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Department of Physics |
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Physics 320: Modern Physics Professor: Dr. Joseph Gallant Class: MWF 9:30 –
10:50; Gerstacker, Room 10 Office Hours: MW 2:35PM – 4PM, Tuesday 11AM – 1PM, Thursday 1PM – 3PM, and by appointment. Course Overview: This course covers two of the three most important scientific discoveries of the 20th century, the theories of special relativity and quantum mechanics (the third is the structure of the DNA molecule). These new theories are more difficult to understand than classical Newtonian physics because they usually relate to situations beyond our everyday experience. Our physical intuition, usually based on this experience, must be expanded to incorporate this new, modern physics. Course Goals: To successfully navigate our way on a fun and informative journey through the bizarre and often counter-intuitive world of modern physics while maintaining our sanity. Requirements: There will be two in-class exams and a comprehensive final exam. Homework problems will be assigned each week, which I will grade and return to you. You will also perform six experiments, each of which will require a written report. Grading: Homework 30%, Exams 25%, Lab 20%, Final Exam 15%, Class Work 10%. Homework: I will assign homework problems from the textbook each Monday in class. These problems are due the following Monday, when I will make the solutions public. Once the solutions are public, the homework is late and I will not accept it. It is important that you keep up with the material! Exams: We will have an exam every three or four chapters. All exams are closed-book, closed-note, but I will provide an equation sheet. There will be at least one problem from each chapter we cover. As each exam approaches, I will narrow down the relevant material. Labs: You will perform five or six experiments, spending about two weeks on each one. The lab is “self-scheduled” although you might want to arrange some lab time that overlaps with my availability. You will need to buy a lab notebook (a composition book, quadrille ruled) and to keep your lab notes, data and analysis in those notebooks. Lab Hours: Self-scheduled, Colton 14 (usually) Class Work: Please come to class with questions and prepared for discussion. It is useful if you read the relevant section of the textbook before each class. Each week, two of you will present a homework problem to the class. This gives you a chance to teach us, and you will learn something new along the way. Free Advice: When I pass out material, read it carefully! Note: Please retain any and all graded materials I return to you. They serve as both a study guide for exams and a "receipt" in case you have a question about your grade. Scientific Notebook: I am a big fan of Scientific Notebook. This powerful and inexpensive software it easy to learn and easy to use. SNB will save you a lot of work once you get the hang of it. While mastery of the program is not required, and we won't spend much class time on it, I am willing to spend time with anyone interested in trying and learning it. I have free 30-day-trial CDs that you can borrow. If you plan a career in a scientific or technical field, I recommend that you purchase and learn this software. Open Door Policy: Learning physics is not easy; you will probably need help. Please feel free to visit me in my office with any and all questions. Questions are always welcome! Together, we can succeed. Pep Talk: Physics is fun! Besides teaching you the basic principles and methods of physics, part of my job is to show you just how much fun physics is, and how relevant it is to your daily life. Yes, physics is a difficult subject, one that requires high-level quantitative and analytical reasoning skills, critical thinking and problem solving. These are all skills you can acquire. Learning physics is best done interactively. It is crucial that you come to class and that you participate! Working together is a good way to learn, as long as you're exchanging ideas and not answers. You really CAN do it! |