The final exam will be held on Dec 16th, 2024, 10:30 - 12:45 pm. It is a closed book, no notes, calculators, just pencil and paper exam.
Topics will be:
The test, like any good physics test, will contain new systems you may have never seen before, and ask you to apply the techniques we've learned to these new systems.
To be prepared you don't need to memorize every equation we've seen. You do need to know how to apply those equations and in some of the simpler cases, derive them. For example, should you memorize the 3 fictitious forces for rotating reference frames? No. But you should know what each symbol refers to, and be able to perform the vector operations necessary to determine the direction of any one of them. I do want you to know by heart fundamental things like the Euler-Lagrange equation, the relation between force and potential, the various ways to write velocity in cartesian or polar coordinates. Basically as a rule of thumb, if it's something that can be applied to a host of situations and circumstances, you should know it. If it's the end result of applying one of those fundamental relations to a specific situation, then don't memorize it.
If you want to more practice doing this, then please work on the first few problems from each of the sections in the book we have covered.