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. (It is OK to order the hardback textbook if you prefer a hard copy.)
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 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.
The Midterm Exam will take place at 8:10 am (our regular class time) on Thursday, October 9 in our classroom. The Final Exam will take place at 8:00 am on Wednesday, December 10 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.
A brief (10-minute) closed-book quiz will regularly take place at the start (or end) 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.
Active in-class participation is essential. Attendance will be recorded at the start of each class.
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 8/1/25. © Kenneth Read, 2025