PHYS323 - Modern Physics - Fall 2017
General Information
This is the course web site for the undergraduate "Modern Physics"
class at ODU. Prerequisites: PHYS231 and PHYS232.
Instructor:
Dr.
Sebastian E. Kuhn
Time and Location:
Lectures: Tuesdays and
Thursdays, 1:30 - 2:45,
Room 142 OCNPS
Office Hours: Fridays 11:00 -
12:00 in 2100J PSB2 and
Tuesdays 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon in the Learning
Center as well as after lectures and by appointment (just send an
email request).
Course Material:
Recommended Books (sorted by match with lecture content). The books
and links below the double lines are meant as additional material for
some part of the course.
- P.A. Tipler and R.A. Llewellyn: "Modern Physics", 6th Ed., WH
Freeman.
This is our main course text book
but you are not required to
buy it. We will use significant parts of this book for the 2nd part of
the
course; be warned that it contains quite a few errors and typos.
Earlier editions should be very similar. If you have any
of the following books, you should be o.k., as well.
Companion
website: http://bcs.whfreeman.com/tiplermodernphysics6e
- Kenneth S. Krane: “Modern Physics”, Wiley
- A. Beiser: “Concepts of Modern Physics”, McGraw-Hill
- The Feynman Lectures on Physics I-III, Pearson. Now also available online for free!
- Susskind+Friedman: “Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum”,
Basic Books (also on YouTube!)
- P.
Collier: “A Most Incomprehensible Thing: Notes Towards a Very Gentle
Introduction to the Mathematics of Relativity”, Incomprehensible Books.
- Chapters on "Modern Physics" in whatever book you used for
PHYS231/232
- Not a book at all, but an alternative lecture (if you find mine
too boring): Brian Green's "World
Science U" with courses on special
relativity and "Master Classes" on Cosmology and Particle Physics.
Syllabus and Schedule
Summary of useful numbers, formulae and relationships for Modern Physics
Short version of the same formula sheet - will be handed out for exams
Short
Summary of important results from vector calculus and Electromagnetism
Introduction to probability,
statistics and data analysis (inference)
Participation Credit
There are two parts to your participation score (15% of your overall
grade in the class):
1) In-class pop quizzes (40%)
2) Special reports, projects or other contributions to the class (60%),
for example
- Writing up the lecture notes for one class meeting
- Writing up a short report (about 1-2 pages) on any news item
relevant to our class, including on any of the web links below
- Giving a mini-lecture (10 min) on any subject related to our
class (ask me first)
News
and Announcements
We reached the end of the semester.
If you would like some more practice (Quantum Mechanics is hard and
needs a lot of practice!), consider solving the following problems in
the book by Tipler and Llewellyn (ask your colleagues to copy them if
you don't have the book - of course, any other book will have similar
problems). Note that all of these have solutions in the back of the
book. However, you are also welcome to show me your solutions during
office hour, Learning Center or after making an appointment so we can
go over them together:
- Chapter 5: 5-25
- Chapter 6: 6-9, 6-13, 6-30, 6-34, 6-42, 6-55 [Note that every
problem is mislabeled in this chapter, with 8-xx instead of 6-xx. But
6-xx is what is meant!]
- Chapter 7: 7-1, 7-9, 7-13, 7-17, 7-26.
- Also, solve the following problem: For the 2p hydrogen wave
function, show that the RADIAL part, R(r), fulfills the RADIAL eigenvalue
equation for the Hamiltonian, with angular momentum l=1. (This is a bit of work, but
doesn't require a lot of deep math
knowledge, and may well help you get a grip on what these wave
functions really are and what it all means). PLUS you get 1 extra HW problem credit if you turn it in!
For more practice on Special Relativity, look at the problems
1-11 through 1-37 and 2-1 through 2-31 in Tipler. You can always
ask me for help if you get stuck.
Lecture Notes (partially from last
semester) - being updated as we go along
- 1. Class Period: Introduction - Whiteboard
Capture
- 2. Class Period: Simultaneity, clocks
and
scales - Whiteboard
Capture - Lecture Capture
- 3. Class Period: Paradoxa, Lorentz
Transformation - Whiteboard
Capture - Quiz - Lecture Capture
- 4. Class Period: Intervals, velocity
addition, Lorentz Matrix - Whiteboard
Capture - Lecture Capture
- 5. Class Period: More about intervals,
Doppler shift - Whiteboard
Capture - Lecture Capture
- 6. Class Period: Energy and Momentum
- Whiteboard Capture - Lecture Capture
- 7. Class period: Continuation of special relativity - see
previous lecture notes. - Whiteboard Capture
- Lecture Capture
- Here is a quiz on Special
relativity you took in the 8th class period - EXCELLENT way to review
your understanding! Here are some corresponding white
board shots.
- 8. Class Period - Begin of Quantum
Mechanics - Whiteboard Capture - Lecture Capture See also this Introduction
to probability, statistics and data analysis (inference)
- 9. Class Period - Probability and
Quantum Mechanics; additional material - Whiteboard
Capture - Lecture Capture
- 10. Class Period - Whiteboard
- Lecture Capture
- 11. Class Period (old version) - Whiteboard
- Lecture Capture
- 12. Class Period (old version) - Whiteboard
- Lecture Capture
- Summary of
Quantum Mechanics Lectures 8 through 13 - HERE is a pictorial summary
- 13. Class Period (Free solution) Whiteboard
- Lecture Capture
- 14. Class Period (square well) (Old Whiteboard) - New Whiteboard
- Lecture Capture
- Summary of Quantum Mechanics Lectures 12-15
- 15. Class Period (harmonic oscillator) - Whiteboard - Lecture Capture
- 16. Class Period (1D -> 3D) Lecture Notes - Whiteboard - Lecture Capture [Older Whiteboards: 2016, 2015]
- 17. Class period Lecture Notes, Whiteboard - Lecture Capture
- Also see Pictures
for solutions of a particle in a 2D box as well as Spherical Harmonics Animations and Explanations by Wolfram
and table by Wikipedia
- Lecture Notes 16. and 17. Class Period
- 18. Class Period (Hydrogen atom): Whiteboard - Lecture Capture (Also see previous Whiteboard, previous
lecture notes)
- Here are somebody elses Lecture notes on the Hydrogen Atom from the Web (Prof. Pratt from Chemistry, Colby College) - a bit more advanced than what we did in class
- 19. Class Period: Atoms, Spin and Pauli Principle. Presentation, Whiteboard - Lecture Capture, previous Whiteboard, previous
lecture notes
- 20. Class Period: Atoms, Lasers and Molecules. Presentation, Whiteboard - Lecture Capture
- 21. Class Period: Condensed Matter, Conductors. Whiteboard - Lecture Capture - previous lecture notes, another previous lecture note. Also use the text book, especially
chapters 9.1, 9.2, and 10.6 (see also p. 437) for additional
information.
- 22. Class Period: Particle Physics, Whiteboard - Lecture Capture - Also very useful: http://particleadventure.org , previous lecture note
- 23. Class Period: Continutation: Whiteboard - Lecture Capture Plus some interesting links on Antimatter
and Neutrinos
- 24. Class Period: Guest Presentation, Nuclear Physics, Lecture Capture, previous
lecture note
- 25. Class period (Dr. Weinstein): Nuclear Physics 2, Dr. Weinstein's Lecture notes, Chart of Nuclei. Older material: Previous Whiteboard, previous
lecture note
- 26. Astrophysics I:Presentation | Whiteboard | Lecture Capture || Our Sun (Review) , Previous Whiteboard,
previous lecture note
- 27. Astrophysics II: Our Universe (Review) Whiteboard, Lecture Capture |
previous Whiteboard
-
- Not covered in 2017: 25. Thermodynamics and Statistics Whiteboard,
Previous Whiteboard, previous lecture note
-
Useful Links
Quantum Mechanics Animations
Spherical Harmonics Animations and Explanations by Wolfram
and table by Wikipedia
Pictures for solutions of a particle in a 2D
box
Hydrogen
wave functions
Particle Data Group and Particle Adventure
Society
of
Physics
Students
ODU
Experimental Nuclear
Physics Group
ODU
Ultracold Physics
Lab
Center for Accelerator
Science
Thomas Jefferson National
Accelerator Facility (JLab)
Physics
Central
Physics Links
Physics -
Spotlighting Exceptional Research
Links to relevant articles - pick one
for your "2nd participation project":
Fun Links:
Can (and SHOULD) we be making Baby Universes?
Learn
Particle Physics like a 5-year old!
A
fun article explaining quantum superposition - with a clip from
"Big Bang Theory"
More
on Schrödinger's Zoo
What
drives physicists to despair? (Contains a short history of quantum
mechanics!)
The (soon) coldest
spot in the universe - right above your head
How to measure
the speed of light in your kitchen
Einstein proven correct - again: http://www.nature.com/news/special-relativity-aces-time-trial-1.15970
Why
Einstein still matters...
Or may he have been completely
wrong? (Note: read with caution and try to understand how the
author uses sleight-of-hand to make relativity sound like nonsense).
The Quantum
Pigeon Hole Paradox
