SCI 321 Advanced Physics

Content

This course builds on the concepts of earlier physics courses. At the 100- and 200-level the subjects of electromagnetism, thermodynamics and quantum physics have been covered in some detail. This course will cover some principles and methods at a higher abstraction level which will demonstrate some relations between these fields. As a result, the treatment will be fairly mathematical.

The starting point of the course is a rigorous treatment of classical mechanics. The Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms will be emphasized. Among the applications will be rotating bodies and oscillating systems, other subjects may be suggested by students.

As in any physics course, students will spend much time working through homework problems. But in this course there will be an added emphasis on independent study. In the second half of the semester, students will research topics not covered in class, and report their findings in a paper and a mini-lecture.

Instructor

Dr. Leo de Wit

Track

Physics

Period

Spring / 2009

Course Proceedings

This course earns students four credits (7.5 ECTS). The class meets twice a week for two hours. Preparation time is approximately 10 hours per week.

Each week there will be two classroom meetings. During these sessions we will:

• review the essential parts of theory;
• work on problems to build understanding;
• focus on some technical details that turn out the most difficult for the participants;
• apart from the ‘official’ tests do some self-tests to get a feel for where we are standing;
• writing exercises and discussions.

Class attendance is mandatory. If you cannot make it, email the instructor in advance. Repeated absences may lead to the deduction of grades (paragraph 3.3 of the Academic Rules and Procedures) It will always be possible to make appointments outside regular class hours for extra help on whatever subject.

For any announcements of the instructor, the Workspace website functions as the official channel of communication. Please check this website very regularly so you do not miss important information.

Evaluation/Assessment

In this course, the following tests contribute to your final grade:

• 25% homework assignments
• 25% midterm
  
• 30% project
• 20% final exam

The nature of these tests is as follows:

• Homework assignments: You will get homework following virtually every session, but a subset of these will be graded. You are expected to hand in all assignments on time. You will receive a grade for every homework set. You can also get credit if you do not have all the right answers -- you probably learn most from your mistakes! In case you cannot (completely) solve an assignment, write down where and why you got stuck. (This enables the instructor to help you.) Depending on how far you got with the assignment and on how well you have formulated your problem, you will receive partial credit.
• Midterm: The type and difficulty of the exam questions is identical to the homework assignments. Of course the exam only contains material of the sections that are covered prior to the midterm.
• Project: In the second half of the semester you will be working in pairs of students on a project. The instructor will provide you with a series of possible subjects, but you’re welcome to seek approval for your own suggestions. During the project you will research material from textbooks and scientific publications. You will write a review paper on the subject, and give a presentation to the rest of the class. The grades for paper and presentation together make up your project grade.
• Final:The type and difficulty of the exam questions is identical to the homework assignments. The exam will contain all material from the entire semester, but there will be an emphasis on the material that is covered after the midterm.

Course Material

• Atam P. Arya, Introduction to Classical Mechanics.

Prerequisites

One needs to have followed one of the following courses in order to take this course:

• SCI 221 Electromagnetism
• SCI 222 Physical Chemistry

Additional Prerequisites

Other courses which are relevant to this course:

• Courses in the Mathematics and Computer Science tracks.