<p>i am an EA admit for the yale class of '10, and i’ve been trying to research my course prospects for the next school year. in particular, i’m trying to see where my math/science background places me as far as intro physics courses go. unfortunately, the OCI requires a netID to view syllabi. if somebody could e-mail me the syllabus for PHYS260, i’d really appreciate it. just reply to this and i’ll PM you my e-mail address.</p>
<p>thanks in advance.</p>
<p>Physics 260a
Mon-Wed 11:30-12:45
Sloane Physics Lab Room 63</p>
<p>Instructor: Professor Steven Girvin
Office: Sloane Physics Lab Room 54
Email: <a href=“mailto:steven.girvin@yale.edu”>steven.girvin@yale.edu</a> URL: <a href=“http://pantheon.yale.edu/~smg47[/url]”>http://pantheon.yale.edu/~smg47</a>
Telephone: 432-5082</p>
<p>Office Hours: Tuesday 3-5pm SPL 54, Wednesday 10:30-11:30 SPL 54.
Feel free to email, call or knock on my door any time. If I am busy, I will be happy to set up an appointment.</p>
<p>Sunday evening help sessions: WLH 116, 7-10pm Sundays, Eli Luberoff and Ruth Toner</p>
<p>Grader: Thomas Jackson
Graders email: <a href=“mailto:thomas.s.jackson@yale.edu”>thomas.s.jackson@yale.edu</a> [Please be careful to note the middle initial! There is another Thomas Jackson on campus.]
Optional Graders Recitation/Problem Solving Session: Fridays 11:30-12:45 in SPL 63</p>
<p>Homework is due Mondays at the start of class. Late homework will in general not be accepted. Exceptions only with approval of the instructor in advance.</p>
<p>Grading Formula and (–tentative–) exam dates</p>
<p>Homework: 25%
Exam 1: 25% Monday, October 3
Exam 2: 25% Wednesday, November 2
Final Exam: 25% Final will cover all the material of the semester, but there will be an emphasis on the material in the last third of the semester.
Details will be announced at the end of the term.</p>
<p>Required Textbook: An introduction to mechanics, by Daniel Kleppner and Robert J. Kolenkow</p>
<p>(Strongly) Recommended book: Basic training in mathematics: a fitness program for science students, by R. Shankar.</p>
<p>Another excellent book recommended for fun and historical background on relativity:
Einstein’s Clocks, Poincare’s Maps: Empires of Time by Peter Louis Galison
(only $16.77 from Amazon).</p>
<p>Course Description</p>
<p>This course is for science and engineering majors with a very good background in mathematics seeking an intensive introduction to physics. In addition to learning physics, you will have the opportunity to learn a lot more about vector calculus at an intuitive and physical level. We will start with Newtonian mechanics and its applications to various interesting problems such as planetary orbits, and waves, vibrations and flow in solids and fluids. You will have seen much of this material in your high school physics class but we will cover it in new and mathematically more sophisticated ways.</p>
<p>Next we will move on to Einstein’s theory of special relativity. This answers the question: What happens to the concepts of space and time when we begin to consider motion at very high speeds approaching the speed of light? Einstein’s ideas can be counter-intuitive (How can time “slow down”?) but are a lot of fun to think about.</p>
<p>The study electricity and magnetism and electromagnetic waves (Maxwell’s equations) and an introduction to quantum mechanics will occupy us during the second semester. Electromagnetism is a great place to get a feel for vector calculus. Quantum mechanics is the most interesting subject there is. (In my humble opinion.)</p>
<p>If you are interested in being a Physics Major, you should take either this course or Physics 200. Both are appropriate. Physics 200 meets MWF at the same time so it is easy to shop both. See the Physics Major FAQ’s for a guide to choosing physics courses.</p>
<p>Pre-requisites</p>
<p>Students taking this course almost always have had BC Advanced Placement Calculus and BC Advanced Placement Physics in high school. If you are not sure if your background is appropriate, please see the instructor. Students must be concurrently taking one of the multi-variable calculus courses, either M120 or M230. M230 is more formal and proof based than M120 and also covers linear algebra. (The rule-of-thumb is that in order to take P260, your math background should be strong enough that you could take M230 even if you opt for M120.) See the Physics Major FAQ’s for a guide to the math courses.</p>
<p>You should also understand that this course will move into new concepts much earlier than your concurrent math course. You will see new mathematical concepts first in this course and then see them more formally (and correctly!) in your math classes (much) later in the year. You should not expect any coordination between your math and physics courses since we have different agendas.</p>
<p>Tentative and Approximate Outline of Topics</p>
<p>(Adjustments may be made depending on interests and background of the class.)</p>
<p>Topic
Chapters in Kleppner/Kolenkov
General Introduction. Quick review of position, velocity, and acceleration as vectors and time derivatives of vectors.
1
Quick review of F=ma, operational definition of force
2
Momentum, conservation in collisions, impulse, concept of momentum sink
3
Mass flow, rockets, kinetic theory(?)
3
Work and energy, conservation of energy. Gradients, Conservative Forces, Stokes Theorem. What is friction really?
4-5
Simple harmonic oscillator, driving, damping, Taylor series expansions of potentials, Greens functions(?).
10
Harmonic oscillators, [Strings, waves and vibrations?]
10 + outside material
Angular momentum, gyroscopes, physical pendula
6+parts of 7
Central Forces, planetary orbits, collisions
9
Non-inertial frames, coriolis forces, weather patterns [if there is time, usually there isn’t…]
8
Introduction to Special Relativity
11-14</p>
<p>Books on Reserve in Kline Library:</p>
<p>An introduction to mechanics
Daniel Kleppner and Robert J. Kolenkow
QA805 K62</p>
<p>Basic training in mathematics : a fitness program for science students
Shankar, Ramamurti
QA300 S4315X 1995</p>
<p>Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
David J. Griffiths</p>
<p>Electricity and Magnetism
Edward M. Purcell
QC21 B47 1965 2+</p>
<p>The Feynman lectures on physics
Richard P. Feynman, Robert B. Leighton and Matthew Sands.
QC23 F4 1966+</p>
<p>Classical dynamics of particles & systems
Jerry B. Marion
QC631 M37 1965</p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>10chrs</p>