Physics - 2D Spring 1999

Physics 2D - Modern Physics: Relativity and Quantum Mechanics

UCSD Department of Physics, Spring Quarter 1999

NEWS (1999 June 15):

Final Exam grades are in! Check 'em out! Regrade policy is the same as for the quizzes, though most of you will be pleasantly surprised by your class grade.
And, just in case you care, here are your Class Grades for the quarter.
From Dr. Blanco, Brian and Omar: have a great summer! It was a pleasure working with you in this challenging class - we hope it was the ``toughest physics class you'll ever love''. If you have any further suggestions or comments on the class, please email them to Dr. Blanco directly.

Other news:

Quiz 7 and Quiz 8 scores are IN! Go to the Quiz Page to get them. There's also a nice summary of all your quizzes so far, too!
All the lecture notes (except one set) are now up (and not a moment too soon!). Check 'em out at the lecture notes page.
Remember your Special Relativity?: You've got your copy of the handout (see below) - now it's time to brush up your skills with these
Special Relativity Drill questions composed by our own Brian Wecht. Great pre-final practice!
Special Relativity Handout - At long last, this 11-page synposis of all the Special Relativity we covered in class is now in Soft Reserves. If you wish, you may ``try before you buy'' by looking at a WWW version (which has no diagrams yet, however). I hope you find it useful, and well worth the wait.

On this page:
Overview
Instruction Team
Schedule
Course Materials
Testing/Grading Policy

Links:
WWW Resources
Lecture Notes
Homeworks, with solutions appearing after Discussion Sessions (Wednesday night).
Quizzes - solutions and scores by code number

Overview

By the end of the 19th century, most scientists believed that physics had achieved its purpose of describing the laws of nature. Other than some annoying little details, the goal of ``classical'' physics was seen as little more than determining the physical constants to the next decimal place.

However, these ``annoying little details'' eventually revolutionized our thinking, and brought forth some of the most exciting discoveries in modern history. Although the concepts involved are outside the realm of everyday experience, their consequences have been profound - both in applied technology, and in our understanding of the origin and evolution of the universe.

This course teaches the basic principles of special relativity and quantum mechanics, and illustrates them with some important applications in electronics, chemistry, medicine, and astrophysics. I have chosen an historical approach so that students can appreciate the scientific method in action, as new theories are developed, tested, then refined.

Instruction Team

Lecturer	Teaching Assistant	Teaching Assistant
Dr. Philip Blanco Center for Astrophysics & Space Sciences	Mr. Omar Clay Department of Physics	Mr. Brian Wecht Department of Physics
Office: 420 SERF Building	Urey Hall 6237	Urey Hall 6233
Mail: CASS/0424	Physics/0354	Physics/0354
Phone: 534-3718	534-5313	534-5313
email: pblanco@ucsd.edu	omar@physics.ucsd.edu	bwecht@physics.ucsd.edu
Office Hours: Thursday 3:34-5:20pm	Tuesday 1:00-2:00pm	Thursday 1:00-2:00pm

Course coordinator: Patti Hey, Physics Student Affairs, Urey Hall Annex 118, Phone 822-1468, email: plhey@physics.ucsd.edu

Course Schedule

Milestones:

Add Deadline: 1999 April 9, Friday

Drop Deadline without a ``W'' (="withdrawn") on transcript: 1999 April 23, Friday

Drop Deadline with a ``W'' instead of an ``F'' (="fail") on transcript: 1999 May 28, Friday

Final Exam: 1999 June 11 , Friday, 11:30am-2:30pm, Mandeville Auditorium.

Weekly:

Activity	Time	Location
Lecture	Monday 12:20-1:10pm	WLH2005
Lecture	Tuesday 5:45-6:35pm	CENTER115
Lecture	Wednesday 12:20-1:10pm	WLH2005
Lecture/Quiz	Friday 12:20-1:10pm	WLH2005
Discussion 1	Wednesday 4:40-5:30pm	WLH2204
Discussion 2	Wednesday 5:45-6:35pm	WLH2204
Problem Solving	Thursday 7:00-8:50pm	CSB002

Changes in the schedule may be made to accommodate the majority of students' wishes as the course evolves.

Course Materials

Required Text:

Modern Physics by Kenneth Krane, 2nd edition (Wiley, 1996) - The entire course content may be found here at some level. However, this book is no substitute for good lecture notes, since we may venture deeper into some of the topics covered. Many of the homework and quiz problems will be set from this text.

Also required:

Scientific calculator
Knowledge of basic calculus - also, a familiarity with equations of wave motion will be extremely useful for this course.
An open mind - many of the concepts covered will challenge your world view!
Your participation - through constructive feedback, useful links for the WWW site, and questions.

Testing and Grading Policy

Homework:: Homework assignments will be given each week but will not count towards the final grade. They should be done concurrently with lectures and be completed before the Problem Solving sessions. In general, if you do not at least attempt the homeworks, you will be at a severe disadvantage in the quizzes, and in the final exam!
Quizzes:: Quizzes will consist of a few short questions based on the week's assignment. All quizzes are ``closed book''. You will be assigned a 3-digit code number on the first quiz, which isto be entered on each quiz or exam. Do not lose this number! Solutions and grades will be on the WWW. There will be no make-ups for missed quizes; instead, the best six quizzes will count towards 50% of your final grade.
Final Exam: 1999 June 11 (Friday) 11:30am-2:30pm: Please check your exam schedule and inform the instructor of any conflicts within the first two weeks of the quarter. Conflicts with other final exams are usually resolved by Physics Studennt Affairs, so inform them also if this is the case. The Final Exam is closed book and will count as 50% of the final grade. There is no mid-term exam.
Academic Dishonesty: your fast ticket to an "F" grade.: Please read the ``UC Policy on Integrity of Scholarship'' on pages 71-74 of the 1998-99 UCSD General Catalog. These rules will be strictly enforced.

Philip Blanco email: pblanco@ucsd.edu