Syllabus

MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN PHYSICS

PHYSICS 571/  MATH 517

SYLLABUS    FALL 2024

• • Instructor: Ken Read

  • Office: 309 Nielsen Physics

  • Telephone: 974-3027 (office), 974-3342 (sec.), 574-5347 (ORNL)

  • Web site: https://sites.google.com/utk.edu/kread

  • Office Hours: 11 am - noon T, Th via Zoom, and by appointment

  • Classroom: 120 Ayres

  • Classtime: 8:10 - 9:25 am T, Th

  • Text: Mathematical Methods for Physicists: A Comprehensive Guide  7th edition by G. Arfken, H. Weber, F. Harris  (Academic Press 2012)  ISBN: 978-0123846549

Topics

• Selected topics using practical physics examples:

  • Differential Vector Operators in Curvilinear Coordinates

  • Metric Tensor, Tensors, and Differential Forms

  • Vector Spaces

  • Eigenvalue Problems

  • Green's functions

  • Complex Variable Theory

  • Special Functions

  • Integral Transforms

  • Integral Equations

  • Calculus of Variations

  • Applications and visualizations

Class details are available on our class home page at http://sites.google.com/view/utkp571.   

Homework

Homework assignments are posted in Canvas in advance and due by 5 pm on the assigned date.  The associated reading indicated on the assignment is to be completed one week earlier (in order to be well-prepared for in-class quizzes.)  Access to a laptop or computer is required.  Homework is required to be your own original work.  Do not refer to solutions from others, past semesters,  or from the internet.

Exams

The Midterm Exam will take place at 8:10 am (our regular class time) on Thursday, October 10 in our classroom.   The Final Exam will take place at 10:30 am on Monday, December 9 in our classroom.  The only resources allowed during these exams are our class textbook and a mathematical table of integrals.  No other resources are allowed.  No internet access allowed.

Quizzes

A brief (10-minute) closed-book quiz will regularly take place at the start of class in our classroom to assess reading progress and preparation.  The quizzes require multiple choice and short answer responses and are intended to be straightforward if the assigned reading has been completed.  Computers, books, and internet access will not be allowed during these quizzes.

Attendance

Active in-class participation is essential.   Attendance will be recorded at the start of each class.     

Grades

The components of the course are combined with the following weights to obtain the final score:

• 20%  for average of homework scores

• 25% for midterm exam

• 35% for final exam

• 10% for average of closed-book quiz scores

• 10% for attendance average

 A "curve" will be used to transform the final score into the final grade.

Any student who needs an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss your specific needs.  Please, contact the Office of Disability Services in 100 Dunford Hall at 865-974-6087 to coordinate reasonable accommodations for documented disabilities.

Last updated 2/28/24