Academic Honesty |
Academic Learning Compact (ALC) |
Attendance |
Auditing |
Calendar |
Covid |
Canvas
Catalog Description |
Class Times |
Complexity
of syllabus |
Copyright |
Counseling Services |
Disabilities (Accommodations)
Evaluations |
Exam Dates |
Final Examination |
Goals |
Grading |
Homework |
Instructor |
Make-ups |
Meeting times
Missing Class |
Privacy |
Professional Behavior |
Quizzes |
Religious Holidays |
Schedule |
Textbook
The images above are two representations of the emission spectrum of
the sun. (Left (source))
High resolution visible
spectrum of the sun's emitted light, where each row represents 60 nm
of wavelength. The dark lines are due to absorption of emitted light
by elements in the sun's atmosphere.
(Right (source))
UV-Vis-IR spectrum as detected at the top of the earth's
atmosphere and at sea level. This figure shows the overall shape of the
solar spectrum as we receive it on earth. Despite infrared absorption
bands due to H2O and other atmospheric molecules the spectrum is close to
that predicted by the Planck radiation law. In this course we will study
the physics that gives rise to virtually every detail of this spectrum --
from the elemental absorption lines to the Planck law to the infrared
atmospheric bands.
Note that in addition to the Physics II prerequisite, strong mathematics skills are important: Algebra, trigonometry,
and calculus (I, II, III) will be used extensively in this course.
There are two sections of PHY3101 in fall 2020.
This section (19868, with Prof Hagen) meets as follows:
The other section (19894, with Prof Acosta) will meet MWF 4th period. See Prof Acosta's web page and syllabus for details.
The course does not go into rigorous depth in all these topics. It
does not replace standard introductory courses in quantum mechanics,
statistical physics, thermal physics, or general chemistry. It does
however take a quantitative, mathematical approach to the key ideas - and
their experimental applications - that revolutionized our understanding of
matter and energy. Therefore a solid understanding of Physics I and II is
absolutely required. Algebra, trigonometry, and calculus I-II-III will
be used every day, and so excellent math skills are also essential. Some
familiarity with linear algebra is useful but not absolutely required.
If you choose to take this course, you should plan to spend a
significant amount of time doing homework, as the only way to
learn physics is to work a large number of homework problems. The most
common reason that some students do poorly in a physics course is a
failure to engage seriously with the homework and learn to solve each
assigned problem. Do not be surprised if the homework assignments take
up a fair amount of your time. If you don't have time to do homework
then you should not be taking this course.
Although we live in uncertain times,
we will attempt to follow the current proposed calendar for University of Florida
in fall 2020. In addition to a global pandemic, anticipated
hurricanes and other disasters, there are several holidays in fall
2020 that affect our class: Labor Day (Mon Sep 7), Veterans Day (Wed
Nov 11) and Thanksgiving (Wed-Fri, Nov 25-27). Note that the official
UF calendar indicates that classes will meet on the Monday (Nov 23)
but not the Wednesday (Nov 25) before Thanksgiving.
The quiz dates are posted in canvas. The final exam date is posted on the
Registrar's web page.
Setting aside hurricanes and other schedule disruptions, we anticipate
having 39 lectures in fall 2020. During that time we will cover most
(not all) of chapters 1-13 of Krane's Modern Physics. The approximate
schedule will therefore be:
Homework (HW) will be assigned regularly. It is often helpful to work with a friend on the homework, and I
encourage you to do this if possible. But make sure that you understand
each problem and that you have written out your own solution in your own
words. Solutions to HW problems will not be provided by the instructor.
Instead you are encouraged to talk with other students, study the textbook,
ask questions in class, and come to office hours with any
problems that you have difficulty with.
HW will be collected and graded for a modest share of your course
grade. However we will have frequent
short quizzes in which I will present you with a recent HW problem,
or a question that closely resembles a recent HW problem. That will be
your opportunity to show that you understand the HW. These will not be
open-book quizzes, although you will have access to the official formula
sheet. Most quizzes will be short and unannounced.
Each quiz will be graded on a 4-point scale (0-4 pts). If you have
been coming to class and you can do the homework, you should find the
quizzes to be easy. If you are struggling on the quizzes, then it is
highly likely that you are not engaging fully with the homework.
The final course grade will be determined by
Quiz and exam grades will be provided as numerical (not
letter) scores only. The only letter grade provided will be the final
course grade. This approach minimizes roundoff errors in your final grade,
so it is ultimately more fair, even if it causes some anxiety at times.
The letter grade scale applied at the end of the semester will be subject to adjustment based on overall class performance.
The following minimum scale is assured for final letter grades. Depending
on how the exams and quizzes go, the instructor may offer extra credit
or apply some additional, upward adjustment to elevate final grades.
The quizzes and exam will be given online.
All topics covered in the assigned reading and HW, or presented
in lecture, are fair game for the exams and quizzes. Most of the exam
questions are usually similar to previous quiz and HW questions. Most of
the quiz questions are similar to recent HW questions. Therefore, you may
potentially encounter the same problem three times during the semester:
Once as HW, once as quiz, and once on the final exam.
During the exams and quizzes you will be provided an
"official" Phy3101 formula sheet, but you may not use any other notes
or books. You may bring a calculator (but not a phone, tablet, etc.).
If your graded work is returned to you and you have questions about the
grading, you are welcome to ask me to reconsider your grade. Write a
brief note explaining the issue and email it to me. Keep in mind
that regrading can include a review of any and all parts of the work,
and consequently your overall assignment grade could potentially go up
or down. Finally, any requests for review should be made as promptly
as reasonably possible. The last day of regular classes is definitely
an absolute cutoff for any regrading or makeup requests.
Please plan carefully. Check the midterm and final exam
dates (see above) carefully before you make any plans to travel during
the semester. If you make plans and later realize that they conflict
with a scheduled exam, you will have a problem.
Student academic records are
confidential, under federal law. I will not answer emailed questions
about your grades or other academic matters, unless the email comes
from your UF email or Canvas account. Parents (and others)
cannot ask instructors for information on a student's attendance,
grades, performance, etc, either by phone or email. Even your UFID is
confidential.
If you are experiencing covid-19 symptoms or suspect that you may have
been exposed to covid-19,
please follow this guidance
from UF Health.
It is the policy of the University of Florida that the student, not the
instructor, is responsible for arranging accommodations when needed. The
instructor will not remind the student to schedule accommodations prior
to each quiz or exam. If you require extra time for in-class work, you
must initiate this request at least seven days before the exam or quiz.
What does "academic dishonesty" mean? As in most physics courses,
it is normal and appropriate for students in PHY3101 to work together on
homework assignments. However certain other activities are inappropriate:
these include plagiarism, fabricating data or information, falsifying
any document relevant to academic expectations, giving
or receiving any unauthorized assistance on quizzes or exams, and
interfering with the academic work of other students. These acts are
dishonest. Supplying a false or fabricated excuse for missed academic
work is also academic dishonesty.
Finally, some UF students do violate the Honor Code by using cell phones,
accessing internet sites, etc. in order to gain an advantage while taking
online quizzes or exams. There is a serious misconception that this form
of cheating is undetectable. Please understand that nothing you do on
the internet, or with your cell phone, goes unrecorded. There are logs
and spreadsheets that record times and dates of access, user names and
device numbers, IP addresses, various types of digital fingerprints,
what you did and when you did it. All of this information is preserved
indefinitely. When your instructor suspects that students have cheated,
he can and does seek and obtain these logs - he has done it frequently in
recent months - and he can and does perform any analysis that is needed to
identify all students who were involved. He then always brings academic
dishonesty charges against those students without offering warnings or
second chances.
The result is that you may receive a troubling letter from the Deans
Office, unexpectedly, possibly weeks or even months after you committed
an honor violation. Once you have committed an honor code violation,
you have made a mistake that cannot be erased or undone. Do not try your
luck.
The Dean of Students Office website has further details on
academic honesty policies at UF.
Credits: 3; Prerequisite: PHY 2049 or the equivalent.
Modern and atomic physics, relativity,
wave phenomena and the basis of quantum physics
Prof. Steve Hagen
Office: 2362 NPB
Email: sjhagen (at) ufl.edu
You instructor holds some
fixed office hours and some variable (week to week) hours. Check
online for this week's scheduled hours.
If you cannot attend the office hours below you
are welcome to contact me and make a separate appointment.
This course is a fast-moving survey of modern physics, which is the
body of physics experiment and theory that was developed from the late
19th century through the early 20th century. Highlights include the
principles of special relativity (Einstein), the nuclear atom (Bohr
and Rutherford), wave-particle duality (Compton, DeBroglie) and the
uncertainty principle (Heisenberg), statistical mechanics (Boltzmann,
Maxwell), quantum statistics (Planck, Bose/Einstein and Fermi/Dirac),
nuclear decay and radioactivity (Becquerel, P. Curie, M. Curie) ... and
of course the Schrodinger equation and the hydrogen atom (Schrodinger,
Pauli). These ideas revolutionized physics as they depart drastically
from the classical mechanics of Newton and Galileo. They are the basis
of our understanding of the quantum character of matter, which gives
rise to such wonders as solid state physics, nuclear energy, and the
modern science of chemistry (the elements, the periodic table, atomic
and molecular spectra, the chemical bond).
All dates and announcements will be posted on the Canvas site. The Canvas website has the course
calendar in addition to the syllabus, homework and quiz problems
and solutions, exam solutions, and various other timely information.
The instructor will assume that all students check the site regularly
and are familiar with the information and announcements posted there.
Module Topic Dates
1 Why modern physics? Aug 31 Sep 2
2 Special relativity Sep 4 Sep 9 Sep 11 Sep 14
3 Particle properties of light Sep 16 Sep 18 Sep 21
4 Wave properties of matter Sep 23 Sep 25 Sep 28
5 Schrodinger's equation Sep 30 Oct 2 Oct 5 Oct 7
6 The Bohr/Rutherford atom Oct 9 Oct 12 Oct 14
7 The hydrogen atom Oct 16 Oct 19 Oct 21
8 Many electron atoms, molecules Oct 23 Oct 26 Oct 28 Oct 30 Nov 2
9 Statistical physics Nov 4 Nov 6 Nov 9 Nov 13
10 Solid state physics Nov 16 Nov 18 Nov 20 Nov 23
11 Nuclear structure and reactions Nov 30 Dec 2 Dec 4 Dec 7
Conclusions Dec 9
(To be announced)
A < 100 to 94
A- < 94.0 to 90.0
B+ < 90.0 to 87.0
B < 87.0 to 84.0
B- < 84.0 to 80.0
C+ < 80.0 to 77.0
C < 77.0 to 74.0
C- < 74.0 to 70.0
D+ < 70.0 to 67.0
D < 67.0 to 64.0
D- < 64.0 to 61.0
F < 61.0 to 0.0
The final examination is comprehensive - it covers the
entire semester. The date and time is fixed by the UF Registrar at 730-930 am (Eastern time) on Thur Dec 17, 2020. Mark your calendar.
The Instructor believes that make-ups are intrinsically
unfair. This unfairness can be mitigated (but not eliminated)
by keeping the number of make-ups to an absolute minimum.
A make-up for a missed exam will be granted only in a truly dire situation which the
student can prove satisfies UF criteria. Proper documentation of any emergency will be required.
Makeups for the in-class activity are generally unnecessary because the total
number of possible points is capped at 15. You can
make up lost points by attending class and more frequently
The class is taught in `synchronous' (real time) mode. Your regular attendance
is definitely expected. Mastery of the course
material will require each student to make a sustained and consistent
investment of effort throughout the semester. Class attendance is part
of that effort. Poor attendance or frequent lateness will result in
a reduced final grade, or even a failing grade. A student who stops
participating in the class - i.e. who ceases attending class, doing
homework, communicating with the instructor, taking quizzes/exams - should
drop the course, because otherwise a failing grade is certain. No special
end-of-semester arrangements (such as make-up work, late-drop petitions,
incomplete grades, signatures on various forms, etc.) will be provided
to any student who simply disappeared for a substantial portion of the
semester. Such accommodations are only available to students who have
participated in class and kept in regular contact with the instructor
during the term.
Unfortunately the instructor cannot approve requests to audit
PHY3101. Every student must register formally and take the class for
credit.
Students who will require a classroom accommodation for a disability must
contact the Dean of Students Office and request proper documentation. Upon
bringing that documentation to the Instructor, the student will be
given the appropriate accommodations. No accommodations are available to
students who lack this documentation.
This is an upper-division, university classroom and so we expect
professional behavior from everyone. When participating in a ZOOM
lecture, please do not engage in activities that may distract yourself or
others from the group activity. Please mute your audio so as to minimize
distracting sound. Overall, please show courtesy and respect to others
in the class. We need to make this class successful for everyone and
your help toward that goal is appreciated.
The covid situation has forced us to use online modes of teaching to
help students complete their UF courses and degrees. This is a pain
and nobody is happy about it. Nevertheless we need to make this effort
successful. So that all students can earn meaningful university degrees,
we need everyone to abide by the principles of academic honesty that
are expressed in the Student Honor Code. Your instructor takes this very
seriously. Consequently, any incident of academic dishonesty in this
course will be reported to the Dean of Students Office. There will be
no warnings and no exceptions, and consequences will be severe. Even
if the incident is the student's first offense at UF, the student will
receive a failing grade in PHY3101.
Major religious observances will be accommodated. It is university
policy, however, that the student must inform the instructor of religious
observances that will conflict with class attendance or other activities,
prior to the class or the occurrence of that activity.
Since major religious holidays are usually based on astronomical calendars -
which (thanks to Newtonian mechanics) can be calculated hundreds of years in advance - the instructor
will expect the student to provide at least 7-14 days of advance
notice of any upcoming religious observance.
Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. Guidance on how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/students/. Students will be notified when the evaluation period opens, and can complete evaluations through the email they receive from GatorEvals, in their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals, or via https://ufl.bluera.com/ufl/. Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/public-results/
University life can be stressful. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the demands of your semester please make use of the UF Counseling and Wellness Center.
The instructor may use photo or video recording of exams and quizzes
for the purpose of promoting academic honesty. However it is
UF policy that students may not make unauthorized recordings: "A Student must not, without express authorization from Faculty, make or receive any Recording, through any means over any medium, of any academic activity, including but not limited to a Recording of any class or of any meeting with Faculty."
Also note that the textbook, homework questions, and written homework
solutions are the intellectual property of the textbook author and
publisher and others. Therefore, permission to redistribute, reuse, recycle,
share, upload, copy, buy, sell etc. any course materials in any form
is denied. Period. This means for example that it is illegal
to copy or upload homework solutions or classroom audio/video to any
website or distribute them to any third party for any purpose.