Modern Physics, Phys 225

MODERN PHYSICS
Phys 225, Spring 1999.

Syllabus - Homework assignment

Instructor: Aurel Bulgac

Office: PAB B478
Phone : 685-2988
FAX : 685-9829
Email: bulgac@phys.washington.edu

TA: Jae Yong Lee , Email: jaeyong@u.washington.edu, phone 685-2465, office B235.

Here are some recommedations from Jae Yong Lee. He found all these sites. Check his home page, as apparently he is still digging up more such sites. You can find some really cool stuff following these links, in particular many things directly related to this course.
Interesting Sites

http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000

http://www.almaden.ibm.com/vis/stm/gallery.html

http://physics.syr.edu/courses/modules/LIGHTCONE/index.html

http://wham.ph.utexas.edu

http://www3.adnc.com/~topquark/quantum/quantumapplets.html

The class will meet MWF 12:30 - 1:20 pm in PAB A110.

OFFICE HOURS
Immediately after class or by appointment.

TEXTBOOK
Randy Harris, Nonclassical Physics (Addison & Wesley).
I have asked the library to put one of my personal copies of this textbook on reserve in Odegaard library. Physics library has another copy of this book. At this very moment the book was checked out by someone. I have asked the libary to recall it and put it on reserve in the physics library. Physics library might be a nicer and quiter place to study than Odegaard libarry, but Odegaard libary apparently is open for longer hours.

ALTERNATE TEXBOOKS

Kenneth Krane, Modern Physics (John Wiley & Sons)

Paul Tipler and Ralph Llewellyn, Modern Physics (W.H. Freeman & Co.)

Paul Tipler, Modern Physics (Worth Pub. Inc.) An earlier edition of the previous book.

Werner Heisenberg, The physical principles of the quantum theory.
I have put this book on reserve in the physics library. It is an usefull text, even though it might prove a bit difficult to read in some places, because of the more advanced mathematical level. However, I find extremely usefull the discussion behind measurement in quantum mechanics and intepretation of uncertainty relations.

HOMEWORK
Assigments will be given on Wednesdays and are due the following Wednesday. On exam weeks the homework will not be collected.

EXAMS
Two midterms: Wednesday, April 21 and Wednesday, May 19.
Final: Thursday, June 10, 8:30-10:20 am in PAB A110.

There will be no make-up exams.

Each midterm will emphasize the material covered prior to that exam, but it may include earlier material as well. The final exam is comprehensive.

Grades for the final exams and final grades .

Solutions to the exam problems:
First midterm 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 .
Second midterm 1 , 2 , 3 , 3a , 4 , 4a .
Final exam 1,2, 3,4, 5a,5b, 5c,5d.

GRADING
Homework 20% + First Midterm 20% + Second Midterm 20% + Final exam 40%.

Follow these links for your scores on homework and exams .

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Syllabus

This syllabus is tentative, the amount of material and detail I shall cover will depend very much on how fast we shall proceed. I plan to cover Special Relativity (chapter 1), Waves and Particles I: electromagnetic radiation behaving as particles (chapter 2), Waves and Particles II: matter behaving as waves (chapter 3), Bound states: simple cases (chapter 4), Unbound states: obstacles, tunneling and particle-wave propagations (chapter 5), Quantum mechanics in three dimensions and the hydrogen atom (chapter 6) and hopefully some material from Spin and atomic physics (chapter 7).

Week/Date To Read Tentative Topics

3/29 - 4/2 Ch. 1.1-1.3
Appendix A Einstein's postulates, Simultaneity,
Length contraction, time dilation.

4/5 - 4/9 Ch. 1.4-1.6 Lorentz Transformation, twin paradox
Doppler effect.

4/12 - 4/16 Ch. 1.7-1.10 Velocity transformations, dynamics,
momentum and energy, massless particles.

4/19
4/21
4/23 Ch. 1.11-1.12
Exam 1
Ch. 2.1-2.2 The fourth dimension, the light barrier.
Solutions: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ,
Photoelectric effect, X-rays.

4/26 - 4/28 Ch. 2.3-2.5
Appendix C
Ch. 3.1-3.3 Compton effect, Blackbody radiation, etc.

Two-slit experiment, Matter waves, etc.

5/3 - 5/7 Ch. 3.4-3.7 Matter behaving as waves

5/10 - 5/14 Ch. 3.6
Ch. 4.1-4.5 Fourier transform - another example
Schroedinger equation, bound states.

5/17, 5/21
5/19 Ch. 4.5, 4.7
Exam 2 Particle in a box, infinite well.

5/24 - 5/28 Ch. 4.6, 4.8
Ch. 5.
Expectation values, Harmonic oscillator
Unbound states

5/31
6/2 - 6/4 Memorial day
Ch. 6
Quantum mechanics in 3D.

6/7 - 6/11 Final Exam Thursday, June 10-th, 8:30-10:20 am, PAB A110.

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Homework assignments and solutions
The date appearing in the table below is the date when the homework is assigned. The homework is due one week later, unless that is an exam week, in which case the homework is not due. If a link is missing and you thik it should be there, check Jae Yong Lee's home page.

TD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="14%"> 5/26

Date
(assigned) Homework assigment

When available, the solutions will appear as active links. Note however that a link might appear, but if that solution set is not supposed to be made public yet, you will not be able to find it by following that link.

3/31 Ch. 1: 1, 2, 8, 12, 14, 18 .

4/7 Ch. 1: 42, 50, 58, 65, 66.

4/14 Ch. 1: 69, 72, 77, 78.

4/21 Ch. 2: 4, 6, 16, 31, 34.

4/28 Ch. 3: 5,19,20,21 24, 33.
The last two problems, 24 and 33, are not due this week, but instead they will be due next week, together with the next week homework assignment.

5/5 Ch. 3: 24, 33,38,39
Note changes in the assignment.

5/12 Ch. 4: 6,7 10-1 10-2 16,26, 27
The last two problems might get reassigned by the end of the week.
5/14 - I have decided to let the last two problems stay. They can be solved using two different approaches. I suggest to use methods you have learned so far in the course. Note however, that in that case you might obtain only estimates, thus your answer might differ by a relatively small factor (2 or 3, or something like that). The solution given here is the ``exact'' one, using methods to be learned after the midterm.

5/19 No homework assigment this week.

Ch. 4: 34, 35; Ch. 5: 1, 9.

6/2 Ch. 6: 2, 4, 10.

Top - Syllabus - Homework assignment

Week/Date	To Read	Tentative Topics

3/29 - 4/2	Ch. 1.1-1.3 Appendix A	Einstein's postulates, Simultaneity, Length contraction, time dilation.
4/5 - 4/9	Ch. 1.4-1.6	Lorentz Transformation, twin paradox Doppler effect.
4/12 - 4/16	Ch. 1.7-1.10	Velocity transformations, dynamics, momentum and energy, massless particles.
4/19 4/21 4/23	Ch. 1.11-1.12 Exam 1 Ch. 2.1-2.2	The fourth dimension, the light barrier. Solutions: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , Photoelectric effect, X-rays.
4/26 - 4/28	Ch. 2.3-2.5 Appendix C Ch. 3.1-3.3	Compton effect, Blackbody radiation, etc. Two-slit experiment, Matter waves, etc.
5/3 - 5/7	Ch. 3.4-3.7	Matter behaving as waves
5/10 - 5/14	Ch. 3.6 Ch. 4.1-4.5	Fourier transform - another example Schroedinger equation, bound states.
5/17, 5/21 5/19	Ch. 4.5, 4.7 Exam 2	Particle in a box, infinite well.
5/24 - 5/28	Ch. 4.6, 4.8 Ch. 5.	Expectation values, Harmonic oscillator Unbound states
5/31 6/2 - 6/4	Memorial day Ch. 6	Quantum mechanics in 3D.
6/7 - 6/11	Final Exam	Thursday, June 10-th, 8:30-10:20 am, PAB A110.

Date (assigned)	Homework assigment

	When available, the solutions will appear as active links. Note however that a link might appear, but if that solution set is not supposed to be made public yet, you will not be able to find it by following that link.

3/31	Ch. 1: 1, 2, 8, 12, 14, 18 .
4/7	Ch. 1: 42, 50, 58, 65, 66.
4/14	Ch. 1: 69, 72, 77, 78.
4/21	Ch. 2: 4, 6, 16, 31, 34.
4/28	Ch. 3: 5,19,20,21 24, 33. The last two problems, 24 and 33, are not due this week, but instead they will be due next week, together with the next week homework assignment.
5/5	Ch. 3: 24, 33,38,39 Note changes in the assignment.
5/12	Ch. 4: 6,7 10-1 10-2 16,26, 27 The last two problems might get reassigned by the end of the week. 5/14 - I have decided to let the last two problems stay. They can be solved using two different approaches. I suggest to use methods you have learned so far in the course. Note however, that in that case you might obtain only estimates, thus your answer might differ by a relatively small factor (2 or 3, or something like that). The solution given here is the ``exact'' one, using methods to be learned after the midterm.
5/19	No homework assigment this week.
Ch. 4: 34, 35; Ch. 5: 1, 9.
6/2	Ch. 6: 2, 4, 10.

MODERN PHYSICS Phys 225, Spring 1999. Syllabus - Homework assignment Instructor: Aurel Bulgac

Interesting Sites

Syllabus

Homework assignments and solutions

MODERN PHYSICS
Phys 225, Spring 1999.

Syllabus - Homework assignment

Instructor: Aurel Bulgac