Spring 2009 Physics 2170 Course Calendar

Week 1: Jan 12

Introduction, Galilean relativity, special relativity

Reading: Chapter 1

Reading: 1.1

1/12: Class introduction lecture

Reading: 1.2-1.4

1/14: Galilean relativity lecture

Homework set 1

Reading: 1.5-1.8

1/16: Special relativity intro and simultaneity

Week 2: Jan 19

Special relativity

Reading: Chapter 1

MLK (no class)

Reading: 1.8-1.10

Homework due at 12:50pm in G2B90

1/21: Time dilation

Homework set 2

Reading: 1.10-1.12

1/23: Length contraction

Week 3: Jan 26

Special relativity

Reading: Chapters 1-2

1/26: Lorentz Transformations

Reading: 1.11-1.12

Reading: 1.13-1.14

1/28: Minkowski diagrams and velocity addition

Homework due at 12:50pm in G2B90

Reading: 2.1-2.3

1/30: Doppler shift and relativistic momentum and energy

Week 4: Feb 2

Special relativity

Reading: Chapter 2

Reading: 2.4-2.6

2/2: Relativistic momentum and energy

Reading: 2.7-2.8

Homework due at 12:50pm in G2B90

2/4: Relativity problems and four-vectors

Reading: 3.1-3.6, 3.10-3.12

2/6: Our friend the atom

Week 5: Feb 9

Beginning of quantum phenomena

Reading: Chapter 4

Reading: 4.1-4.2 and skim 3.1-3.6,3.10-3.12

2/9: Electromagnetic waves and blackbody radiation

Reading: 4.3-4.4

Homework due at 12:50pm in G2B90

2/11: Photoelectric effect

Reading: 4.5-4.7

2/13: Photoelectric effect

Week 6: Feb 16

Quantum phenomena

Reading: Chapter 4-5

Reading: Review for test on 2/17

2/16: Review for exam

Reading: 4.6-4.7

Homework due at 12:50pm in G2B90

2/18: X-rays and Compton effect

Reading: 5.1-5.4

2/20: Atomic energy levels

Week 7: Feb 23

Models of the atom and wave-particle duality

Reading: Chapter 5-6

Reading: 5.5-5.7

2/23: Bohr model of the atom

Reading: 5.8-5.10

Homework due at 12:50pm in G2B90

2/25: Bohr model of the atom

Reading: 6.1-6.3

2/27: Franck-Hertz, Bohr model, de Broglie waves

Week 8: Mar 2

Getting to the wave function

Reading: Chapter 6

Reading: 6.3-6.4

3/2: Davisson-Germer experiment

Reading: 6.4-6.6

Homework due at 12:50pm in G2B90

3/4: Wave function

Reading: 6.7-6.9

3/6: Waves, Fourier analysis, Heisenberg uncertainty principle

Week 9: Mar 9

Schrodinger equation

Reading: Chapter 7

Reading: 7.1-7.3

3/9: Heisenberg uncertainty principle, classical wave equation

Reading: 7.4-7.5

Homework due at 12:50pm in G2B90

3/11: Classical wave equation

Reading: 7.6,7.11

3/13: Schrodinger equation

Week 10: Mar 16

Using the Schrodinger equation

Reading: Chapter 7

Reading: 7.6

3/16: Infinite square well

Reading: 7.7-7.8

Homework due at 12:50pm in G2B90

3/18: Infinite and finite square well

NO CLASS TODAY

Week 11: Mar 30

More use of Schrodinger equation

Reading: Chapter 7

Reading: 7.8

3/30: Finite square well

Reading: 7.10

4/1: Finite square well

Homework due at 12:50pm in G2B90

Reading: 7.10

4/3: Announcements and Quantum tunneling tutorial

Week 12: Apr 6

Quantum tunneling examples

Reading: Review

4/6: Review

Reading: 17.10

Homework due at 12:50pm in G2B90

4/8: Tunneling and alpha decay

Reading: 14.7

4/10: Alpha decay and STM

Week 13: Apr 13

STM and hydrogen atom

Reading: Chapter 8

Reading: 14.7 and p. 219-221

4/13: STM and electric shocks

Reading: 8.5-8.7

Homework due at 12:50pm in G2B90

4/15: Hydrogen atom

Reading:8.8-8.10

4/17: Hydrogen atom

Week 14: Apr 20

Spin and multielectron atoms

Reading: Chapters 9 and 10

Reading: 9.1-9.3

4/20: Spin

Reading: 10.1,10.3,10.4

Homework due at 12:50pm in G2B90

4/22: Multielectron atoms

Reading:10.4, 10.6-10.8

4/24: Pauli principle and periodic table

Week 15: Apr 27

Finish up

4/27: Fundamentals of Quantum Mechanics

Review

Homework due tomorrow at 12:50pm in G2B90

4/29: Review

Review

5/1: Mayday Review