Additional problems in Classical Mechanics

[golanor]

Hello,
Since I cannot post this in the "Learning Materials" forum, I thought I'll just post it here.
I am a first year Physics/Biology major, and I am currently studying a course in classical mechanics. My problem is that I do not seem to find high level problems in mechanics anywhere online, or in books. I've tried doing MIT problem sets from their OCW website, but most of it, compared to our problems/tests are not very hard.
I've also tried solving problems from Kleppner & Kolenkow's Introduction to Mechanics (The book recommended in our syllabus), but that, too, wasn't difficult.

Does anyone know where I could find some difficult problems to tackle?

Thanks!

 

[Hercuflea]

Maybe try making up your own. For example what is the torque on a telephone pole being lifted by a helium blimp over a lake of water. What buoyant force is required to do this. If the blimp drops the telephone pole in the lake with initial velocity vi, how deep will it go before it floats to the top, or will it sink?

Things like that

 

[golanor]

That's actually a great idea. Thanks!

 

[espen180]

I've found that the more surreal problems are usually funnier to solve. For example, how long does a thin upright pole of fixed density have to be in order to float unsuspended in midair at Earth's surface (moving with the Earth's rotation)?

 

[Lavabug]

Hello,
Since I cannot post this in the "Learning Materials" forum, I thought I'll just post it here.
I am a first year Physics/Biology major, and I am currently studying a course in classical mechanics. My problem is that I do not seem to find high level problems in mechanics anywhere online, or in books. I've tried doing MIT problem sets from their OCW website, but most of it, compared to our problems/tests are not very hard.
I've also tried solving problems from Kleppner & Kolenkow's Introduction to Mechanics (The book recommended in our syllabus), but that, too, wasn't difficult.

Does anyone know where I could find some difficult problems to tackle?

Thanks!

Have a look at the CM book by David Morin, or get an analytical mechanics book like Landau or Calkin and try to arrive to the same solutions using Newtonian mechanics.

 

[golanor]

Have a look at the CM book by David Morin, or get an analytical mechanics book like Landau or Calkin and try to arrive to the same solutions using Newtonian mechanics.

Are you referring to L.D. Landau, E.M. Lifgarbagez (1976). Mechanics. Vol. 1 (3rd ed.). Butterworth–Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-7506-2896-9.
?

 

[WannabeNewton]

I second the Morin recommendation. It's a great book of problems. My first recommendation would have been Kleppner but you said you have already done that one (although maybe in the process of choosing problems you missed the more difficult ones?). Good luck!

 

[golanor]

I picked up the Morin book, it is wonderful, doesn't even feel like I'm reading a textbook.
Thanks again!

 

[bigQ]

try these
1. problems in general physics - I.E.Irodov
2. collection of problems in theoretical mechanics - I.V.Meshchersky

i hope these fit in the difficulty level u want.

 

[golanor]

Thanks, i'll check them out.