It allows students to look at the dynamics of particles, rigid bodies, and deformable continua in more detail.
Topics introduced include the stability of equilibrium, and vibrations of discrete systems.
Many reviewers felt knowledge of linear algebra, differential equations, and calculus was essential to an understanding of the concepts covered in this class. The majority of the class thought Professor Olmsted's lectures were clear and well organized, although sometimes he dwelt too much on proofs that were confusing and did not help one to grasp the target concept. He tended to be very willing to help his students, and was dedicated to the class. One survey respondent noted that the professor asked to meet everyone individually to discuss how he could improve the class, which made the respondents felt that the professor really cared about their learning progress. The workload of this class consisted of weekly problem sets, two midterms, one lab project, and one final.