Physics 3320 (Fa14)

Week 13 (Nov 17-Nov 21) We are in Ch 11 this week, looking at radiation from accelerating charges. We will skip some details of this chapter, (e.g. all of 11.1.4, and all of 11.2 except the Larmor formula!) and will move on to Ch. 12, Relativity, on Friday.

This week we wrap up our (brief!) study of radiation. To get a feel for the way that radiation is produced by accelerating charges, play with this java applet. Our PhET team has also come up with an excellent radiation sim, check it out! Also, check out this cool video which demonstrates (sort of) "retarded time" signal propagation in a fairly spectacular way, using a slinky. Here's the first answer and another followup "answer".

At the end of the week, we will begin the final central topic of the term: Einstein's special theory of relativity. (Above, Einstein is demonstrating a non-inertial frame!)

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Announcements:

• Your exam results and Exam solutions are posted on D2L. See also the Exam info page.
• Here is a cool article from this month's Physics Today about gauge freedom, and what Maxwell thought/knew about it. Some very fun historical stuff I didn't know a lot of it. *Perfectly* timed for our course! (It gets a little hard right near the end, but mostly I think it's very accessible, and not too long.) Let me know what you think if you read it - how about posting something on Piazza! (I do give Extra credit for posts there :-)
• Preflight #12: Back to the usual schedule: due Monday@ 10 AM (Next preflight will appear over the break, due Monday @10 right after we return)
• HW11 is due Wed Nov 19 (back on regular schedule) HW12 will be due Wed Dec 3, right after the break.
• Reading: Get started on Chapter 12. Also, please check out these 2170-level "relativity review" powerpoints. If you take it seriously, maybe 30-60 minutes of effort. I won't be repeating all this stuff in class, it's "assumed background". I think it is very helpful!!
  
• Visit our piazza page and ask a question. Or answer someone else's for a little extra credit!

OLD ANNOUNCEMENTS can be found here: Week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 ,