 15.6, 16.1, 16.2

November 21
25. Vorticity
Reading: lecture notes

November 23
Holiday

November 28
26. Potential flow
Reading: lecture notes

November 30
27. Viscous flow
Reading: lecture notes
Problems: 16.3, 16.4, 16.13, 17.1, 17.2, 17.4

December 5
28. Creeping flow
Reading: lecture notes

December 7
29. Turbulence

Course Instructor Opinion Survey
Please fill out the online Course Survey. This is your real opportunity to provide feedback regarding the contents of the course, the style and quality of the presentation, or any other subject related to the course. Tell us what you liked and what you did not like. Your input is very valuable and will benefit students taking this course in subsequent years.