Physics 2130
archive of news and notes for class
Weeks 9-10:
Enjoy Spring Break.
MidTerm#2, Mar 19, 5p , G1B20 - Solutions posted on D2L
information about midterm 2: topics covered, type of exam questions, sample questions, etc.
Weeks 7-8:
Here's info on the latest claims about simultaneous particle / wave measurements.
Here's more detail for you on how we think about the experiments and the nature of waave-particle complementarity, and the expereiments that underpin it.. again from our friend and colleague, Dr. C. Baily (who helped design / build this course)
Want to see actual measurement of electron interference through the double slit experiment? Check it out here.
Check out more on early atomic models, C. Baily (who helped design this course): Early Atomic Models – From Mechanical to Quantum (1904-1913)
HELP ROOM HOURS EXTENDED: (beacuse you asked!)
New Hours:
Fridays 2-5
Mondays 2-6 [note more hours!!]
Tues 9a-noonGreat job on the first weeks of class folks!
Reading assignments and Prelecture Notes posted
Homework is due Tues noon.We will be arranging some group work in class. We'll be calling these "clicker cliques" but not limited to the clicker enterprise. By the end of the week we'll want you to send in a list of 2 or 3 others (minimum group size of 3, maximum of 4). You will hopefully sit near each other -- (but are not responsible for the attendance of your peers in your team). This will only be for intermittent work during the term and not meant to cause any stress or problems (but rather to facilitate your learning). Please use this online signup form by the end of the week. Your passowrd is your identikey.
If you don't know folks, think about introducing yourself to your neighbors on Tues. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me.Before class, look for the pre-lecture notes (it will be in your interest, I promise)
Week 6:
Keep up the great work folks! Good job on the midterm. More info posted here soon.
Keep an eye to the web calendar as we'll be entering a new phase of class on quatnum weirdness and then some of the math formalisms that explain(?) it all!
Make sure to sign up for NB!!!! This is where you'll be doing some of the class readings. If you haven't signed up yet look at your email or check the link on D2L
Week 5:
Midterm #1 is coming. Thurs Feb 12, 5p.
Plenty of Info posted.
More info will be posted soon.
Week 2:
No class on Monday-- Enjoy MLK day! We will not have Help Room Hours. If you have questions, feel free to join us on Tues AM, (or send email to me, Skip or Jessica with questions.. though this is harder than discussing in person)
Great job on the first weeks of class folks!
Reading assignments and Prelecture Notes posted
Homework is due Tues noon.
We will be arranging some group work in class. We'll be calling these "clicker cliques" but not limited to the clicker enterprise. By the end of the week we'll want you to send in a list of 2 or 3 others (minimum group size of 3, maximum of 4). You will hopefully sit near each other -- (but are not responsible for the attendance of your peers in your team). This will only be for intermittent work during the term and not meant to cause any stress or problems (but rather to facilitate your learning). Please use this online signup form by the end of the week. Your passowrd is your identikey.
If you don't know folks, think about introducing yourself to your neighbors on Tues. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me.
Week 1:
Welcome to class! This is one of my absolute favorites. I'm psyched to be teaching and that you're enrolled. See links above for more information, including: syllabus, homework, lecture notes, resources (such as sims for HW) etc...
Lectures are in Duane G1B20: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5-6:15p.
Additional Help Room Hours (for review, homework, etc. ): G2bHelpRoom: Mon & Tues?
There is a reading assignment for Thurs, and there may be a reading quiz (Knight Sections 20.1 - 20.6, a review of waves) [any quiz won't be for mastery but have you prepared for coming to class by reading]. For those who prefer using their E/M textbook (Phys 1120 ) for the section in Volume 3 (reviewing classical physics), that should be okay instead of using Knight, but you are responsible for reviewing: the wave model (what is a wave equation), 1-d waves, sinusoidal waves (frequency, period, etc), waves in 2-and 3-d, power and intensity.
Homework will be posted Thurs for being submitted Tues noon
About Physics 2130
The goal of this course is for you to understand the microscopic origin of the behavior of materials that you may encounter in the world around you or in technological applications. Engineers and scientists use simplified models to describe material properties, and most of the time these approximations work fine, but not always. This course will help you to understand why these models work and where they become unreliable and why. The latter issues become particularly important as one is working in the area of nanotechnology. A secondary goal is to increase your general knowledge through understanding the “new” (in past hundred years) way physicists have come to understand how the universe behaves, i.e. according to the laws of quantum physics.