THERMAL PHYSICS

Marcel den Nijs

Office: PAB B429
london@uw.edu

Phys224, Spring 2024
11:30 am - 12:20 pm
Mo, We, Fr
PAA A118



Instructor:

I am a condensed matter theorist, who studies the statistical properties of equilibrium and non-equilibrium phase transitions, the Quantum Hall effect, and also work in neuroscience.

You can reach me
  • by e-mail at london@uw.edu. Canvas offers an e-mail option as well, but please use london@uw.edu instead for a timely response.
  • during office hours, immediately after class on Wednesday and Friday, 12:30-1:30 pm, in my office (B429) or the H-Bar.
  • by appointment, in my office (B429).

Lectures Materials:

"An Introduction To Thermal Physics" by Schroeder, detailed Lecture Notes posted on Canvas, and additional materials posted on Canvas.

Not all materials presented in class are included in Schroeder's textbook, chapters 1-6. Posted lecture notes serve therefore as a main source of information, supplemented by additional materials posted on Canvas.

Canvas is the main electronic communication channel for this course, to discuss the course material between students, for lecture notes and all other posted materials, to download and upload homework assignments, solutions, practice tests, etc.

The Day-by-day WEB page serves as a detailed guide to the materials covered. A fat thick red horizontal line will be moving over time to indicate where we are at that moment in class. Please check it regularly.

Homework:

Weekly homework assignments will be posted on Canvas and are due as uploads in Canvas every Wednesday before midnight. Solutions will be posted on Canvas by Thursday evening that same week.

HW0 is due Wednesday the first week of classes, is very short, worth 5 bonus points, and is meant mostly as a test run of the upload procedure.

HW involves problem solving and reading assignments. The design of the exams presumes familiarity with the homework problems. No HW is due during the two weeks of the midterms.

Your homework with the lowest score (HW sets 1-7) will not count towards your grade. If for whatever reason you miss one homework, that will be the one that will be dropped.

Exams:

This Course has 2 midterms. The first Midterm is planned for Wednesday April 17 and the second for Wednesday May 15. Check the Canvas page for possible changes in the schedule.

The final exam takes place on Wednesday, Jun 05, 2:30-4:20, in PAA A118. This is a comprehensive exam.

All tests are closed book exams, no active phones, no internet. Basic non-programmable calculators are allowed but are not essential. Bring pencils and an eraser.
Prepare one page with notes for each midterm and also for the final exam. Bring it to the exam, use it and keep it. Bring also the note sheets from the previous midterms.

Credits:

To qualify for credit in this course you must hand-in at least 5 of the 7 homework assignments and participate in both midterms and the final exam.

There will be no make-up exams, except in special circumstances. I need to hear from you if/why you were absent in case you miss an exam.

Grades:

Each homework set is worth 20 points. HW in total counts for 25 percent of your grade. Your homework set with the lowest score will not count towards your grade.

The Midterms and Final count for 75 percent of your grade as follows. The exams are subdivided into problems of equal weight: problems 1 and 2 in midterm 1, problems 3 and 4 in midterm 2, and problems 5 to 7 in the final. Each is worth 60 points.

A score below 15 points in each of these 7 units reverts automatically into a zero. Partial credit is awarded to all exams problems. Your lowest score out of these 7 exam units will be dropped, and the remaining 6 determine 75 percent of your grade.

Ignore grade predictions made by Canvas. I do not use any of that. I download the scores and determine the grades within a spreadsheet.

The average grade in this class is typically between 3.2-3.3. I do not grade on a rigid curve. Having taught this class many times allows me to compare your performance with a large number of previous students (a reservoir in thermal physics jargon). I will announce in class after the second midterm my prediction of how many points will be needed for a 2.0 grade. The threshold for a 4.0 grade is most sensitive to exam question fluctuations and therefore statistically more difficult to predict. Typically about five percent of the class earns a 4.0.

Accommodation policies:

Students requiring SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS or encounter special (un-) expected circumstances during the quarter should contact me as early as possible, so we can address these in a timely fashion. See also Disability Resources for Student .

The RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATIONS policies of the UW can be found at
https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy.