PARADIGMS IN
PHYSICS: 1-DIMENSIONAL WAVES
PH424/PH524
General Information
PH424/524: 1-D WAVES is a 2-unit class within the Paradigms in Physics curriculum in the Physics Department at Oregon
State University. Prerequisites
are one year of introductory physics and 5 terms of 200-level mathematics. PH320 and some computing
experience (PH265) are recommended but not required. Formal prerequisites are PH314 and PH421/521. Students are usually physics and
engineering physics majors, but the course is accessible to and open to other
science and engineering majors.
Course Description: PH424/524 is a course about waves. The basic language is developed in the
context of harmonic (sinusoidal) waves, and these basic building blocks are
used to build other waveforms and pulses.
The context is mechanical and electrical waves to study non-dispersive
systems, and quantum mechanical systems (Schrödinger’s equation) to study
dispersive systems. In the quantum
mechanical system, the formal mathematics is presented in both Dirac notation
(similar to PH425) and in terms of the spatial wavefunction,
which looks very similar to the classical systems. The language and interpretation are new and
interesting. The QM part is
closely related to PH425, Spins and Quantum Measurement. Course activities include one
integrated laboratory, group problem solving activities, Maple worksheets and lectures. Independent work involves reading and
homework assignments. It is
important that students are familiar with their studies of waves in
introductory physics, and the solution of Schoedinger's
equation in the infinite well from PH314.
By the end of the course students should:
- master the basic quantities associated with wave motion
- become familiar with solutions to non-dispersive and
dispersive wave equations in the context of electromagnetism, classical
mechanics, and quantum mechanics
- understand the behavior of waves at interfaces
(reflection, transmission, impedance) and the behavior in dissipative
media (damping)
- apply the principle of superposition to construct wave
packets (and deconstruct using Fourier analysis), and calculate group
velocity
- further develop the basic principles of quantum theory,
including eigenstates, measurement, expectation
values, probability density
- further develop the mathematical techniques of
separation of variables, superposition, Fourier analysis
- refine their problem-solving methodology, the
foundation for a physicist's approach to the investigation of physical
phenomena RETURN TO TOP
- OSU textbook. There is a course packet entitled
"Paradigms in Physics: Quantum Mechanics" that is a required
text. For the QM part of the paradigms. Please, please, please provide us with feedback – this book
is in a very preliminary stage.
Times, Dates and Locations:
- Class
meetings are in WGR 304 or 304F, as noted in the syllabus or in class.
- Class
meets MWF at 13:00 - 13:50 and TR at 12:00 - 13:50 from 02/03/2009 to
02/20/2009.
The 1-week PREFACE is also a part of PH425/525 and PH426/526.
- Homework
is assigned on Fridays and consists of two parts; one due on Wednesdays
and one part due on Fridays.
You are expected to work on problems all through the week.
- The
final exam is on Monday 02/23/2009 at 19:30 - 21:30 in WGR 304 & 304F.
- Note
that this 2-credit course meets for 1/3 of the term. The workload is thus concentrated
and is equivalent to two 3-credit
courses meeting 3 days/week for the full term. RETURN TO TOP
Class Email List:
- A class
email list is available from Blackboard (link on syllabus page). It includes all registered
students and both instructors.
We will use this to send out announcements.
- Class
messages are sent to your OSU ONID account. Please have the necessary forwarding in place if this
is not your primary email account. RETURN
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Course Evaluation:
- PH424:
Homework 30%; Laboratory portfolio 20%; Final 50%.
- Grades
will be posted on Blackboard (link on syllabus page).
- Required
homework problems will be graded. Assignments are posted on the class webpage. Solutions will be posted
immediately after class, on the due date. Assignments turned in after solutions are posted can
earn at most 50% of the total points, and you should always inform the
instructor or TA if assignments will be late and explain why. Very late assignments will earn
less. Turn in partially
completed assignments by the due date and the rest later for partial credit. Pay attention to your presentation
- clarity, neatness, and logical structure contribute to the overall
assessment. Make your
solutions a model that a beginning sophomore in physics could work
from. Writing guide.
Practice problems provide simple examples for you to check whether or not
you understand the material as we go along. They will not be graded.
- Laboratory
portfolio: There is one
laboratory that is part of the course. A complete portfolio includes records of data and
computations. Laboratory and
computer exercises are performed in teams, but each student must be
responsible for his or her own report.
- Final exam:
The final exam involves problems mostly similar to those encountered in
the homework assignments, and in the physical and computational laboratory
experiences. (No Maple programming will be required). RETURN TO TOP
PH 524 Requirements:
- PH521:
Homework 30%; Laboratory portfolio 35%; Final 35%.
- The laboratory portfolio carries more weight in
the PH524 course. In general,
a higher level of sophistication is required in homework, laboratory
portfolio, and writing in general. The homework assignments may involve different
problems for PH524. RETURN
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Writing Guide:
Writing is a critical aspect of your professional
development. Its importance cannot
be overstressed. This writing guide is intended to help you improve and
evaluate your homework assignments and laboratory reports. RETURN TO TOP
Ground Rules:
Science is inherently a social and
collaborative effort, each scientist building on the work of others. Nevertheless, each student must
ultimately be responsible for his or her own education. Therefore, you will be expected to
abide by a number of Ground Rules:
- We
strongly encourage students to work with each other, more advanced
students, the TA, and the professor.
However, each student is expected to turn in independent assignments that show evidence of individual
thought. In other words, the
final synthesis must be entirely your own. This applies also to, and especially to,
computer-generated worksheets.
NEVER work together so closely with someone that you produce the
same solution, graph or computer program. This invariably means that one person has been the
dominant partner and it is impossible for the instructor to determine who
it was. Such assignments will
be returned ungraded, and both (or all) students requested to turn in a
new assignment different from each other and different from the original.
- Homework
solutions from previous years are very strictly off-limits. You are on
your honor not to use them, and not to share your homework solutions with
other students. Allow faculty
to use their time interacting with you, rather than continually thinking
up new assignments. Besides, if you don't do the work yourself, it will
show up very clearly on exams later.
Likewise, the solutions provided by the instructors are for your
personal use only. You may
make one copy and keep it in your personal files.
- Sources
must be appropriately documented.
If you work with other students in a laboratory assignment, you
must write down who your partners were. If you find a homework problem worked out somewhere
(other than homework solutions from previous years), you may certainly use
that resource; just make sure you reference it properly. If someone else helps you solve a
problem, reference that too.
In a research paper, the appropriate reference would be
Jane Doe, (private communication).
- Plagiarism
- representing someone else's work as your own - is unethical, but
collaboration and exchange of ideas is healthy. You can avoid collaborative efforts taking on the look
of plagiarism by acknowledging sources and by writing up your work
independently.
- Some students find it difficult to decide what
constitutes too much collaboration.
(i) Under no circumstances may you ever copy
another student's work, even if the two of you have collaborated to work
through the problem. Under no
circumstances may you ever allow your own work to be copied. Violation of this rule will
certainly result in a zero grade for the assignment, and may result in an
F grade in the course.
(ii) Try to make progress on a problem on your own. If you cannot, seek help from
other resources to overcome a specific hurdle, then try to make further
headway on your own. Once you
have solved the problem, be honest with yourself about how much
intellectual input came from you, and try to improve next time. Rewrite the problem solution
without reference to any notes, explaining the steps as you go, as you
would to a novice problem solver.
Once you have done this, you will have generated a unique solution
and one that will have taught you something about what you really
understand. Do not be
discouraged if you find that some problems require hints and help all the
way through. If you are able
to explain previously solved problems coherently, you are making good
progress.
(iii) A good test of your understanding is to explain a problem to someone
else. Be conscious of your
role in a collaboration. If it is clear that you have
mastered the problem and your collaborator is a novice, limit your help to
put the person on the track to solving the problem alone. Do not give too much help. Conversely, if you are seeking
help from an expert, don't allow the expert to guide you all the way
through. If the exchange is
between people of a similar level of understanding, keep challenging one
another, asking questions and providing answers, going beyond the limits
of the problem. This is the
fun part of physics - endless discussion about interesting problems! (Please note that there is no
intention to categorize students as "weak or strong". Expert and novice can refer to two
students of equal talent and ability - but one happens to have already
solved the problem.)
It is very important to be constantly on guard that your behavior is in
strict compliance with the letter and the spirit of the rules concerning
professional conduct. OSU has
a webpage devoted to the topic of student conduct
and you should in particular pay attention to the sub-link on academic dishonesty
and hold yourself to even higher standards than listed there. RETURN TO TOP
Resources:
- This
link takes you to the list of resources on the main Paradigms
webpage. All the Paradigms
texts are listed. There is
information about the OSU library, and the Physics computing resources.
- Texts: For PH424/524, you will need
- (CPQM) Course packet: Paradigms in
Physics: Quantum Mechanics
(T) Taylor, Classical
Mechanics, University Science Books, 2005.
(M) Main, Vibrations and Waves in Physics, 3rd Edition (used often)
(GEM) Griffiths, Introduction to Electrodynamics, 3rd
Edition (used for some examples, also text for PH320, PH422)
(RHB) Riley, Hobson &
Bence, 2nd ed, Mathematical Methods for Physics &
Engineering, (mostly reference, alternatives acceptable)
Strongly recommended
(K) Krane,
Modern Physics, 2nd ed.,
(probably your PH314 text).
Keep this or similar book on hand throughout your major.
(Gi) Giancoli, Physics
for Scientists and Engineers, 3rd Edition OR
(SB) Serway
& Beichner, Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 5th Edition (Any
calculus-based introductory book will do. Not required, but an intro text strongly recommended
throughout major.)
Other useful books – not required
(GQM) Griffiths, Quantum Mechanics, 2nd Edition
(L) Liboff,
Introductory Quantum Mechanics, 4th Edition (not required)
(TM)
Thornton & Marion, Classical
Dynamics of Particles and Systems, 5th
Edition
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Computers
- The
class makes use of Maple, a computer algebra program. PH265 teaches Maple
programming, but, though strongly recommended, it is not a prerequisite for
this course.
- Familiarity
with basic word processing (MS Word) and spreadsheets (MS Excel) is
assumed. RETURN TO TOP
Add-Drop, Withdraw & Final
Exam Dates:
- Special
add/drop dates are in effect for the Paradigms courses. For PH424/524
in Winter 2008, the last day to add is Wednesday 2/06/08, and the last day
to withdraw is Friday 2/15/08.
- Final
exams also have special days.
Since PH424/524 in Winter 2007 is the second Paradigm of the term,
the final is on the Monday following the end of the class, as published in
the Schedule
of Classes and listed above in the section Times, Dates & Locations. RETURN TO TOP
Students with
special needs:
- Students
with documented disabilities who may need accommodation, who have any
medical information which the instructor should know of, or who need
special arrangements in the event of evacuation, should make an
appointment to discuss their needs with the instructor as early as possible,
and no later than the first week of the term.
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