Classical Mechanics and Electromagnetism
Overview
To develop in students familiarity with selected areas of classical physics and electromagnetism, particularly those areas relevant to modern applied science.
Requisites
AND EITHER
MTH20010 Statistics and Computation for Engineering
OR
MTH20014 Matrices, Vector Calculus and Complex Analysis
OR
MTH20017 Mathematical Methods and Statistics for Engineering
02-November-2025
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Identify the fundamental concepts of classical mechanics and formulate solutions to a range of dynamical system problems (K1,K2,K3)
- Describe and interpret the fundamental concepts of electromagnetism (K1,K2)
- Apply physical principles to the analysis of problems in electromagnetism (K1, K2, K3)
- Analyse experimental data and synthesize these results with your physics knowledge in order to communicate your ideas and conclusions in the form of a technical report (K2, A2)
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-campus Lecture | 2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| On-campus Class | 2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| On-campus Lab | 2.00 | 6 weeks | 12 |
| Unspecified Activities Independent Learning | 7.50 | 12 weeks | 90 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Individual | 10 - 30% | 1,2,3 |
| Examination | Individual | 40 - 60% | 1 |
| Laboratory Practicals | Individual | 10 - 30% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Quizzes | Individual | 5 - 15% | 1,2,3,4 |
Hurdle
As the minimum requirements of assessment to pass a unit and meet all ULOs to a minimum standard, an undergraduate student must have achieved:
(i) an aggregate mark of 50% or more, and(ii) at least 40% in the final exam.Students who do not successfully achieve hurdle requirement (ii) will receive a maximum of 45% as the total mark for the unit.
Content
Classical Mechanics
- Newton’s Laws
- Vibrating systems
- Rigid body dynamics
- Lagrange’s equations
-  Hamilton’s equations
Electromagnetism
- Electrostatics
- Magnetostatics
- Electric and Magnetic Media
- Maxwell’s Equations in Differential Forms
- Time-Varying Fields
- Electromagnetic Waves
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.