This course is intended to give the students familiarity with the dynamics of rotational motion, as a concrete example of tensors, eigenvalues and normal modes of motion. The conceptual center is the discovery and use of normal modes of motion arising in the diagonalization of a quadratic form. The students will already have seen this procedure in the treatment of coupled oscillators, but here we have a different topology.
Cyclic coordinates take on their literal meaning.
The students will gain skills and insights into the process of choosing and changing coordinate systems. Math skills will be developed around the concrete example of the inertial tensor, which allows visualization of the meaning of eigenvectors as well as eigenvalues. A final topic is how motion is modified by external factors. They will then have a brief introduction to Larmor precession in both classical and quantum mechanics, returning to the NMR lab as a finale. Another calculus-based introductory book will do fine.