Theoretical Physics for Mathematicians I: Classical Mechanics & Electrodynamics

Theoretical Physics for Mathematicians I: Classical Mechanics & Electrodynamics

I will be teaching the course Theoretical Physics for Mathematicians I: Classical Mechanics & Electrodynamics in fall 2026 at the University of Zurich. The course will be given in English. 

• Lecture: Tuesdays

• Exercise Class: N/A

• Material: 

·   Lecture Notes

·   V. I. Arnold, „Mathematical Methods of Classical Mechanics“, 2nd ed., Springer, 1989.

·   J. D. Jackson, „Classical Electrodynamics“, 3rd ed., Wiley, 1999

• Description of the course: This course introduces central ideas of classical physics from a mathematically oriented perspective. It is designed for mathematics students who are interested in understanding how fundamental physical theories are formulated in precise mathematical terms. The course focuses on the mathematical structures underlying classical mechanics and electrodynamics. Starting from the modeling of physical systems, we develop the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations of mechanics and explore the role of symmetries and conservation laws. The second part of the course introduces basic concepts of classical field theory with a particular emphasis on the structure of Maxwell’s equations. Throughout the course, physical theories are presented as examples of broader mathematical ideas such as variational principles, differential equations, and geometric structures. The aim is not only to learn the basic models of classical physics but also to understand the mathematical concepts that organize and connect them. The course prepares the ground for the second part of the sequence, which introduces the mathematical structure of quantum mechanics.