PHYS 320 Analytical Mechanics
From the syllabus:
Analytical Mechanics is a AW@ (Writing) course. This means that writing in the disciple will play a significant role in the course. The point of this is to strengthen your scientific writing skills. Homework will include two abstracts/outlines of papers form the scientific literature and a research paper related to a specific area of classical mechanics. I encourage you to peruse the journals we have in the library, The Physics Teacher, The American Journal of Physics, and Physics Today, at you leisure to become familiar with the style of writing in the world of physics. The abstracts will be due in class on 04 Oct 2016 and 08 Nov 2016. The research paper drafts are due at the beginning of class on 01 Dec 2016 and the final copy is due to me by midnight (by email) on Friday, 09 Dec 2016. [Please email the file as an MS Word document with a fiilename PHYS320researchpaper.XXX.docx, where XXX = your initials (for example, I would send it as "PHYS320researchpaper.GWC.docx")] You may find it useful to connect the research paper topic to your lab research project, if you are enrolled in the laboratory section of this course.
Guidelines for Research Papers:
Reports should be word-processed, double spaced, in 12-point font, clearly written, and well organized. Length is typically 3 to 6 pages. They should adhere to standard scientific paper format. For examples, see a copy of The American Journal of Physics (we carry this journal in our library). You may also be interested in the Guidelines for Contributors at the American Journal of Physics (AJP) web site.
In general, the report should consist of an abstract, an introduction, an explanation of the problem, a presentation and analysis of any data, and a discussion of the results. The paper should end with a well-formulated conclusion section. Be sure to write the abstract after you have written the rest of the report and do not simply copy the abstracts of any papers you are using as sources! Diagrams, graphs, etc., should be computer generated or copied, with appropriate citation, from the original source. Use endnotes to cite your sources and follow the prescription under "Endnotes ande Citations" given at the AJP web site. You must have at least two sources that are from bona-fide physics journals. On-line journals are acceptable, if they are truly journals rather than a website. Appearance and content are both very important; insure that your report is complete and professional. Please refrain from using any fancy report covers.
For best results, have a classmate proofread your report! You will use
a rubric for critiquing, and I will use the same one for grading. The
rubric is available here.