Image courtesy of the Image Archives of American Institute of Physics

Website

• The main course website will be maintained on UF's WebCT Vista system. Visit that site regularly for updates on suggested homework, upcoming exams, etc. Using WebCT Vista allows us to post homework and quiz solutions, quiz & exam scores, journal reprints, and other confidential or copyrighted materials without legal complications or risks to your privacy.


• Click here to enter WebCT Vista. Use your Gatorlink username and password to log in. The Instructor will assume that every student in this course visits that site regularly.

• This webpage resembles the PHY4523 syllabus. Click here to download the course syllabus in its entirety (PDF file)

Instructor

• Prof. Steve Hagen
• 2362 New Physics Building
• Tel. 352 392 4716
• Office hours: To be announced
• 

Grader

• J. Wu
• Email: xxx@phys.ufl.edu

Class Meetings

• Monday Wednesday & Friday
• 8^th Period (3:00 - 3:50 pm)
• 1002 New Physics Building

Textbook

• Introductory Statistical Mechanics
• Authors: Roger Bowley & Mariana Sanchez
• Paperback: 352 pages, List price $50.00
• Publisher: Oxford University Press; 2nd edition
• ISBN: 0198505760

Description

• This is a basic course covering "statistical physics", a microscopic approach to the physics of systems consisting of a large number of particles. The course begins with a quick review of macroscopic thermal physics. We will then discuss kinetic theory and statistical mechanics as an introduction for more advanced study of Maxwell-Boltzmann, Bose-Einstein, and Fermi-Dirac statistics. You can think of statistical mechanics as an extension of macroscopic thermodynamics, or (better yet) as a more microscopic approach to the same problem of systems of many particles. It is one of the most successful theories in all of physical science, and so you may count yourself as fortunate to have been born after its creation.
• Since we deal with microscopic physics, the quantum mechanical nature of real particles becomes important. Although a background in undergraduate quantum mechanics is not required, most students find it useful to have taken the first semester of quantum mechanics before taking this course. If you haven't studied quantum mechanics yet, don't worry.
• The course attempts to be fairly self-contained, introducing various topics and tools as needed. This is necessary because students enter this course with a wide variety of backgrounds. As a consequence, we will spend some class time introducing material that may already be familiar to you. Do not let this fool you -- there is plenty of new material to be learned. If you really find the class moving too slow, please understand that the pace must accommodate some students whose background may not be as comprehensive as your own. If at any time you are truly bored, please talk to the Instructor. He can make suitable arrangements/adjustments or assign more sophisticated problems or projects for your private consideration. He will also recommend reading materials (beyond the textbook) that can give you a deeply satisfying statistical physics experience.
• The course is designed on the assumption that everyone in the class will engage intellectually with the material. The Instructor will assume that you are reading the book and working the examples and homework. You are expected to keep up pace in the course. The quizzes and examinations are designed to help guide you in this effort. Cramming before an examination will not work! Like an athlete, you must train every day -- train to think like a physicist!
• A final word about success in the course: there is no secret. If you attend class (and participate), read the textbook, and work the problems and examples, then you will learn the material. When in doubt, WORK MORE PROBLEMS! If you exhaust all problems from the textbook, see the Instructor, who will happily supply more. This should be a fun subject: statistical physics is a system of fascinating ideas that are implemented with powerful tools, with consequences that are sometimes stunning. Discovering these ideas and tools should be an eye-opening experience for you, and I would hope that you enjoy this.
• If at any time there is a question in your mind about anything, please do not hesitate to talk to the Instructor. See him immediately before or after class, if necessary, to set specific appointments.

Goals

• The ultimate goal of the course is for the students to learn the basic concepts of statistical mechanics, and to learn how to use the machinery of mathematics to solve general problems in this area. More specialized problems in statistical physics are the subject of advanced courses in physics, chemistry, and engineering. Our goal is to learn to apply the concepts and use the tools -- not to memorize examples and formulas.

Websites from Phy4523 in Prior Years

• Spring 2006 (Prof. Hagen)
• Spring 2005 (Prof. Hagen)
• Spring 2004 (Prof. Meisel)
• Spring 2003 (Prof. Meisel)

Grading

• Regular homework will be assigned, but it will not be collected or graded. Instead, there will be regular (~weekly) short quizzes given in-class. These quizzes may at times resemble homework problems that were recently assigned. There will also be three 50-minute exams held in-class, and a two-hour final exam. The final course grade will be calculated as follows:
  • 35% In-class quizzes
  • 15% Midterm Exam1 (50-minutes)
  • 15% Midterm Exam2 (50-minutes)
  • 15% Midterm Exam3 (50-minutes)
  • 20% Final Exam (2 hrs)
  • 100% Total
• Quizzes and exams are closed-book. See Academic Honesty, below. However, we will maintain an "official" phy4523 formula sheet, and you will have access to this sheet during each quiz and exam. Other than this formula sheet, no other books or notes are permitted during quizzes and exams.
• Unlike their colleagues in the introductory courses, students in the advanced physics classes seem to prefer grade accuracy to grade certainty. Therefore, students will not receive letter grades on exams and quizzes during the semester. Instead the instructor will simply give out numerical scores for each quiz and exam. After the final exam, the instructor will calculate each student's numerical average and then set the letter grade boundaries that will determine everyone's final letter grade. This scheme is definitely more accurate (i.e. fair) although it may result in some anxiety for those who like the certainty of knowing their letter grade on each quiz and exam.

Final Exam

• There will be a two-hour, comprehensive final examination
• Final Exam is during Group 2D -- 3:00 - 5:00 pm on Wednesday May 2, 2007

Make-up Exams

The Instructor believes that make-up exams 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 the most dire situation. (A student who lacks diligence in contacting the instructor once this dire situation arises is unlikely to be granted the make-up.) There will be no makeups for missed quizzes. Some students may nevertheless suffer from a severe personal or family emergency that forces them to miss a quiz: Therefore, the two lowest quiz scores will be dropped when final grades are calculated.

Attendance & Participation

• 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.

  A student who stops participating in the class -- i.e. who ceases to attend class, do homework, communicate with the instructor, take 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.

Registration Status

• No student may audit PHY4523. Every student must register formally and take the class for credit. Classwork of students who are not registered will not be graded.

Incomplete Grades

• UF policy is designed to discourage instructors from giving incomplete grades. Per this policy, a student may request a grade of Incomplete only if (a) an unusual hardship prevents the student from completing the course, and (b) the student carries a passing grade average at the time the request is made, and (c) the student shows diligence and responsibility in making the request in a timely fashion once the unusual hardship arises. The request certainly cannot be made after the final examination. The Instructor adheres blindly and rigidly to this policy.

Students with Disabilities

• Students who will require a classroom accomodation 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 accomodations.

  It is the policy of the University of Florida that the student, not the instructor, is responsible for arranging accomodations when needed. The instructor will not remind the student to schedule accomodations 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.

Academic Honesty

• All students are expected to hold themselves to a high standard of academic honesty. It is normal and reasonable for students in a physics course to work together on ungraded homework: however, students must work alone on all graded assignments (tests, quizzes, exams). Giving or receiving any unauthorized assistance during such an assignment will be treated as a deliberate violation of the UF Academic Honesty policy and the Student Conduct Code. This will result in a failing grade in Phy4523 and unpleasant attention from the Dean of Students office.