PHYSICS 262

Spring 2003 Daniel Finley
MWF 12:00 - 12:50 PM , Regener Hall 103
Note:    Problem Session, Physics 267, meets Friday at 9 am [1 credit hour; CR/NC grade]

Texts:     Fundamentals of Physics , Halliday, Resnick, and Walker;
   6th Edition, Parts IV and (sections of) V [Chapters 34-45] (paperback)
  Special Relativity, A.P. French;
    (sections of) Chapters 1-5 and 7 (paperback)

Intended Syllabus/Schedule for the Class

From time to time, additions/changes will be posted, as soon as known,
and written in a bold green font like this.
Please use this as a Reading List for Each Week
Divide up your reading, section by section, BEFORE coming to EACH class.

Note that several changes have been made to the syllabus, for the weeks of 10, 17, and 24 February, this 9th day of February!
Mostly, they simply reflect what we have actually been doing in class!

Week beginning 22 January    [Week 1] (short week)
  Chapter 34: on electromagnetic waves, and their vector nature.
   Be aware/familiar with all 4 of Maxwell's Equations 33 (Review)
    Learn names for the parts of the spectrum
We will often use the word "light" to describe any part of the electromagnetic spectrum. 		34-1
    Understand the self-generation of an electromagnetic wave
Don't get too excited about the math in this section, but it is an interesting application of dealing with Maxwell's equations seriously.
Do BE SURE to understand the wave equation that describes the propagation of both the electric and magnetic fields! 		34-2,3
    Retreat and "review" simple waves: Chapter 17
   wavelength, frequency, wavenumber, speed 		17-3,4,5
    Energy and Power in a traveling wave 17-7
    Superposition of waves; Interference; Phasors as a method; 17-8,9,10
Week beginning 27 January [Week 2]
  Consider index of refraction, and then go on to finish Chapter 34 on polarization, reflection & refraction.
   standing waves; resonance; beats 17-11,12
   speed changes inside a material;
frequency does NOT change in a material.
index of refraction, n, determined by electromagnetic properties 		36-2
   Poynting vector; radiation pressure
   light has energy, momentum, and exerts a force
   learn about intensity; how it varies, with distance r and with electric amplitude E 		34-4,5
   Learn different kinds of polarization: plane, and left/right circular 34-6
   Malus' Law for plane polarizers;
also quarter-wave plates to create circular polarizations 		34-6 and extra material
   Learn the two laws of reflection and refraction (Snell's Law)
Proofs given rather later: 36-1,2 		34-7
   Proofs of the various image formulae; from plane geometry and trigonometry.
Read through them, but spend any extra time perfecting your understanding of ray tracing. 		35-8
Week beginning   3 February [Week 3]
  Study special sorts of refraction!
In Chapter 35 consider images, including some simple optical instruments.
spherical refracting surfaces, and thin, (spherical) lenses this week!
Learn formulas; practice Ray tracing. Read the Extra Handout for details for Sign Conventions.
   Total internal reflection [only when n2 < n1 ] 34-8
   Learn about Brewster's angle [partial polarization by reflection];
Practice looking north at noon with your sunglasses on! 		34-9
   Memorize difference between real and virtual images. 35-1
   Plane Mirrors: images always virtual, and erect. 35-2
   Spherical mirrors [ concave or convex]
Learn about focal points, radii, and sign conventions.
Learn the mirror formula with its sign conventions. 		35-3,4
   Spherical Refracting surfaces [ concave or convex]
Learn about focal points, radii, and sign conventions.
Learn the refracting surface formula with its sign conventions. 		35-5
   Spherical Thin lenses [ concave and/or convex and/or flat]
Learn about focal points, radii, and sign conventions.
Learn the thin lens formula with its sign conventions. 		35-6
Week beginning  10 February [Week 4]
  Details of some more sophisticated optical instruments (finishing Chapter 35);
Interference of (coherent) light beams:   mostly Chapter 36
   Magnifying glasses, Microscopes, and Telescopes; the eye 35-7
   Huygen's Principle, when wavefronts propagate!
Also wavelength changes in a material; speed changes;
frequency does NOT change in a material. [ Skip proof!] 		36-1,2
   diffraction, and Interference [Young's experiment] 36-3,4,6
   Coherence as a very important distinction, but without any real formulas [Demo's] 36-5
   Thin Films [2 different "boundary conditions" for them] 36-7
Week beginning 17 February [Week 5]
  Interesting examples of interference phenomena!
Continue onward to study Diffraction in detail, :    Begin Chapter 37.
   Michelson's Interferometer;
measurement of distances; LIGO gravity measurements
Skip this until middle of next week! 		36-8
   the Fresnel "bright spot" !! [do demonstration] 37-1
   Single slit diffraction 37-2,3,4
   Double slits with diffraction 37-6
   Circular "holes"; Rayleigh's criterion for resolution 37-5
   Diffraction gratings 37-7,8
Week beginning 24 February [Week 6]
  Diffraction and how it affects interference:    more Chapter 37.
Bare Beginning for Special Relativity
   Crystal diffraction [Bragg] (only for reading) 37-9
   Experimental basis for relativity:
   c as an upper limit for velocities 		French: Ch. 1
  
Michelson-Morley and other experiments 36-8 & 38-2
 French: Ch. 2,
p. 49-58
  AND NOW, the First Exam on Friday (28 Febr.): covers Chs. 34-37, and also 17.
Week beginning 3 March [Week 7]
  Special Relativity: Chapter 38 of HRW, French, Chs. 3-4, and also some notes of mine, referred to below as extra reading.
The dependence of measurements on the velocity of the person making them, and the relative nature of the distinction we usually draw between space and time, and also trying to understand that
simultaneity is only a relative notion.

French is rather long-winded; however, it makes easy reading, and you are encouraged to read it thoroughly to try to obtain a better understanding of this very exciting subject. In my view, at least, the subject is very interesting, but precisely because it is not very intuitive! Therefore reading at length is very helpful!

    The Principle of Relativity:
How measurements, and Laws of Physics, change from one observer to another: inertial frames. 		French: Ch. 3
p. 63-72 		HRW 4-8,9
    The Postulates of Special Relativity:
Constancy of the speed of light,
and the principle of relativity. 		French: Ch. 3
p. 72-73; 		HRW 38-2
   
The notion of events!
Specified by a measurement of a location and of a time!		 extra notes on relativity
French, p. 77, 90-91. HRW 38-3;
    Minkowski diagrams to better understand events. French , p. 82-83 extra writings on spacetime diagrams,
   Simultaneity, proper time, and proper length
French: p. 89-111, HRW 38:4-7,
   Lorentz transformations French: p. 76-82, 111-116, HRW 38-7,
Week beginning  10 March [Week 8]
  Start extending special relativity to velocities;
Consider some of the so-called "paradoxes" or "conundrums" often associated with relativity.
  
Let's look at Lorentz transformations again!      extra notes on relativity
French: p. 76-82, 111-116, HRW 38-7,
   the invariance of the (spacetime) interval for different observers!
"spacelike," "lightlike," and "timelike" intervals! 		French p. 83-85, & 117-119 extra notes on relativity
   transformation of velocities French p. 125-7 38-9
   Doppler shift for light; relation to photon velocities French p. 127-146 38-10
   interesting "conundrums" in relativity: examples Ch. 38, problems
Week beginning 17 March
  Spring Break    Spend some time reading ahead; try to finish French!
Week beginning 24 March [Week 9]
  Extend relativity to momentum and energy.
Understand "4-vectors"; extend Lorentz transformations.
   the (in)famous "twin paradox" French p. 154-159 HRW 38, problems
   x, y, z, and t make, together, a 4-vector French p. 213 extra material
   the 3-components of velocity require scale changes to create a 4-vector: "world-velocity" or "4-velocity" French p. 213 extra material
   relativistic momentum and energy 38-11,12
   cpx, cpy, cpz, and E make, together, a 4-vector French p. 208-212 extra material
Week beginning 31 March [Week 10]
  Finishing Relativity and a beginning for Quantum Physics
   transformations of force from one frame to another French p. 214-225 extra material
   invariants for the electric and magnetic fields French parts of Ch. 7 extra material
  But now the Second Exam, on Relativity, but nothing from this week!
Wednesday, 2 April
 
  Quantum Physics treats "matter" and "particles" on an equal footing
Light as electromagnetic waves or photons;
Electrons as particles or as waves that interfere and diffract;
     Planck's constant as the universal constant that relates them!
   the photoelectric effect: Planck and Einstein 39-1,2,3
  
Blackbody radiation,
and temperature dependence of the spectrum 		  (See also HRW 45-12.)
 extra material [HRW 19-11]
Week beginning  7 April [Week 11]
   photons have momentum related to wavelength
Compton scattering of X-rays from electrons (in atoms) 		39-4
   diffraction of neutrons and electrons; matter waves extra material 39-5,6
   de Broglie waves; momentum and wavelength for matter waves extra 39-6
   the Heisenberg uncertainty principle 39-8
   the Schrodinger wave equation
the (master) "wave" equation for (non-relativistic) matter
note differences between this wave equation and the one for EM radiation.
the values of the wave function are complex numbers! 		39-7
   probability interpretation for the (Schrodinger) wave function 39-7 & 40-4
   quantum tunnelling formula 39-9
Week beginning   14 April [Week 12]
  Atomic structure Chapters 40 and 41
   Rutherford scattering: particles off atoms
"plum pudding" model for atoms proven wrong! 		extra formula
   Rydberg's energy formulae: atomic spectra formula HRW p. 903-905
   energy levels for electrons in atoms, or boxes HRW 40-3 & p. 994 HRW 41-2, p. 1008
   electron waves in the hydrogen atom:
the (very old) Bohr model, and correct values for the energies
some extra 40-8, p. 995-6
   what "fitting" does for electron waves: 1-dimensional boundaries 40-3-6
   electron waves in the hydrogen atom:
and Schrodinger's description of the probability "clouds",
    their relation to the (Schrodinger) wave functions
online pictures of those "clouds" 40-8
Week beginning 21 April [Week 13]
  more on the structure of atoms in general;
lead-in to spin and its rather exotic properties
   Experimental Results for spectra for all atoms: 41-1,2
   spin is like angular momentum and creates magnetic dipole moments 41-3,4
   the Stern-Gerlach experiment allowed spin to be first discovered 41-5,6
   the Pauli exclusion principle & how it causes the structure of atoms;
Very important difference between bosons and fermions! 		41-7,8
   the Periodic Table, and Mendeleev; also X-ray spectra 41-9,10
Week beginning 28 April [Week 14]
  Nuclear Properties and Structure: Chapter 43 & 44 [Skip Chapter 42]
   basic parameters for nuclei: the nuclear data Table
charge, nucleon number, mass, binding energy, etc. 		43-1,2
extra
  
nuclear decay: alpha, beta, gamma, and others.  nuclear decay series
 43-3,4,5
   the discovery of the electron neutrinos 43-5 & 45-4
   nuclear models; shell structure of nuclei 43-8
   Nuclear Fission: "a cutting apart" to provide extra energy 44-1,2,3; p.1069
   Nuclear Fusion: "a merging together" to provide extra energy 44-6,7,8
   the Bethe cycle in the sun;
can we get deuterium and tritium to do the same thing on earth? 		44-6,7,8
Week beginning 5 May    [Week 15 = Last week of classes!]
  Nuclear and other Subatomic Particles:    Chapter 45
   particles in more detail, and their antiparticles 45-1,2,3
   leptons, hadrons, mesons, and quarks 45-4,5,8
   isospin, charm, and other conservation laws:       SU(3) 45-6,7
  Third Exam, on Quantum Physics,
on Friday, 9 May
Week beginning   12 May
  (semi-optional)Final Exam:  10 AM - 12 noon, Friday, 16 May, 2003

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  Last updated/modified: 9 February, 2003