PHY 3101: Introduction to Modern Physics Fall 2010         Professor Mark W. Meisel

in vivo schedule (black text: projected and tentative; blue text: past;

red text: projected quizzes and exams and extra credit; green text: fixed final exams)

Note: revisions will be announced in class and subsequently posted online.

 

Week 1            Aug 23             Introduction to the Course and Ch. 1

                                                Homework Problems Ch. 1:  11, 13, 21, 25, 30, 33, 38, 41, 43, 49

                        Aug 25             Continue Ch. 1, H-ITT testing phase

                        Aug 27             Continue Ch. 1, H-ITT testing phase

                                                Extra-Credit 1 (5 pts) due at the start of class.

 

Week 2            Aug 30             Finish Ch. 1.

                                                Homework Problems Ch.2:  1, 5, 9, 17, 21, 25, 29, 37, 40

                                                H-ITT points are recorded today and onward: H-ITT 1 done.

                        Sept 01            Start Ch. 2.  H-ITT2 done.

                        Sept 03            Continue Ch. 2, H-ITT3, alpha-electron collision problem, and

                                                Quiz 1 (material to end of Aug 30 and Ch. 1)

 

Week 3            Sept 06            No Class: Labor Day Holiday

                        Sept 08            Review Quiz 1, Continue Ch. 2, work alpha-electron problem.

                        Sept 10            Finish non-relativistic alpha-electron scattering problem.

                                                Quiz 2 (material to end of Sept 03)

 

Week 4            Sept 13            Review Quiz 2.  p + p --> p + p + p + p (anti-p)

Problem 2-21.  Review Relativity (Ch. 1 and 2).

Start Ch. 3, Millikan (see below),

                                                Homework Problems for Ch. 3: 13, 17, 21, and

                                                Derivation of Compton’s Equation (p138-5th ed, p153-4th ed)

                        Sept 15            Continue Ch. 3

                        Sept 17            Continue Ch. 3, Demo of Photoelectric Effect

                                                Quiz 3 (material covered Sept. 08 to end of Sept. 13)

 

=====================================================================

Aside:  Millikan’s Oil Drop Experient – Candy Coated in Textbook?

Assigned Step 1:  Read the text about Millikan’s Experiment and online textbook blurb.

Assigned Step 2:  Feynman?  Try: Cargo Cult Science:

http://calteches.library.caltech.edu/51/2/CargoCult.pdf

“But this long history of learning how to not fool ourselves - of having utter scientific integrity –

is, I’m sorry to say, something that we haven’t specifically included in any particular course that

I know of.  We just hope you’ve caught on by osmosis.”

Optional Step 3:  Ethics?  Try:

            Case Study 2: The Millikan Case - Discrimination Versus Manipulation of Data

            http://www.onlineethics.org/CMS/edu/precol/scienceclass/sectone/cs2.aspx

(Online Ethics Center at The National Academy of Engineering)

Assigned Step 4:  Repeat Step 1?  Your thoughts?

=====================================================================

 

Week 5            Sept 20            Review for MTE1.  Email questions before 8 am!

                        Sept 22            Review for MTE1 in class, but NO H-ITT on this day.

                                                MTE1: 8:20 pm to 10:10 pm, FLG 210 (A-M) and FLG 230 (N-Z)

                                                (covering material from start to 17 September)

                                                (covering material from class, assigned readings, and in

                                    Ch. 1, 2 (no General Relativity), 3 (not the Compton Effect for this exam)

                        Sept 24            Review MTE 1.

                                                Compton Effect/Scattering.

                                                Quiz 4 (will be over material that was “fair” for MTE1)

 

Week 6            Sept 27            Review Quiz 4.  Finish Ch. 3.

                        Sept 29            Start Ch. 4.  Homework Problems for Ch. 4:  5, 6, 7, 9, 13, 25, 45.

                                                Rutherford Scattering and Rutherford Scattering “movie”.

                                                Additional assigned reading:

                                                Rutherford as Alpha-Male” by M. Fowler,

                http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/classes/252/Rutherford_Scattering/Rutherford_Scattering.html

                                                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckzZvzGkr48

                        Oct 01             Ch. 4 continued.  Bohr Model.

                                                Quiz 5 (focusing on material from Ch. 3)

 

Week 7            Oct 04             Review Quiz 5.  Finish Ch. 4.  Start Ch. 5.

                        Oct 06             Ch. 5 continued.

                                                Homework Prob. Ch. 5:  9, 17, 29, 33, [41 5th ed = 39 4th ed],

                                                                                                            [50 5th ed = 48 4th ed].

                                                Acoustics and Vibration Animations, Dan Russell, Kettering Univ.

                                                The uncertainty principle, by Mountain Math Software

                                                Wave Packets by Michael Fowler, University of Virginia

                                                Group Velocity vs Phase Velocity by Kyle Forinash, Indiana Univ.

                        Oct 08             Finish Ch. 5.  Start Ch. 6.

                                                Homework Prob. Ch. 6: 5, 7, 9, 16,

                                                [24-25 4th ed = 25-26 5th ed], [28 4th ed = 29 5th ed],

                                                [41-42 4th ed = 43-44 5th ed], [47 4th ed = 49 5th ed]

                                                Quiz 6 (focusing on material in Ch. 4)

 

Week 8            Oct 11             Review Quiz 6.  Continue Ch. 6.

                        Oct 13             Continue Ch. 6.

                        Oct 15             No Class, UF Homecoming Holiday

 

Week 9            Oct 18             Ch. 6 continued.  S.E.: Free Particle and 1D Infinite Square Well.

                        Oct 20             Ch. 6 continued.  S.E.: 1D Infinite Square Well, Operators,

                                                            and Expectation Values.

                        Oct 22             Ch. 6 continued.  1D Infinite Square Well and Expectation Values.

                                                Quiz 7 (focusing on material from Ch. 5)

 


=====================================================================

LINKS:           Some Links for QM barriers and wells and orbitals

                        IBM Quantum Corrals: http://www.almaden.ibm.com/vis/stm/

                        Paul Falstad: http://www.falstad.com/mathphysics.html

                        PhET: U-CO at Boulder:

http://phet.colorado.edu/new/simulations/sims.php?sim=Quantum_Tunneling_and_Wave_Packets

=====================================================================

 

Week 10          Oct 25             Review Quiz 7.  Review for MTE2.  Email questions by 8 am!

                        Oct 27             Review for MTE2.  No H-ITT in class on this day.

                                                MTE2: 8:20 pm to 10:10 pm, PUGH 170 (all)

                                                (Focus on material since MTE1 to end of 22 October:

                                                meaning, nominally material in

                                                Ch. 3 (starting with Compton Scattering) (most Ch.3 was MTE1),

                                                Ch. 4, Ch. 5, and Ch. 6 (Sections 6.1, 6.2, 6.4 but NOT 6.3).

                        Oct 29             Review MTE2.

                                                Quiz 8 (from material covered for MTE2).

 

Week 11          Nov 01            Review Quiz 8.  Continue Ch. 6 material: Finite Square Well to Steps.

                                                Handout.  5-2 HITT start and interwoven with 2-1 HITT.

                        Nov 03            Continue Ch. 6 material.

                        Nov 05            Continue Ch. 6. material.  Finish Ch. 6, start Ch. 7.

                                                Homework Prob. Ch.7: 1, 9, 19, 25

                                                Quiz 9

                                                (Do-at-Home, Submit-at-Start of Class (Hardcopy, 1 page)!

                                                Run:  PhET: U-CO at Boulder:

http://phet.colorado.edu/new/simulations/sims.php?sim=Quantum_Tunneling_and_Wave_Packets

                                                Do a “screen capture” (Print Screen) and Print or Paste to Document

                                                and Print and Comment on your plot.  Assignments are:

                                                Birth DAY 01-07: Well

                                                Birth DAY 08-14: Barrier

                                                Birth DAY 15-21: into a Step

                                                Birth DAY 22-31: off a Step

                                                Birth Month EVEN: E of particle less than V

                                                Birth Month ODD: E of particle greater than V

                                                If unphysical situation arises, then run one of the other choices.

 

Week 12          Nov 08            Continue Ch. 7. NO Office Hours this week.

                        Nov 10            Guest Lecture: Professor Field:

                                                Particle Physics: up to the Standard Model and Beyond

                                                (Assigned reading before class: Ch. 13 in 4th ed. or Ch. 12 in 5th ed.

                                                No specific problems are assigned, but the reading is required.)

                        Nov 12            Guest Lecture: Professor Fry:

                                                Dark Matter and Related Topics: a perspective of the cosmos

                                                (Assigned reading before class: Ch. 14 in 4th ed. or Ch. 13 in 5th ed.

                                                No specific problems are assigned, but the reading is required.)


Week 13          Nov 15            Finish Ch. 7.

                        Email Meisel if using “Make-Up” Day, Deadline 17 Nov.

                        Nov 17            Finish Ch. 7.

                                                Ch. 8. Statistical Physics, Sections 1-3.

                                                BEC at U CO: http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/bec/

                                                Required Reading: Quantum Liquids by A. J. Leggett

                                                Science 29 February 2008: 1203-1205

                        Nov 19            Continue Ch. 8.

                                                Ch. 11 in 5th ed (Ch. 11-12 in 4th ed) Nuclear Physics and Energy.

                                                ONLINE Liquid Drop and Nuclear Safety Issues Readings:

                                                “Radiation Risk and Ethics”, by Zbigniew Jaworowski

                                                Physics Today, Sep99, Vol. 52 Issue 9, p24, 6p, (available online, eg:

                                                http://www.riskworld.com/nreports/1999/jaworowski/NR99aa01.htm)

                                                “Fathoming Matter’s Heart Unbound”, by Adrian Cho

                                                Science, 13 March 2009, Vo. 323, pp1424-1425, see:

                                                http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/323/5920/1424

                                                Quiz 10 (focus on Ch. 7)

 

Week 14          Nov 22            Review Quiz 10.

                                                Finish Ch. 8.  Focus on Ch. 11.

                                                Doctor honoris causa at Šafárik University in Košice, Slovakia

                        Nov 24            Reading Day (individual study due to evening exams)

                        Nov 26            No Class, Thanksgiving Holiday

 

Week 15          Nov 29            “Make-Up” Day

                                                (only for students requesting make-up for excused absences)

                                                Email Prof. Meisel in advance: list the dates that you missed

                                                and the material that you want to make-up.

                        Dec 01             Finish Ch. 11.  Quantum Cats and Computers: “Food for thought?”

                                                Student Evaluations!

                                                Extra Credit (5 pts) due at start of class,

                                                1 page (single-sided, typed) (not to be read until after course ends):

                        “What I think I know and What I need to know better and What I do not yet know”.

                        Dec 03             Review for MTE3 and Final.  Email questions before 8 AM.

                                                Quiz 11 (focus on material from Ch. 8, 17 – 22 Nov)

 

Week 16          Dec 06             Review Quiz 11.  Review for MTE3.

                                                MTE3: 8:20 pm to 10:10 pm, Weil 270 (all),

                                                covering material in class and textbook from MTE2 to 01 Dec,

                                                additional details to be announced.

                        Dec 08             Review MTE 3 and Review for Final. Last Day of Classes

                        Dec 10             No Class, Reading/Review Break

 

Final Exam (Group 15E):  Wendesday, 15 December, 5:30 to 7:30 pm, all material covered.

ROOM NPB 1001 (the BIG lecture room in NPB next to our lecture room).