Latest Activity

1. Questions and answers of the MATLAB quiz have been uploaded.

2. Some practice problems are also attached. They should help you revise the course contents.

Email 14: Class test 2 next Tuesday

Date: Fri, October 17, 2014
Dear Class,
(1) Your second class test will be next Tuesday, Oct 21.
(2) Time: It will start at 5:10 pm and finish at 6:25 pm (75 minutes).
(3) Place: Those of you who are in my tutorial section should go to L1. Those in Saurabh Biswas's section *and* those in
Prof. Venkatesan's section should go to L7.
(4) Seating: OROS.
(5) Revision problems: Monday Oct 20 will be in L16 as usual, but in tutorial mode, with revision of old material. Prof.
Venkatesan and Saurabh will both present material.
Thank you.
Regards.

Email 13: Monday's class

Date: Thu, October 16, 2014
Dear Class,
For next Monday, Oct 20, please come to the regular lecture hall at the regular time (5:10 pm). I am requesting Prof.
Venkatesan and Saurabh Biswas to divide the time in approximately half, and solve some problems of their choice.
Everybody in the class will remain present for both instructors. Attendance will be taken.
Thanks.

Email 12: Regarding MATLAB

Date: Fri, October 10, 2014 8:43 am
Query:
Sir, Can you tell me(send me) about what you typed in command window for differential equation in MATLAB file
"dp.m".Suppose I want to find value of theta at t=3sec with initial condition 'theta(t=0)= pi/2 & theta'(t=0)=0'.
Reply:
You can read a book on Matlab. Or see the TAs (copied). They will offer a time slot (Numan/Susheel).

Email 11: Matlab Files

Date: Mon, September 29, 2014 11:27 pm
Dear Class,
Here are the Matlab files from today. If you find any errors, please let me know.

Email 10: Regarding Matlab

Date:

Sun, September 28, 2014 1:09 pm

Matlab topics:
matrices, m-files, ODE solution using ode45.

Email 9: Request for solutions of assignments

Date:

Sat, September 13, 2014 9:53 am

Dear Class,
The problems and solutions of HW1 are attached. Saurabh Biswas has kindly worked them out in terms of procedure as
well. Contact us (Saurabh or me) if you find errors.

Email 8: Class Test 1

Date: Mon, September 8, 2014 11:48 am
Dear students,
Class test 1 has been corrected. A graphical display of scores is attached. One person got 18, which is rather good. Many
got less than 4, which is not good.
One script had a name and roll number that did not match each other (Akash Singh, 13053), and the person seems to be
not registered in the class. I am ignoring that script.
Class test papers will be handed out this evening from 7-8 pm in FB362 ("KanGAL" Lab). Saurabh Biswas will email you
the answers so that you can re-work these problems if you got them wrong (and also check if the TAs made an error in
grading).
The TAs will not in general change their grading *policy*. Each TA has graded one problem (all scripts), so comparisons
across problems are unnecessary. If you feel there are inconsistencies in the grading on different scripts for the same
problem, then you can bring it to the notice of the TA and he will either raise one or lower the other, as appropriate.
Assignment sheets can be collected at the same time.
Email 7: Query
Date: Tue, August 26, 2014 4:30 pm
sir,
Is moment of inertia tensor defined only about center of mass[Icm]or it can be calculated about any other reference frame?
This question is arising in case where a body is rotating about about some other axis not passing through center of mass.
To be more accurate in such a situation can we write [H]=[I][w] where [I] is about some other axis not passing through
center of mass.
Regards,
Ashutosh
People use that idea. In special problems it leads to simplifications if we compute the moment of inertia about points other
than the center of mass.
However, I prefer to avoid confusion by always using moment of inertia about center of mass and nothing else. This is
part of my philosophy of learning one method that always works, and learning it well; and only later on thinking about
other methods.

Email 6: Tutorial

problems and solutions

Date: Wed, August 6, 2014 2:05 pm

Dear Class,
I am attaching 2 problems and solutions.
Next Tuesday onward, the tutorial will be from 5-6 and not from 5:15-6:15.
Thanks.

Email 5: Programmable

calculators for Dynamics?

Date: Tue, August 5, 2014 8:19 am

Dear class,
A matter of policy for the course.
These days, many students have programmable calculators. Since we assign numerical problems and also allow
calculators, those students whose calculators can do matrix operations have an advantage. For this reason, I encourage all
of you to consider what calculator you will use for this course.
I think that if you chose to buy or borrow a calculator that can do matrix operations (addition, multiplication, inversion),
then you would have an advantage.
Note that I am not ASKING you to get one of these calculators. I am merely pointing out that some of your classmates
may have such calculators, and it will give them an advantage during class tests and exams. If you do not bring any
calculator to the exam, which is fine: but you will not be allowed to share one with a fellow student.
I also encourage you to bring such calculators to tutorials.
Thanks

Email 4: Roll

list and tutorial sections

Date: Mon, August 4, 2014 10:06 pm

Dear Class,
I have attached a pdf and Excel file. The class has 184 registered students, divided into three approximately equal groups.
Please find your name in the attached pdf and see which room you are supposed to go to.
The tutors will be:
L12: myself
L13: Prof. Venkatesan
L14: Saurabh Biswas
Tutors and TAs: please download the Excel file for your records.
Thanks.

Email 3: Homework

problem

Date: Mon, August 4, 2014 4:37 pm

Dear Class,
Here is a small homework problem that will give you some practice in using free body diagrams.
In the figure, take D=2R and L=3R. Find the angle theta at which
equilibrium is possible. (Gravity g = 10 m/s^2 acts downwards. There is no
slip between cylinder and rod, nor between cylinder and ground. The
vertical wall is frictionless.)
The tutors may check to see if you have worked on this problem, so bring
your solution on a sheet of paper.

Email 2: Problems

for practice

Date: Fri, August 1, 2014 10:15 pm

Dear Class,
Here are some problems I gave for practice to students in an earlier semester.
For the present, practice drawing free body diagrams. I will cover tensors in the next class.
The next tutorial will emphasize drawing FBDs and working with tensors.

Email 1:

First email

Date: Wed, July 30, 2014 11:51 pm

Dear Class,
I got the following from a student:
Please provide the course content thoroughly lecture-wise. Also you are requested to mention section in the book
"Marium" for corresponding topic covered in classroom.
To this, my response is:
(1) You can carefully read the whole book, which has many hundreds of pages, or you can come to my class regularly and
pay attention. I will not mark specific sections in Meriam and Kraige, because it has many more sections than I have
lectures, and so if I mark a few sections students will use them as a shortcut and NOT LEARN the subject properly. If you
want a shortcut, come to class.
(2) I will, as I said, send a list of problems. You are advised to solve them all.
(3) The recommended course content is given below (suggested number of lectures in parentheses):
-----------------------------------------------------------------------1. Introduction to coordinate system and phase space, vectors and tensors (3)
2. Dynamics of systems of particles (including impulse-momentum relations), steady mass flow and variable mass (ropes,
chains and rocket propulsion) problems (5)
3. Rotation and coordinate transformation (Euler angles), concept of angular velocity (4)
4. Kinematics of rigid bodies (2)
5. Kinetics of rigid bodies (2)
6. General planar motions (5)
7. General 3-D motions (gyroscopes, rotor in space, rolling coin) (4)
8. Advanced examples (2)
--------------------------------------------------------------------However, although I will most probably manage to cover all these topics, I may not match the suggested numbers of
lectures. For example, I have already spent two lectures discussing how to draw free body diagrams, for which no lectures
have been allotted in the prescribed syllabus. I will also not cover the material in the sequence given above, but in the
sequence that best fits the way in which I believe the subject should be taught.
In summary:
The syllabus is given above. Please read the book to complement the lectures. Come to class regularly. Solve the
problems on the list that I will send. I offer no further shortcuts.
Thanks and best wishes.