PHYS 231
Methods of Theoretical Physics
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Prof. Flip Tanedo (flip.tanedo@ucr.edu)
TA: none
This is a crash course on the mathematical methods to succeed in the first year graduate curriculum. Our goal is to solve differential equations using Green's functions. We will use techniques from linear algebra and complex analysis. If time permits, we may explore other topics toward the end of the course such as statistical methods for physics and astronomy.
Lectures: MWF 9:00 - 10:50am, Physics 2111
Discussion: M 4-4:50pm, Pierce Hall 2226 [ to be used on specific days ]
Office hours: please schedule in advance.
Quick Links
Quick Links
Syllabus: please review
I reserve the right to update policies as needed.
Course Notes are updated as we go. Updated links on the weekly page.
Old versions: 2024 version, 2021 version of the notes, notes from 2018 and 2017, 2016 version of the course (rather different than the present incarnation0
Our internal sheet: includes welcome videos, contact info, and homework problem assignments. (Only accessible to course members)
Weekly Routine
Weekly Routine
See the Weekly Page for a complete summary of topics and assignments.
Odd Numbered Weeks
Odd Numbered Weeks
Wednesday: Short Homework Due
Friday: Explainer Video Due (starting Week 3)
Even Numbered Weeks
Even Numbered Weeks
Wednesday: Peer Review Due (starting Week 4)
Friday: Long Homework Due (starting Week 2)
Class Adjustments
Class Adjustments
We will not have lecture on:
Week 6: Friday, Nov 7
Week 9: Wed, Nov 26
Week 9: Friday, Nov 28 (university holiday)
In its place, we will have make up lectures in our 4pm discussion slot on the following days:
Week 6, Monday, Nov 3
Week 9: Monday, Nov 24
Textbook and Course Materials
Textbook and Course Materials
There is no required textbook, but you are strongly encouraged to have access to at least one general "math methods for physicists" reference. There are some suggestions on the references page.
The instructor will post course notes as we go along.
You may need to use your @ucr email address to access certain course materials, a regular @gmail address will not work. Here are instructions for using the UCR VPN if you want to avoid using the UCR login each time you access these materials.
Technology Requirements
Technology Requirements
For this course, you will need to be able to record 5-10 minute videos of yourself explaining the solutions to homework problems. There are many ways to do this, check out the UCR Keep Learning website for suggestions. Your videos do not need to be polished: you need to be effective, not flashy.
I encourage you to have a recording that shows your face while talking if possible. This will help us build familiarity with one another. At the very minimum, your videos should have the sound of your own voice.
In the second half of the course you will prepare a short written document explaining how to solve for the Green's function of a harmonic oscillator. You are strongly encouraged to use LaTeX.
Guidelines for submission
Guidelines for submission
Video Uploads
Video Uploads
See the keeplearning.ucr page for advice on recording and uploading your videos. You will upload your video to your own storage space (e.g. the unlimited storage volume through your @ucr access to Google Drive) and then submit it by sending the link through a submission form.
Please keep your videos accessible until the end of the term (2nd week of December).
Video Permissions
Video Permissions
Please make sure that your uploaded video is viewable by other members of the class.
On Google Drive (web interface): right-click on the file and click on "Share." There are a few options:
Restricted: only people listed can access the video. Please add flip.tanedo@ucr.edu, and the email addresses of your classmates (see the internal page).
Rmail: automatically restricts to anyone with an @ucr email address.
Anyone with the link: least restrictive, public access. I don't recommend this, but you can do this if you'd like to share your videos with family and friends outside of UCR.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I find the homework/lectures?
Where do I find the homework/lectures?
See the Weekly Updates page summarizes material covered, assignments, and submission links. You can also connect to the Google Calendar for this course which contains all of our meeting times and assignment due dates.
Turning in Assignments
Turning in Assignments
All assignments are to be submitted using Google Forms. Please use your UCR account to upload materials on a storage space that our class can access.
How do I communicate?
How do I communicate?
The primary way of asking questions, commenting, and engaging with the course is in person during our meetings. We expect the assignments to be a bit challenging and encourage questions at the beginning of class to discussing the assignments or the course materials.
You can also contact Flip and Ian by e-mail, please use: [P231] in the subject line so that the message is not filtered out. Please expect a minimum 3 business day turnaround time for urgent messages and possibly a longer turnaround time for non-urgent messages. (You may want to follow up with Flip in person before/after class.)
Privacy and Data Security
Privacy and Data Security
We abide by the UCR Keep Teaching Privacy and Security guidelines. Because lectures will be asynchronous and are recorded without an audience, there is no risk to student privacy when these lectures are made available. All student-generated recordings (explainer videos) will be hosted on the student's own web space with links only shared internally with members of the class. Students have full control of removing these files after the course.
Students are not allowed to download other students' videos without their permission. The instructor grants students the right to download any of the instructor's videos for their own instructional use. In order to maintain a strict separation of private information (including course participation), we have a separate internal course webpage where students may access one another's work for peer review.
Previous versions of this course
Previous versions of this course
Each year this course is slightly different based on the feedback of the previous years' students and the discretion of the instructor. The number of blatant errors should be decreasing (mostly monotonically) with time. The number of subtle errors is also decreasing adiabatically, with occasional spikes when I do something different. Note: menu bar links on the archived pages will link to the present page, not the archived pages.
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