Principles of Modern Physics - PHYS 2700 Fall 2013 - Otterbein ...

Syllabus

Principles of Modern Physics - PHYS 2700 Fall 2017 Lecture MWF 12:15 pm - 1:30 pm Lab T 12:00-3:00

Professor: Dr. Nathaniel Tagg Office: Science Building room 105 email: [email protected] Phone: 823-1358 Office hours: MTWF 9:30-11:00 Administrative Assistant: Celina Chou 823-1316 Text: Modern Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 2nd ed.,   Taylor, Zafiratos, and Dubson (Prentice Hall, 2004) Course Web Page: http://neutrino.otterbein.edu/~tagg/Courses/Current/Phys2700 Schedule The topics below Parts I and II of Taylor, et al, with a little bit of Part IV for fun. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Basics of Relativity Energy and Momentum in Relativity Quantization Quantum Atoms Particle waves Quantum Mechanics Atomic Physics Nuclear Physics

Course description: This course serves as your introduction into upper-year physics courses. Although nominally part of the three-semester introduction, this course will be the first to focus on physical principles that of the last century. “Modern” physics refers not to the modern-day, but rather has the same meaning as in the term “modern art” - works that were advanced in the early part of the 20th century. This point in history marks two important revolutions in the development of physical thought: relativity and quantum mechanics. These two developments fundamentally shape our current understanding of physical phenomena, and as such from the basis of nearly all your future courses.

PHYS 2700 Syllabus 1/6

We will spend the first three weeks or so on relativity, then spend the bulk of the semester finding descriptions of particle behaviors and quantum mechanics, and then spend the last week of the course on nuclear physics.   Grading Scheme: Homework: Lab Reports: Midterm 1: Midterm 2: Midterm 3: Final Exam:

20% 20% 15% (Week ~5) 15% (Week ~9) 10% (Week ~12) 20% (Cumulative)

Exam dates are tentative and will be announced closer to the date of the exam. Grading scheme: You will get at least an A- if you score 85%, at least a B- for 75%, at least a Cfor 65%, and at least a D for 55%. Assignments Homework will be assigned weekly. Late homework will not be accepted unless arrangements are made before the day the assignment is due. This means you. Even if accepted, late homework will be subject to a penalty of 10% per day. Homework will be graded largely on completeness and accuracy, but also on presentation and argument. Homework may be expanded to include short research papers. How to write an assignment: Assignments should be thought of as miniature papers. Each solution should complete sentences describing where each equation came from, and how they fit together to form the solution. Typically, this will require you to work problems first in ‘rough draft’ form yourself, and then copy out the solution as a final, explained version. Usually each problem should start at the top of a fresh page, and include sketches or diagrams. Assignments must be stapled together, not folded or paper-clipped. Although students can and should collaborate when trying to solve problems, I will not accept work copied from any source. Offenses will result in disciplinary action at the university level.        


Laboratory Experiments Labs will be performed weekly. Please read the lab before the lab period. Each week you are required to provide a written lab report documenting what you did and what your results were. Although you will work mostly in pairs in the lab, each student is required to produce their own lab report. Labs are due beginning of the following week. A lab report should be divided in 5 sections. These sections do not need to be labelled, but they should all be present. 1. Introduction. Why would someone be interested in the result of your experiment? 2. Description. What equipment did you use, how did it work, and how did you use it? This should NOT be a play-by-play description of what you did, or instructions for the next person. Instead, it should be a conceptual description, useful for understanding. You should nearly always include your own diagrams to illustrate how the parts of the experiment related. 3. Results. What data did you collect? What observations did you make? In what ways are your results susceptible to uncertainty? This should consist of raw or manipulated data detailing what happened. 4. Analysis. How did you manipulate the data to get the desired answer? This should include any plots, numerical solutions, or statistical summaries of your data. 5. Conclusion. What is was your final answer? What is the uncertainty on this answer? Does this answer compare to the result you were expecting? What could you do to improve this result? Each section should consist of at least one paragraph. Typical labs will require diagrams, tables, and plots. You will be marked on how well you write, how concise you are, how clear your diagrams, data, and analysis are, how well you understood the experiment, and how well you performed the experiment. (See the attached rubric for details.) Your labs, or parts thereof, may be shared with the class. Be ready to show your writing to others. It is recommended that you avail yourself of the resources at the Writing Center. Even the best writers can improve! See:    http://www.otterbein.edu/public/Academics/AcademicAffairsDivision/AcademicSupportCenter.aspx  

   


Tentative Lab Schedule. Subject to change or revision. Readings are online. Wee k

Team Alpha

Team Beta

1

Team Gamma

Speed of light

Aug 22, 2017

2

Michelson Michelson interferometer : interferometer (book time out of class)

Michelson interferometer

3

Particle Physics Data



Date

Aug 29, 2017

Sep 5, 2017

––––––– Error Propagation–––––––

Sep 12, 2017

5

Photoelectric effect



Sep 19, 2017

6

Blackbody radiation

Blackbody radiation

Blackbody radiation

Sep 26, 2017

7

Spectroscopy

Spectroscopy

Spectroscopy

8

Oct 3, 2017

(Reading break)

Oct 10, 2017

9

Gamma ray scattering

Electron Diffraction

Frank-Hertz

Oct 17, 2017

10


Frank-Hertz


Oct 24, 2017

11

Frank-Hertz



Oct 31, 2017

12

Computational Solution to the Schroedinger Equation

13

Half-life

Half-life

14

Range and Absoption

Nov 7, 2017

Range and Absoption

Nov 14, 2017

Half-life

Nov 21, 2017


Course Policies - Attendence is not required, but be aware that the textbook is incomplete and you are responsible for missed content. - During tests and exams, use of cell phones or any devices other than simple calculators is not permitted. Students may not leave the room for any reason until they have handed in their exam. Violation of these rules will result in a grade of zero. If you need special consideration, consult your instructor at least one day before a scheduled exam.  - The work you hand in is expected to be your own. You are encouraged to collaborate with other students, with tutors, or with the instructor on your homework. Doing so can be one of the most effective ways to learn. The assignment you hand in, however, should be written by you in your own words. Two submitted assignments that are near identical in wording or argument will be treated as plagiarized and will receive no credit. Any solution that is identical or nearly identical to a solution posted online will receive no credit. Cases of plagiarism will be reported to the Academic Dean’s office.  - In any submitted work, you are required to cite any sources you draw from. This includes direct quotes (which must be quoted with quotation marks), but also includes ideas, which must be cited. It applies to any place you might get ideas or information, including the textbook, journal articles, online tools like Wolfram Alpha, software like Mathematica, or even ideas suggested by your peers. For example, you might write: “Making the substitution y = ex (suggested by Molly Clairemont), I find…”, or “In writing this paper I benefitted from discussions with Joe Foobar.” or “Wolfram Alpha (WA) gives this integral as....” This kind of acknowledgement will never reduce your grade! As a matter of intellectual honesty, you acknowledge those from whom you received help. This is standard operating procedure for professional scientists.

                   


 

University policy on academic integrity: All academic work should be your own. Academic dishonesty (plagiarism and cheating) may result in automatic failure of the assignment or the course itself, and you will be referred to the Academic Affairs Office for suspension or expulsion proceedings. You are plagiarizing when you: 1. Copy material from a source without using quotation marks and proper citation. 2. Follow the movement of the source, substituting words and sentences but keeping its meaning, without citing it. 3. Lift phrases or terms from a source and embed them in your own prose without using quotation marks and proper citation. 4. Borrow ideas (that are not common knowledge) from a source without proper citation. 5. Turn in a paper wholly or partially written by someone else. The complete statement on Plagiarism, Cheating and Dishonesty can be found in the Campus Life Handbook, page 33, at the following web link: http://www.otterbein.edu/public/CampusLife/ HealthAndSafety/StudentConduct.aspx. Statement on disability services: If you have a documented learning difference please contact Kera McClain Manley, the Disability Services Coordinator, to arrange for whatever assistance you need. The Disability Services is located in Room #13 on the second floor of the Library in the Academic Support Center. You are welcome to consult with me privately to discuss your specific needs. For more information, contact Kera at [email protected], 614-823-1618 or visit the Disability Services at the following web link: http://www.otterbein.edu/public/Academics/AcademicAffairsDivision/AcademicSupportCenter/ DisabilityServices.aspx. Statement on Credit Hour Definition/expectation for student work: For each credit hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction, students are expected to engage in two hours of out-of-class course-related work (readings, homework, studying, project preparation, etc.). A four credit hour course thus requires eight hours per week of out-of-class work, on average.
