Teaching

We will take a first look at the subjects of electricity, magnetism and thermodynamics. The course is a continuation of Physics 110, and we will use many of the ideas that were developed in your study of mechanics. At the end of the course, you should

1. Have a theoretical understanding of the basic laws governing electricity and magnetism 

2. Be familiar with several applications and consequences of the theory of electricity and magnetism, including simple dc and ac circuits

3. Understand the first two laws of thermodynamics as applied to heat transfer, engines, and gases 

4. Be able to apply physical principles to solve simple problems involving electricity, magnetism, and thermodynamics

5. Be comfortable using calculus to solve physics problems  

The format of the course is three hours of lecture and three hours of lab each week.  In addition, there are optional problem sessions as described below. 

A basic knowledge of electronics is essential for experimental physics, astronomy, and engineering. This course will introduce you to basic analog and digital electronic circuit construction and design. By the end of the course you should be able to

• Read and understand schematic diagrams

• Build circuits from schematic diagrams

• Troubleshoot and fix circuits

• Understand the function of basic electronic components

• Design simple analog and digital circuits

• Write simple codes to communicate with microprocessors

The course will provide a starting point for continued exploration of the vast field of electronics. Some of the topics we will cover include operational amplifiers, analog-to-digital conversion, and Arduino microcontrollers.

Electricity and magnetism is one of the most applicable and important subjects in all of physics. Indeed, the vast majority of the forces and interactions we encounter on a daily basis arise from electromagnetic interactions. You were introduced to many of the key concepts of electricity and magnetism in Physics 111. This course will further develop these ideas and provide a more sophisticated treatment of the subject. At the end of the course you will have a working knowledge and deeper understanding of the electromagnetic interaction.

Quantum mechanics is a foundational theory for most of modern physics and chemistry. This class will build upon the elementary quantum mechanics that you studied in Physics 212, providing a more complete mathematical theory. Throughout the course you will gain an understanding of

• the experimental basis quantum mechanics

• the mathematical formalism of quantum mechanics

• a number of “standard” quantum mechanical systems, both qualitatively and quantitatively

• some basic approximation methods in quantum mechanics

Wave phenomena are present in virtually all fields of physics. In this course we will examine waves in the context of optical physics. While the focus of the course is on optics, most of the ideas we will discuss apply to all wave phenomena. During the course you will

• Develop a general description of wave phenomena

• Cover the theoretical foundations of physical optics

• Gain a working knowledge of how to analyze optical systems

• Learn about optical instrumentation and common optical effects

• Study the foundations of lasers and nonlinear optical effects

As we explore these concepts, you will further develop your analytic and computational problem-solving skills. Towards the end of the course, you will have an opportunity to explore an aspect of waves or optics of your choosing and present what you’ve learned to the class.

Statistical mechanics is the study of the way macroscopic properties emerge from microscopic quantities. During the course you will

• Discover what statistical mechanics is about

• See how the classical and quantum descriptions of particles you have studied can be applied to understand and describe systems with large numbers of particles

• Gain an understanding of key physics concepts such as ensembles, temperature, pressure, chemical potential, and entropy

• Develop mathematical and approximation techniques and apply them to bulk materials

• Explore the relationship between statistical mechanics and thermodynamics

As we explore these concepts, you will further develop your analytic and computational problem-solving skills.

In this course you will be introduced to a wide range of experimental techniques and physical phenomena. In particular, you will 

• become more adept at performing experiments

• learn to use some standard equipment commonly employed in physics labs

• develop your data analysis skills

• understand the limitations of physics models to experimental data

• develop written and oral scientific communication skills

• explore a wide range of new physics concepts and see how they are manifested in experiments

• learn to synthesize concepts from many different branches of physics in order to understand and explain the experiments

In contrast to your previous physics lab courses, the experiments are much more open ended. You have more control over how you collect and analyze your data. The equipment is more sophisticated than what you have encountered in previous lab courses and, in many cases, is identical to equipment used to conduct research. In addition to the new physics and experimental techniques you will learn, we wil work on developing your written and oral presentation skills. You should come out of this course with a good idea of how to write a scientific paper and give a scientific presentation.