No Bullshit Mechanics Lessons¶

Lessons and missions to accompany Chapter 2 and Chapter 4 in the No Bullshit Guide to Math & Physics published by Minieference Co..

Product placement

The No Bullshit Guide to Math & Physics (Minireference Publishing, v5.4 2020, ISBN 0992001005) is available in print from amazon or lulu. For digital download (PDF, ePub, mobi) see gumroad: https://gum.co/noBSmathphys (US$29).

Contents¶

tutorials = self-contained explainers (1-3 pages)
missions = project based learning

Context¶

After solving exercises and problems using pen-and-paper approach, you must be wondering how you can solve physics problems using code.

If know mechanics you should be able to code-up solutions to the five missions you will find in the missions/ folder of this repo with no trouble at all.

If you don’t know mechanics, you can consult the tutorials and lessons to learn about mechanics topics in a just-in-time manner (a.k.a. the pull condition).

The give you an idea of the missions you’ll have to face, consider the Interception example in Chapter 4. A mission problem statement will provide you with all the data of the problem as code:

# incoming projectile A
rAi = [0, 3]
vAi = [8*cos(40), 8*sin(40)

# intercepting projectile B
rBi = [10, 0]

and your job will be to write a function that solves the problem. In this example, compute the intitial speed w that sets the intitial velocity vBi so that peojectile B will intercept projectile A.

Simple questions, right? Can you code it?

If you manage to code it, we then I’ll make you extend it to variable rAi, vAi, and rBi, and other scenarios. By the end of this we’ll have a proper interceptor system.

Interested? If so get started with the SymPy Mechanics tutorial, which will introduce you to the various math tools available to you through the computer algebra system called SymPy. Good stuff. If this were an RPG game, starting by printing out the SymPy Tutorial and reading it would be equivalent to starting with a really good inventory.