FISI4120 Introduction to Celestial Mechanics
The course begins with some historical and elementary introduction to the basic concepts in mechanics and celestial mechanics followed by a treatment of the two body problem. We shall then go over to understand the movement of celestial bodies through Kepler's laws and the computational methods for studying the orbits. Some aspects of the Newton's theory of gravitation will then be addressed in connection with astrophysical objects. After a brief look into the concept of rotating reference frames, we shall try to understand the restricted three body problem. This is one of the most interesting problems of celestial mechanics. Imagine a system of three masses where two are comparable and much larger than a third one. This could be the case of a planet with two suns. The course ends with presentations by students on topics they have chosen for the term papers or a short lecture.
Periodo en el que se ofrece el curso
202510
Idioma en el que se ofrece el curso
Inglés
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