Problem Sheet 1 (Relativity)
Problem Sheet 2 (Non-inertial frames)
Problem Sheet 3 (Gravitation)
Problem Sheet 4 (Rotational dynamics)
Plane waves in two dimensions
Conic sections
Orbits
Howard Georgi's "Freetop" application for Windows is helpful for picturing the relative positions of the important
vectors in the rotation of a rigid body with an axis of symmetry. The red vector denotes the symmetry axis of the body, purple is the angular momentum vector and green is the angular velocity vector. Some suggested parameters: for a wobbling plate/disk choose an aspect ratio of 0.25, speed 2. I3/I=2 and angle 0.3. You should then see that the green and red vectors circulate twice for every circulation of the disk. For a "rugby ball" pick an aspect ratio of 0.35, a speed of 1, I3/I=0.33 and angle 0.3, then watch the slower wobble (the red line precesses 3 times faster than the cube rotates - it helps to focus on a fixed point on the cube, e.g. a corner). Press F10 to stop the movie.
