Physics 320

Symmetries and Idealizations

Fall 2009

Class schedule

Day	Topics	Readings/handouts (main, alternate, deep)	Homework
1 Monday 9/28	Potentials Paradigms/Course intro Potentials for and Coulomb's Law Fields Zero of potential	GEM ix-xv GEM 2.3.2 GEM 1.1.4 Website information Working in groups	HW 0 due solutions
2 Tuesday 9/29	Superposition Small group activities	Introduction to Maple Visualizing potentials
3 Wednesday 9/30	Distance between two points Charges away from the origin Dot products	RHB 7.2 RHB 7.6 Dot product GEM 1.1.1-1.1.2	HW 1 due solutions
4 Thursday 10/1	Power series Definition Coefficients Theorems Approximations using power series Adding up terms Exploiting symmetry	RHB 4.5 Boas 1 RHB 4.6 Power series reading Approximating functions with a power series Power series coefficients Important series
5 Friday 10/2	Two point charges Superposition of discrete sources Dipoles Near and far limits	Electric potentials from two charges	HW 2 due solutions
6 Monday 10/5	Two point charges, continued
7 Tuesday 10/6	Integrating charge densities Curvilinear coordinates Definitions Vector differential Integrating charge densities Line, surface and volume densities Cross and triple products	RHB 10.9 Curvilinear coordinates reading GEM 1.1.4 RHB 10.10 GEM 1.4 Calculating line elements in spherical and cylindrical coordinates Solutions for potential due to 2 point charges GEM 2.1.4 Densities RHB 7.6 Cross product Triple product GEM 1.1.1-1.1.3
8 Wednesday 10/7	Total charge Line, surface and volume integrals Superposition of continuous sources Finite line Green functions	RHB 11 GEM 1.3.1 Line integrals Surface integrals Volume integrals Boas 6.8 Total charge	HW 3 due solutions
9 Thursday 10/8	Superposition of continuous sources Continuous charge distributions The ring Limits near and far	RHB 11.1 RHB 11.5-11.6 GEM 2.3.4, MT 5.1-5.2
10 Friday 10/9	Charges that extend to infinity Infinite line		HW 4 due solutions
11 Monday 10/12	Quantifying change Partial derivatives Gradients	RHB 5.1-5.2 Partial derivatives Boas 6.6 RHB 10.7, GEM 1.1.1-1.1.2 Boas 6.7 Schey IV Navigating a hill
12 Tuesday 10/13	Electric and gravitational fields from gradients of a ring	TM 5.3, GEM 2.1 MT 5.4
13 Wednesday 10/14	Electric and gravitational field of continuous distributions		HW 5 due solutions
14 Thursday 10/15	Electrostatic energy Energy and VEUF square	GEM 2.4
15 Friday 10/16	Review Study session with Alex, 6-8PM		HW 6 due solutions
16 Saturday 10/17	Study session with Alex, 1-3PM
17 Monday 10/19	Final exam: 7:00 PM