Note: This is currently filled in with a best-guess based on the curriculum of the planned readings. Please re-check this site, as not only will homeworks and solutions be posted, but the readings may be regularly updated based on what we actually cover (or do not).
Week 1:
Readings:
In general, if not otherwise stated, the readings will come from the course textbook (on the main page of this site)
Unless otherwise specified, in *all* the reading, you can feel free to skip sections labeled [T2] in the text. These are more advanced and specific discussions (often the full relativistic versions of different concepts). However, it may be interesting, and they are usually quite short, so by all means feel free to check them out.
- Chapter 1 (Newtonian Physics: Geometric Viewpoint):
- this is a quite short chapter (the number of pages is misleading, since it's large 'preprint' format), you should glance over it and use it as a reference, since much of the notation we are using is defined here. Useful definition and reminders of some basic equations are in sections 1.8-1.10
- Chapter 3 (Kinetic Theory)
- this covers the material we discussed in the first week, in more detail (include the [T2] sections 3.2.2 and 3.5.3)
-- If you would like a primer/reminder on special relativity (want to remember what the Lorentz transformations are, that sort of thing), read Chapter 2. This is not required, but we will occasionally refer to relativistic corrections/limits (as we did in class Wednesday), so it may be useful if you are not familiar with it at the level we discussed.
For next week: Normally, the reading will cover the coming week's classes (and be less extensive -- this is two weeks in one!). It will be expected in class that you have read the chapters discussing the material, so we can jump into interesting applications and working through the concepts in more detail. There is a lot of range in the course, so this is important to being able to digest it all.
- Chapter 4: Statistical Mechanics
- read up to section ~4.9 for Monday.
Problem Set 1 (Due 10/11 -- SORRY FOR EARLIER TYPO, 10/11 is the correct date!):
Problem numbers here refer to problems from the course textbook (2012 PDF version): if they differ in the recently-published text, and you are using that, please let me know ASAP so I can send the correct problem and/or fix the numbering.
3.3, parts a & b: Regimes of Particle and Wave-like behavior
3.4, part c: the Maxwell velocity distribution. Notice that there is an obvious typo in the exponent in (3.24).
3.14, part a, b, c: Solar heating of the Earth
3.18, part a: Viscosity of a monatomic gas
3.20, part a & b: neutron diffusion in a nuclear reactor
Week 2:
Readings:
Finish chapter 4 (make sure to read box 4.3 for the quantum analogy to our entropy discussion), read chapter 5 (statistical thermodynamics).
Problem Set 2 (Due 10/18):
4.4, parts a, b
4.5, parts a, b, c, d
4.8, parts a, b, c, d
4.10, part a
Extra credit: (1 point each):
4.21
Read section 4.9 carefully, and try to follow the key equations. Then (a) Explain why, in Eq. 4.48b, Tc >> hbar*omega_0/k_B (in other words, why does a factor of "N" appear in the equation for Tc?). (b) Show that the mean inter-atom spacing at the critical temperature is a0/N^(1/3) (where a0 is in equation 4.49). Verify that this is equal to the typical atoms deBroglie wavelength (defined in the text just below 4.49).
Week 3:
Readings:
Read chapter 6 (random processes). For this chapter, you should read the [T2] sections (they are short).
Problem Set 3 (Due 10/25):
5.2, part a
5.5, parts a, e
5.8, part c (we will should discuss a & b in class)
5.11, all parts (this will lead into the next week's random processes section)
5.12, parts a, d, e (there is a typo so there is no part 'c'. you will need to read/understand part "b", but you don't have to work it out here. For the last part, labeled "e", you don't need to do the derivation, just answer the 'Are these physically reasonable? Why?' questions)
5.14, parts d & e
Week 4:
Readings:
Finish reading chapter 6 (random processes). Start reading chapter 7 (geometric optics), and think about your midterm presentations (in-class or other "live" demos)
Problem Set 4 (Due 11/01): [short problem set to allow for midterm prep]
6.2 (just a sentence or so needed for each part of the question)
6.4, parts a,b,c (each is quite short, don't worry)
6.21 (remember how we defined conservation laws in the beginning of the course)
Week 5:
Readings:
Finish reading chapter 7 (geometric optics). Start reading chapter 8 (Diffraction)
Problem Set 5 (Due 11/08):
7.1
7.2, part d
7.9
7.10
Week 6:
Readings:
Finish reading chapter 8 (Diffraction). Start reading chapter 9 (Interference & Coherence)
Problem Set 6 (Due 11/15): -- NOTE: as discussed in class, owing to the delay posting this and the holiday, this will be due before the Thanksgiving holiday. Turn it in anytime before 11/21.
-8.3
-8.4
-8.6 (a)(b)(c)
-8.17 In this problem you only need to find the scaling behavior of \Delta x and you don't need to understand how peak magnification scales with wavelength.
Week 7:
Readings:
Finish reading chapter 9 (Interference & Coherence); I recommend reading the LIGO-centric sections and the adaptive-optics sections even though they are marked "additional". Read chapter 10 (Nonlinear optics)
Problem Set 7 (Due 11/29):
9.9 (parts a & b)
9.13 (a)
Optical frequency combs: Summarize/state (based on the reading) what the frequency sensitivity of the optical comb discussed there would be (how accurate could it measure a frequency). The "Sandage effect" is the difference in cosmological redshift for a distant galaxy measured at two different times (by humans), because the scale factor a=1/(1+z) should have increased from a to a+da. Using the fact that the hubble constant is defined as H = (da/dt) / a, estimate (order-of-magnitude) how large this redshift difference would be in terms of frequency or wavelength of some optical line(s), if we took two measurements with a 100-year baseline. How does this compare to the different optical comb sensitivities discussed in the text?
Week 8:
Readings:
Read chapter 11 & 12 (Elastostatics & Elastodynamics)
Problem Set 8 (Due 12/06):
11.2, part a (just the drawing part, not the derivation), b, c
11.7, part a, b