Schroeder, An Introduction to Thermal Physics
| Day | Topic | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 20 | Temperature, Ideal Gas | Chapter 1 |
| Jan 22 | Heat, Work, Internal Energy | Chapter 1 |
| Jan 27 | Heat Capacity, Latent Heat, Enthalpy | Chapter 1 |
| Jan 29 | Large Systems | Chapter 2 |
| Feb 3 | Entropy | Chapter 2 |
| Feb 5 | Entropy, Heat | Chapter 3 |
| Feb 10 | Equilibrium, Chemical Potential | Chapter 3 |
| Feb 12 | Heat Engines | Chapter 4 |
| Feb 17 | Free Energy | Chapter 5 |
| Feb 19 | Phase Transitions | Chapter 5 |
| Feb 24 | Dilute Solutions | Chapter 5 |
| Feb 26 | Chemical Equilibrium | Chapter 5 |
| Mar 3 | Statistical Mechanics | Chapter 6 |
Assignments are due at the beginning of class on Tuesday. Late assignments will not be accepted unless an extension has been granted before the due date (one without good reason, unlimited with good reason). You are encouraged to discuss the assignments with your classmates and with the instructor. Be sure to write up what you turn in by yourself, with no help from others. The SA session is 7 – 9 PM Monday evening in SC L32.
All laboratory work is recorded in a bound, quad-ruled notebook. This includes the pre-lab exercises before coming to lab, along with notes, data, analysis, and results during the lab. Laboratory notebooks are the only reference used during the end of laboratory check-out discussion and are handed in at the end of the laboratory period to be graded.
Interim and final grades are calculated using the following scheme: Assignments (40%), Examination (35%), Laboratory (25%).
Pedrotti and Pedrotti, Introduction to Optics, 2nd Edition
Wolfson and Pasachoff, Physics with Modern Physics, 2nd Edition
| Day | Topic | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 17 | Reflection and Refraction | W&P, Chapter 35 |
| Mar 19 | Mirrors | W&P, Chapter 36 |
| Mar 24 | Lenses | W&P, Chapter 36 |
| Mar 26 | Optical Instruments | W&P, Chapter 36 |
| Mar 31 | Waves | P&P, Chapter 8 |
| Apr 2 | Polarization | P&P, Chapter 14 |
| Apr 7 | Jones Calculus | P&P, Chapter 14 |
| Apr 9 | Superposition | P&P, Chapter 9 |
| Apr 14 | Interference | W&P, Chapter 37 |
| Apr 16 | Double Slit Interference | W&P, Chapter 37 |
| Apr 21 | Multiple Slit Interference | W&P, Chapter 37 |
| Apr 23 | Diffraction | W&P, Chapter 37 |
| Apr 28 | Optical Resolution | W&P, Chapter 37 |
| Apr 30 | Matrix Optics | P&P, Chapter 4 |
Assignments are due at the beginning of class on Tuesday. Late assignments will not be accepted unless an extension has been granted before the due date (one without good reason, unlimited with good reason). You are encouraged to discuss the assignments with your classmates and with the instructor. Be sure to write up what you turn in by yourself, with no help from others. The SA session is 7 – 9 PM Monday evening in SC L32.
All laboratory work is recorded in a bound, quad-ruled notebook. This includes the pre-lab exercises before coming to lab, along with notes, data, analysis, and results during the lab. Laboratory notebooks are the only reference used during the end of laboratory check-out discussion and are handed in at the end of the laboratory period to be graded.
Interim and final grades are calculated using the following scheme: Assignments (40%), Examination (35%), Laboratory (25%).
Archer, Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast, 2nd edition
Grotzinger, Jordan, Press, and Siever, Understanding Earth (GJPS)
Kump, Kasting, and Crane, The Earth System (KKC)
Marshak, Earth: Portrait of a Planet
Ruddiman, Earth’s Climate: Past and Future
Wolfson, Energy, Environment, and Climate
| DWeek | Topic | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 20 | Introduction | Chapter 1, KKC-1 |
| Jan 27 | Blackbody Radiation, Earth Overview | Chapter 2, GJPS-1a |
| Feb 3 | Greenhouse Effect, Systems | Chapter 3, GJPS-1b |
| Feb 10 | Greenhouse Gases, Systems | Chapter 4, Marshak-22 |
| Feb 17 | Atmosphere | Chapter 5, KKC-4 |
| Feb 24 | Oceans | Chapter 6, KKC-5 |
| Mar 3 | Feedback, El Nino | Chapter 7, Ruddiman-16 |
| Mar 17 | Carbon Cycle | Chapter 8, KKC-8 |
| Mar 24 | Fossil Fuels | Chapter 9, Wolfson-5 |
| Mar 31 | Ozone, Methane, Carbon Dioxide | Chapter 10, Wolfson-13 |
| Apr 7 | Climate Records, Modeling | Chapter 11, Ruddiman-2 |
| Apr 14 | Climate Prediction | Chapter 12, Wolfson-15 |
| Apr 21 | Climate Policy | Chapter 12, Wolfson-15 |
| Apr 28 | Wrap-up | Chapter 13, Wolfson-16 |
Weekly assignments are turned in each Monday in class, graded, and returned.
A paper is due on the last day of the semester. It is an in-depth analysis of some aspect of the Earth’s climate and is typically around 10 double-spaced pages in length (not counting figures).
Each student comes to a laboratory session 6 times during the semester. One of the laboratory sessions is a field trip. During each session, students record their results in a laboratory notebook and hand it in as they leave.
Each student writes a summary of a scientific article three times during the semester. The instructor selects some of the articles to be summarized, but students select at least one of the articles. Article summaries are typically about 4 double-spaced pages (not counting figures).
There are two closed-book examinations during the semester and no final examination.
Final grades for the course are calculated using the following scheme: Assignments (30%), Laboratory Notebooks or Article Summaries (20%), Paper (20%), and Examinations (30%).
S. T. Thornton and J. B. Marion, Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems, 5th edition
| Week | Topic | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | Matrices, Vectors, and Vector Calculus | Chapter 1 |
| Sep 10 | Newtonian Mechanics--Single Particle | Chapter 2 |
| Sep 17 | Oscillations | Chapter 3 |
| Sep 24 | Nonlinear Oscillations and Chaos (Q1 due) | Chapter 4 |
| Oct 1 | Gravitation, Calculus of Variations | Chapters 5, 6 |
| Oct 8 | Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Dynamics | Chapter 7 |
| Oct 22 | Lagrangian and Hamiltonian Dynamics (Q2 due) | Chapter 7 |
| Oct 29 | Central-Force Motion, Systems of Particles | Chapter 8, 9 |
| Nov 5 | Dynamics of a System of Particles | Chapter 9 |
| Nov 12 | Non-inertial Frames, Rigid Bodies (Q3 due) | Chapter 10, 11 |
| Nov 17 | Dynamics of Rigid Bodies | Chapter 11 |
| Nov 24 | Coupled Oscillations, Waves | Chapter 12, 13 |
| Dec 3 | Waves, Special Theory of Relativity (Q4 due) | Chapter 13, 14 |
Each meeting of the seminar will be organized in roughly the following manner. First, questions or comments on the assigned reading will be discussed. Second, solutions to the assigned problems will be explored one by one. Third, student presentations will be given.
Part of each week’s assignment will be reading from the textbook. This is an important component of preparing for the seminar meeting and must be done diligently. There will also be a common set of problems that everyone will work. Before the seminar meeting, either email an electronic copy to the instructor or make a paper copy of your solutions to hand in. These will be graded and returned the following week. Finally, each week there will be an individual assignment for each student involving a presentation of some kind.
Each presentation should be designed to be a learning experience for the others in the seminar. To be successful, therefore, the presentation must start at a point where everyone is comfortable, build up the ideas logically, slowly, and completely, reach an answer or conclusion, and discuss the significance and implications of the subject of the presentation. Polished versions of each presentation are due the day after the seminar meeting and are posted on the course website.
There are two fundamental rules everyone must follow in seminar meetings. First, it is every student’s responsibility to stop the progress of the seminar if he/she has questions or concerns about the material being discussed. Second, it is every student’s responsibility to help others in the seminar when they think they can respond usefully to a question or contribute positively to the discussion.
Four of the seminar assignments will contain a question based on prior seminars. Answers to the question will be handed in at the beginning of the next seminar meeting. There will be a time limit involved and only a calculator may be used. There will also be a closed-book final examination at the end of the semester.
Final grades for the course are calculated using the following scheme: problem solutions, presentations, and seminar participation (60%), examinations (40%).