PHY 4604 QUANTUM MECHANICS I - Fall 2016

INSTRUCTOR

Pierre Sikivie
Office: NPB 2063
email: sikivie@phys.ufl.edu
tel: 352.392.1923

CLASS TIMES

MWF, 9:35am - 10:25pm, in NPB 1002

OFFICE HOURS, NPB 2063

Mondays: 10:40am - 11:30am
Wednesdays: 12:50pm - 1:40pm
Fridays: 11:45am - 12:35pm


GRADER

Alexandria Eder
Office: NPB 1224
email: a.eder@ufl.edu
Office hours: 2:00 - 3:00 pm on Fridays

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK

"Introduction to Quantum Mechanics" (2d edition) by David J. Griffiths, Pearson Prentice Hall 2005. We will cover CHAPTERS 1-5.

There are many other useful textbooks on quantum mechanics. You are encouraged to explore alternatives. Here are four that have often been recommended by colleagues who taught the course in the past:
    - R. Shankar "Principles of Quantum Mechanics", 2d edition, Springer 1994.
    - L.E. Ballentine "Quantum Mechanics, A Modern Development", World Scientific 1998.
    - M. Belloni, W. Christian and A.J. Cox "Physlet Quantum Mechanics", Pearson Prentice Hall 2006.
    - S. Gasiorowicz "Quantum Physics", J. Wiley, 1974.

DESCRIPTION

PHY 4604 is the first course of our two-semester introductory quantum mechanics sequence for advanced undergraduates. It covers the basic concepts and formalism of quantum mechanics as well as some standard exactly solvable problems. The material covered is central to much of contemporary research in physics, in other sciences, and in engineering.

PREREQUISITES

Modern physics, PHY3103 or PHY3063, is a prerequisite because it motivates and introduces the Schrödinger equation, which is the starting point for this course. For mathematics, you should have completed differential equations, MAP 2302, as well as have familiarity with such linear algebra concepts as eigenstates and eigenvalues.

HOMEWORK

There will be seven homework sets, due on 9/7, 9/21, 10/5, 10/19, 11/2, 11/16 and 12/2. The homework is your best opportunity to learn the material in depth. If at all possible, do the homework entirely on your own. Only if you are hopelessly stuck is it alright to seek help from the instructor or other students. Any help must be explicitly acknowledged at the end of the corresponding problem. In that case you will not be penalized for having received help.

QUIZZES

There will be six in-class quizzes. They will take place at unannounced times. Each will be 20 to 25 minutes long and cover the same material as the previous homework set. Of those six quizzes, only the four best will count toward the final grade.

In addition, there will be an Academic Learning Compact (ALC) test, a multiple choice test on Friday, Dec. 2. The ALC test will be 30 min long and cover all the material taught during the semester.

GRADING

The final grade will be based on:
Homework 20%
Quizzes 35%
ALC test 5%
Final exam (December 15) 40%
 

Your letter grade will be determined from the following scale:
80 < A < 100 65 < B < 70 50 < C < 55 35 < D < 40
75 < A- < 80 60 < B- < 65 45 < C- < 50 30 < D- < 35
70 < B+ < 75 55 < C+ < 60 40 < D+ < 45  

The current UF policies for assigning grade points may be found at https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx.

CLASS ATTENDANCE

Requirements for class attendance, make-up exams, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies that can be found at https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx.

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Students with disabilities requesting accommodations should first register with the Disability Resource Center (352-392-8565, https://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc) by providing appropriate documentation. Once registered, students will receive an accommodations letter which must be presented to the instructor when requesting accommodation. Students with disabilities should follow this procedure as early as possible in the semester.

COURSE EVALUATIONS

Students are expected to provide feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing online evaluations at https://evaluations.ufl.edu. Evaluations are typically open during the last two or three weeks of the semester, but students will be given specific times when they are open. Summary results of these assessments are available to students at https://evaluations.ufl.edu/results.

CLASS SCHEDULE

Aug. 22 - Sept. 2: chapter 1
Sept. 7 - Oct. 7: chapter 2
Oct. 10 - Oct. 21: chapter 3
Oct. 24 - Nov. 21: chapter 4
Nov. 28 - Dec. 7: chapter 5