Academic Honesty | Attendance | Auditing | Calendar | Catalog Description |
Class Times |
Copyright |
Disabilities (Accomodations) |
Exam Dates |
Final Examination |
Goals |
Grading |
Homework |
Instructor |
Make-ups |
Meeting times |
Missing Class |
Privacy |
Professional Behavior |
Religious Holidays |
Sakai |
Schedule |
Textbook |
Website
Credits: 3; Coreq: PHY 2049 or the equivalent.
First part of sequence PHY 3513-4523. Treatment of classical thermodynamics including fundamental postulates, entropy, equations of states. Thermodynamic equilibrium and potentials, Maxwell relations, phase transitions.
Prof. Steve Hagen
Office: 2362 NPB
Email: sjhagen (at) ufl.edu
Office hours: See weekly announcement on Sakai. If you cannot attend the scheduled weekly office hours, you are welcome to contact me and make an appointment.
MWF 7th period (1:55 - 2:45 pm)
Room 1101 NPB (Physics Building at Museum Rd and Lemerand Dr)
This is the first course in a two-semester series (PHY3513 + PHY4523)
in thermal physics, which is the study of general properties of heat,
work and energy. The topic can be divided roughly into three parts:
kinetic theory, thermodynamics and statistical physics. PHY3513 focuses
on the first two (kinetic theory and thermodynamics), while PHY4523
focuses on statistical mechanics. The goals of this course are to
introduce basic concepts in the kinetic theory of ideal gases (such as the
Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution) and then to develop the fundamental laws
of thermodynamics and their applications. These ideas define in a precise
and universal way some of the most basic attributes of matter and energy.
They include the concepts of thermodynamic equilibrium, efficiency,
reversibility and irreversibility, temperature, entropy, state equations,
thermodynamic free energy, phase transitions and more. Historically,
these ideas arose out of the study of engines (steam engines) during
the industrial revolution - before the nature of atoms and molecules
was even understood! However the principles of thermodynamics
are fundamental to all of the natural sciences and engineering, from
biochemistry to astrophysics. A proper understanding of thermodynamics
is especially important for any student who wishes to pursue advanced
study in any physical science or engineering field.
The book combines statistical
physics, thermodynamics, and kinetic theory, which is more than we can
cover in one semester. We will therefore skip quite a few chapters so
that we can focus on the kinetic theory and thermodynamics, leaving most
of the statistical physics for PHY4523.
You have to decide whether you are looking for further reading in statistical mechanics or thermodynamics. Our course is more focused on the latter, but we do consider statistical ideas during the first few weeks. Thus any of the following books might be helpful supplemental reading for PHY3513. Most or all can be found in the UF Library.
We follow the UF academic calendar. Note that the UF calendar has no classes scheduled on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (Wed November 27, 2013). However we do have class on that Monday 11/25/2013.
The Midterm and Final Examination dates are as follows:
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. The most common reason that students do poorly in this course is a failure to engage seriously with the homework and gain understanding of these problems. If you don't have time to do lots of regular homework, then you don't have time to learn thermal physics and you should not be taking this course.
Homework (HW) will be collected in class on the due date. It will not be accepted out of class. Please do not slide it under my office door or place it in my mailbox. Each homework assignment will be graded on a 3-point scale (0-3 points). Late homework will not be graded and missed assignments cannot be made up. If you miss a homework deadline for any reason, there is no need for you to provide an excuse. Instead I will drop the two lowest homework scores at the end of the semester.
We will have frequent short quizzes in-class - usually once per week. These quizzes are designed to assess whether you have read the textbook, followed the lectures, and understood the homework problems. Therefore most quiz problems will closely resemble recent homework problems, or examples discussed recently in class. Each quiz will be graded on a 3-point scale (0-3 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 most likely that you are not spending enough time with the homework.
Quizzes will usually be announced in advance on the Sakai site. Quiz announcements may be posted on rather short notice.
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. However the following minimum scale is assured:
This means that a student who earns 86.67% average on all graded work
(and meets other requirements described in this syllabus) is assured at
least an A-, etc.
The midterm exams are given in class. The final exam is an assembly
exam. 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 midterm or final exam.
During the exams and quizzes you will be provided a copy of the
"official" Phy3513 formula sheet, but you may not use any other notes
or books. You may bring a calculator. You can preview the formula sheet
by clicking
this link.
If a graded homework paper is returned to you and you feel that your work
was not graded correctly, you may ask the HW grader to review the paper
and reconsider your grade. To request this review, please write a brief
(1-2 sentence) description of the problem on a separate sheet of paper,
attach it to your (entire) HW assignment, and return it to me (SJH).
I will pass it along to the grader, who will make the decision on whether
to adjust your grade. Keep in mind that the grader may review any and
all parts of the relevant assignment, and consequently your overall
assignment grade may go either up or down upon regrading. Also keep in
mind that the grader is doing you a courtesy with this service, and you
should not abuse this courtesy. Any requests for review should be prompt
and reasonable. The grader is not obligated to regrade an assignment
a couple of weeks or months after having graded it the first time.
And naturally, do not even think about changing or tweaking
any part of your homework paper before requesting regrading of any part.
(See Academic Honesty, below).
Please plan carefully. Check the midterm and final exam
dates (see above) carefully before you make any plans to travel away from campus
during the semester. If you purchase an airline ticket to travel during
the semester, and you later realize that your travel conflicts with a
scheduled exam, you will have a problem.
Some students may nevertheless suffer from a severe personal or family
emergency that forces them to miss a quiz or homework deadline: Therefore,
the two lowest quiz scores and the two lowest homework scores will be
dropped when final grades are calculated.
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 PHY3513 to work together on
homework assignments. However certain other activities are inappropriate:
these include plagiarism, fabricating data or information, 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. Students are often tempted to plagiarize
small amounts of material from various sources - but any amount of direct
copying or plagiarism in any assignment is regarded as a deliberate
violation of the academic honesty code. Submitting homework solutions
that were simply copied or transcribed from another student, a book, or
a website is clearly dishonesty, because it is not your own work. If you
collaborate with a friend on the homework, you must still write up your
solution in your own words, in a way that you understand. Most students
have no trouble understanding the difference between collaboration on
homework (which is okay) and copying homework (which is not okay) --
but if you find it confusing just let me know.
The Dean of Students Office website has further details on
academic honesty policies at UF.
The final course grade will be determined by
≥ 90 A
≥ 86.67 A-
≥ 83.33 B+
≥ 80 B
≥ 76.67 B-
≥ 73.33 C+
≥ 70 C
≥ 66.67 C-
≥ 63.33 D+
≥ 60 D
≥ 56.67 D-
The final examination is comprehensive - it covers the
entire semester. The date and time is fixed by the UF Registrar as Thursday December 12, 2013, 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm. 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.
Therefore there will be no makeups for missed quizzes or homework.
A make-up for a missed exam will be granted only in a truly dire situation.
(A student who lacks diligence in contacting the instructor once
this dire situation arises is unlikely to be granted the make-up.)
Regular class 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
PHY3513. Every student must register formally and take the class for
credit.
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 Sakai
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.
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. Frequent lateness,
entering and leaving the classroom during the lecture, listening to
headphones or reading the ALLIGATOR during class, texting, websurfing,
emailing during class, cellphone rings, etc. ... are all rude
and disruptive behaviors. They distract the teacher and the other
students in the classroom - a direct violation of the Student Conduct Code. In fact this
instructor believes that clasroom use of laptops, iPods, phones, tablet
computers, and virtually all other electronic devices is almost always
detrimental to student learning and attention. Please show courtesy
and respect for yourself, your colleagues, and your institution by
putting away all your electronic devices at the start of class,
and by avoiding other distracting behaviors.
All students are required to abide by the
principles of academic honesty expressed in the Student Honor Code.
Consistent with university policy, any incident of academic dishonesty
in this course will be reported to the Dean of Students Office.
No warnings and no exceptions. If the incident is the student's first offense
at UF, the student will receive a failing grade in PHY3513. If not,
the Dean of Students Office will decide the appropriate sanction.
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 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.
The UF Code of Student Conduct (6C1-4.041, section 3(i)
Unauthorized Recordings) prohibits a student from making any
type of recording of any class or activity without express authorization
from the instructor and from other participants. Please also note that
the instructor of this course holds the copyright to all course
materials other than the textbook and the associated homework.
That includes lecture notes and classroom audio/video. The textbook,
homework questions, and written homework solutions are the intellectual
property of the textbook author and publisher and others. Permission to
redistribute, reuse, recycle, share, upload, copy, buy, sell etc. any
course materials in any form is denied. Period. That 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.