PARADIGMS IN PHYSICS:  PREFACE

Syllabus for Winter 2010

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Day/
Room
Topic:
     Subtopic
Reading
(Main, Alternate,
Deep)
Do reading before
class on date shown.
Due 
Dates
1
M  1/4

304
Matrix Manipulations:
     Matrix multiplication.
     Transposes.
     Hermitian adjoints.
     Determinants.
     Inverses.
     Orthonormality of vectors.
Bra-ket notation:
Class Notes: 
     Linear Algebra by Example
RHB 8.3-8.10
Boas 3.3, 3.6
Arfken 3.1-3.2
 
2
T  1/5

304
Linear Transformations:
     Transformations of vectors.
     Wksheet: Linear Transformations.
     Solutions to Lin Trans wksheet
Rotations & Orthogonal Matrices:
     Properties of rotations.
     Rotations in 2 dimensions.
Rotations in 3 Dimensions:
     Rotations around an axis.
     Repeated rotations.
     Non-commutativity.
Class Notes: 
     Bra-ket Notation
RHB 8.1-8.2
Boas 10.1-10.3
Arfken 3.3
RHB 8.12
 
3
W 1/6

304
Matrix Components
    Wksheet: Components of Matrices
    Wksheet: Diagonal Matrices
 RHB 8.12
HW 1
Sol. 1
Quiz 1
4
R  1/7

304
Eigenvectors & Eigenvalues:
     Characteristic equation.
     How to find eigenvalues.
     How to find eigenvectors.
Practice with Eigenvectors & Eigenvalues:
     Wksheet: Eigenvalues & Eigenvectors.
Linear Vector Spaces:
     Properties.
     Bases.
     Ex: arrows, Fourier.
RHB  8.14
Boas 10.4
Schaum's 8.3-8.5
Arfken 3.5
 
5
F  1/8

304
Linear Transformations:
Properties of Hermitian Matrices:
     Real eigenvalues.
     Orthonormal eigenvectors.
     Diagonalization.
     Commuting operators.
RHB 8.13.2
Arfken 3.4
RHB 8.13, 8.15-8.16
Arfken 3.6
HW 2
Sol Practice
Sol. 2
Quiz 2
M   1/11
 PH 425 begins.
 
 


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Last Update:  1/8/10

© Department of Physics, Oregon State University, 2010.