This page is http://www.physics.wustl.edu/~wimd/index217-18.html
Last updated 2018-Dec-11.
The course meets on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11-12 in Crow 204.
| Instructor: | Prof.
Willem Dickhoff Office: Compton 371 Email: wimd@wuphys.wustl.edu Office hour: Thursday, 1-2. Students are also welcome to make appointments at other times. |
| AI: | Linghan Zhu Office: Crow 220 Email: linghanzhu@wustl.edu Office hour: Thursday, 3-4 in Crow 305 and by appointment (she has no class on Wednesday). |
| Course Textbook: | Modern Physics by Randy Harris,
ISBN 0-8053-0308-1. You must own a copy of this book or its much cheaper international edition: the course will follow its general progress and some of the homework problems will come from it. |
| Other useful books: | Quantum
Physics by Eisberg and Resnick Modern Physics for scientists and engineers by Taylor and Zafiratos (and Dubson, 2nd edition). An introduction to quantum physics by French and Taylor Concepts of modern physics by Beiser Introductory quantum mechanics by Liboff. Introduction to Quantum Mechanics by Griffiths (2nd edition) [material from this text will also be used in the course] (on reserve in the physics library) |
| Course software: | Mathematica will be used for some homework problems. You must ensure that you have access to it, and basic competence in using it. The university provides access to Mathematica for all students. An introduction written by Prof. Alford can be obtained here: Introduction to Mathematica which provides further links. Linghan Zhu will provide two introductory lectures on the use of Mathematica on September 5 and 7. |
This course provides an introduction to Quantum Mechanics, the keystone of modern physics. We will cover chapters 3 to 8 of the textbook, Modern Physics by Harris supplemented with material from Griffiths. Note that not all sections of these chapters will be covered in class. Also note that the international edition contains exactly the same material although the chapters are in a different order.
| Chapter 3: | Waves and Particles I: Electromagnetic radiation behaving as particles |
| Chapter 4: | Waves and Particles II: Matter behaving as waves |
| Chapter 5: | Bound states: simple cases |
| Chapter 6: | Unbound states: Steps, tunneling and particle-wave propagation |
| Chapter 7: | Quantum mechanics in three dimensions and the Hydrogen atom |
| Chapter 8: | Spin and atomic physics |
The final grade will be a weighted average of homework (30%), the midterm (25%), and the final exam (35%) with about 10% based on numerical projects (addition 11/14/2018: these 10% are added to the homework as numerical work included there sufficiently making the homework worth 40%). Addition 11/26/2018: With the additional optional problem set worth 20 points there are now 13.5 problem sets. 11 of these will count towards the course grade!
| Homework: | Problem sets will be handed out every week. Students are expected
to hand in the solutions on the due date, typically at the beginning
of class on Friday. Late homework will only be accepted by prior
arrangement with Prof. Dickhoff. In no case can homework be given a
grade after the solutions have been distributed. Students are permitted and encouraged to work with classmates on homework. However, the written work that you submit should be yours alone. Cheating on exams, and copying homework are serious off enses that will be reported to the Committee on Academic Integrity. You should be familiar with the University guidelines. When answering a question, you will usually only get partial credit if you just write down an answer, with no justification. To get full credit you need to give reasons why your answer is correct. |
| Midterm: | The midterm will be on Fri October 12th, 2018. It will be one hour long. Note this is a change from the original arrangement! |
| Review: | Wednesday, December 12th, 11am in Crow 204 |
| Final: | The final exam will be on Tues, Dec 18th from 10:30am-12:30pm in Crow 204, our usual classroom. |
| Exam rules: | These rules apply to both the midterm but not
the final.
|
RESOURCES:
Accommodations based upon sexual assault:
The University is committed to offering reasonable academic accommodations to students who are victims of sexual assault. Depending on the specific nature of the allegation, such measures may include but are not limited to: implementation of a no-contact order, course/classroom assignment changes, and other academic support services and accommodations. If you need to request such accommodations, please direct your request to Kim Webb (kim_webb@wustl.edu), Director of the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center. Ms. Webb is a confidential resource; however, requests for accommodations will be shared with the appropriate University administration and faculty. The University will maintain as confidential any accommodations or protective measures provided to an individual student so long as it does not impair the ability to provide such measures.
Bias Reporting:
The University has a process through which students, faculty, staff and community members who have experienced or witnessed incidents of bias, prejudice or discrimination against a student can report their experiences to the University's Bias Report and Support System (BRSS) team. See: diversityinclusion.wustl.edu/brss/
Mental Health:
Mental Health Services' professional staff members work with students to resolve personal and interpersonal difficulties, many of which can affect the academic experience. These include conflicts with or worry about friends or family, concerns about eating or drinking patterns, and feelings of anxiety and depression. See: shs.wustl.edu/MentalHealth
During the evaluation period you can supply your evaluation of the course at the course evaluation website.