Physics 530 (Quantum Mechanics II): Northern Arizona University: 2011 Spring
Caption: Erwin Schroedinger (1887--1961), Austrian-Irish physicist. Yes, he became a citizen of Eire during his years in Dublin.
Credit: Unknown photographer circa 1933; User:Dilerius.
Linked source: Wikipedia image http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Erwin_Schr%C3%B6dinger.jpg.
Permission: Public domain at least in USA.
The course mottos: very reassuring I think.
Sections
This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. Any changes will be announced in class as well as made on this page.
which is the page you are maybe viewing right now.
This page is the preliminary syllabus and includes
syllabus items
and the tentative schedules for
Semester 1
and
Semester 2
(Physics 530).
The course web site is/will be/may be linked from the official physics department
graduate course web page.
This is as per the
general class schedule.
However, the usual prerequisites are as follows:
It's pretty easy: follow the rules, don't plagiarize, don't cheat on homeworks or tests.
Tests are really serious: cheat on test and its zero for the test and possibly an F for course.
There also university sanctions beyond an instructor's authority.
The e-Learning Center has
an Introduction
to Academic Integrity with links to student code of conduct, quizzes, and videos (e.g.,
What Does Academic Integrity Mean to You?).
But we will take a 5--10 minute homework question break. See below.
Griffiths is the official textbook for the lecture material.
I expect many students have a copy already earlier courses. If so good.
But if not and you have a more-or-less equivalent textbook that will work just as well.
So don't buy Griffiths, unless you are sure you need to.
Everyone agrees Griffiths a pretty darn good intro quantum mechanics textbook.
I've not looked at infinitely many intro quantum mechanics textbooks, but this is the best I've seen.
But familiarity breeds quibbles, and so there will be a lot of deviations and additions in my lectures.
But if you knew everything in Griffiths, you would know a whole lot
about intro quantum mechanics (QM)
Brian Greene, 2004, The Fabric of the Cosmos is the 2nd textbook.
It is purely for reading, I will NOT lecture on it.
But the readings are reported for marks. So you really, really do need a copy. See below.
Greene is pretty cheap: $ll or so new.
But be warned, the instructor may not be able to keep up.
Some chapters have
latex-ed
notes which in various stages of underconstruction---from next to
nothing to complete.
At the moment and for the foreseeable future, they are all nothing.
So you may not need to take any notes.
But taking notes is still good.
It keeps the mind active in class and revising notes until you thoroughly understand
them is a good study strategy
The instructor will NOT follow
Griffiths closely all the time.
But this is good.
It gives different perspectives and insights.
The notes and Griffiths are
complementary.
This is the rationalization.
I may NOT lecture on every topic that you need to know.
In general, you can assume that you need to know all of the
Griffiths chapter corresponding to the notes
and probably a good deal of the notes too.
At this level, quantum mechanics is rather abstract and idealized.
How you get from this level to modern real world results is a long journey
yours truly as never followed.
It's no surprise to you that this is a pretty hard course.
But as I always say, it's nothing like
organic chemistry.
You really need to put in at least 2 hours out of class for every hour in class.
The two-hour rule is true for almost all courses actually.
This course will be run in a somewhat active mode.
The instructor is trying to get beyond just passive learning---which
is rather inefficient learning.
There will be a question break: see below.
Also since the students will have required
daily note readings, they should be prepared every day
to think and discuss the topics.
In order to do science, you have to think and talk science.
You will need the SUPERSECRET username and password access to the homeworks and solutions.
They are the same as for the grade posting.
The username/password is just for a bit of extra security. The posted grades are really
protected by the anonymous aliases.
The homeworks are NOT handed in and NOT marked.
But you do get a mark for reporting that you have completed/vigorously attempted each one.
After reporting completion/attempted, you can look at the solutions which will be already posted
below on schedules for
Semester 1
and
Semester 2.
Typically about 50 to 70 % or more of the exam questions
will be drawn from the homeworks or, in the case of the FINAL, past exams also.
Questions that reappear on the exams might be tweaked a bit from previous versions.
Homeworks will count 10 % or less of the final grade.
They are worth some marks for completion/attempted just for
a little frisson.
The marks are psychological trick to make students do what the should
do anyway---we all play these tricks on ourselves.
Learning is forming neural connections
in the brain---and this takes exercise---just like building muscles.
Question Break
On the day before the question break,
I'll assign two questions from a current or past homework including homeworks from
Semester 1 if we are in Semester 2.
The students should thoroughly prep for them by solving them for themselves or with
fellow students and if that fails looking at the answers.
One of the questions will be asked the next day in the question break and students
must very, very quickly write out a solution.
The solutions will be peer marked and discussed in the student's work groups---also very, very quickly.
The student work groups of 2 to 4 persons, we form them right now---while I circulate and find out who you
all are.
Hopefully, the work groups will be great study and discussion groups for students.
In order to do science, you have to think it and talk it.
The whole question break is supposed be intense and on-the-topic.
Class time is precious.
The whole reading aspect seems a bit complicated at first, but I hope
it will be a great feature of the course.
The note readings will be assigned every class day and reported the
next day when the notes will be lectured on.
It's just good to be prepared for the lecture.
The note readings can be reported every class day on a slip of paper.
This is actually much more efficient than emailing me readings.
These readings have due dates unlike the others.
There will be as many reading points as there are assigned readings---and
that number is a bit uncertain until the end of the semester.
The note readings are worth 10 % or less of the final grade and I will give 3 drops.
Special drops for illness or other essential absences will be given.
I have great hopes for the note readings.
I am going to put a lot of time into writing the notes.
But, of course, they have to be legible to the students.
I think students will get used to my handwriting with a bit practice.
Just think of yourself as a budding
Assyriologist---every
phrase is a tantalizing puzzle---that will reveal incredible tales.
If the note readings turn out to be impossible, we'll think of something else
or drop the idea.
From Greene, all chapters 1--16 are readings.
The notes to the chapters ARE part of the chapters readings---none of this
``I didn't know the chapter notes were included.'' at the end of the semester.
When you report a chapter read, I will assume the chapter notes have been read too.
There are 16 reading points in all for the Greene readings.
For article readings,
you should read 8 relatively current articles on QM or
a closely related topic for 8 points.
You can read more, of course---but 8 is the limit for points.
The articles can be research reports or ``news and views'' articles (which is what I tend to read).
There are 24 GA readings altogether and they are lumped together
for 10 % or less of the final grade.
There are NO drops.
You can report these readings with note reading reports or by email.
There are no deadlines for the GA readings, except when I hand my grades in which
will be some time on or before May19 as per
Spring 2011 Grading Schedule.
Below are suggested articles in reverse chronological order.
They are mostly popular or news-and-views articles and mostly short.
I've tried to pick those with some lasting value and have avoided the great Baal
of incomprehensible articles,
quantum computing.
Suggested Articles:
The in-class exams cover the material up to some cut-off point
that will be announced in class and
below on schedules for
Semester 1
and
Semester 2.
The final is about 50 % weighted or more on material since the last in-class
exam and about 50 % weighted or less on all the material that came before
the last in-class exam.
TENTATIVE EXAM SCHEDULE
The in-class exams will consist of maybe 10--20 multiple-choice questions
and a few full-answer questions.
The multiple-choice questions are NOT intended to be
hard or tricky; they are intended as a warm-up.
The final exam will be somewhat like the in-class exams, but about twice as long.
The exams are closed book.
Calculators are permitted for calculational work only.
No stored constants, solutions, or formulae.
No using algebra or calculus solvers.
No use of programmable features.
Cell phones MUST be turned off and be out of sight.
An equation sheet will be provided with the exams.
This is the same equation sheet that comes with the homeworks.
There are NO scheduled review days.
But students can keep the instructor busy answering questions
on the day before exams.
Make-up exams are possible, but students must ask for them
promptly and avoid knowing anything about given exams.
The instructor does NOT use Vista Blackboard---it's going away soon---and he's
an old stick in the mud.
I post grades by anonymous alias if so requested with a
signature.
Caption: "John Hancock's signature."
Credit: John Hancock (1737--1793);
User:Auawise.
Linked source: Wikipedia
image
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JohnHancocksSignature.svg.
Permission: Public domain at least in USA.
A example of a completed course set of grades for a fictitious class is
Section 2.
Students are encouraged to keep good attendance.
So 3 in-class hours and at least 6 out-of-class hours.
Letter grades will be assigned
per
NAU
grading policy--which allow instructors some freedom of
interpretation on how do determine ``average''.
The instructor uses a curve to automatically
assign letter grades during the semester---if there are enough
students to make a curve meaningful---if there arn't the instructor
just decides on letter grades.
There is NO fixed scale.
The final grades are decided on by the instructor directly---the curve
is NOT used, except as a guide.
Students can always ask the instructor for their current
mark record and letter grades.
But this cannot be done over the phone.
I can email a response by GPS.
The instructor will submit MIDTERM GRADES (for lower level courses) and FINAL GRADES
as scheduled in the
academic calendar---which
doesn't specify any midterm grade dates for summer courses.
This semester, I will be submitting grades sometime on or before May19 as per
Spring 2011 Grading Schedule".
Remember that after an instructor has submitted FINAL GRADES,
any adjustments (except for purely clerical errors) are
NOT allowed by university policy.
The
course web site URL is
http://physics.nhn.ou.edu/~jeffery/course/c_quantum/qm.html
Physics 530:
Physical Sciences 218, MWF 9:10--10:00.
As specified in the online
graduate course web page
or permission of the instructor.
For Semester 1:
For Semester 2:
No rest and relaxation breaks for 50-minute lectures.
For each chapter of the texbook,
the instructor will try post online handwritten notes on the
schedules for
Semester 1
and
Semester 2.
This is a course of intro quantum mechanics (QM).
They are/will be posted below on schedules for
Semester 1
and
Semester 2.
Homeworks are primarily a learning component of the course,
NOT an evaluation component.
The students are strongly encouraged to sweat over the homeworks alone first---relying
on notes, the textbook, and the power of pure thought---and then seek help
from friends and the instructor (office hours per
instructor's schedule).
Most days---or so the plan goes---we will stop lecturing for 5--10 minute
question break.
There will be readings from my posted course notes---if they turn out
to be legible---with a little practice that should be
achievable---by the students I
mean---Greene,
and
professional/popular articles.
There will be 2 (or less likely 3)
in-class exams and a 2-hour COMPREHENSIVE FINAL.
The last material may receive less weighting on the final if the
time from the last in-class exam is short.
Nosta bene:
Even though exams are formally restricted to set exam
topics, intro QM
is intrinsically cumulative
and
earlier topics are assumed known insofar as they are needed for the exam topics.
Earlier topics include those from Semester 1 if we are
in Semester 2.
_________________________________________________________________
Exam Date Solutions (posted post-exam)
_________________________________________________________________
Exam 1 Mar09 W Exam 1 solutions
Exam 2 Apr15 F Exam 2 solutions
Exam 3 Apr29 F Exam 3 solutions May be omitted.
Final Exam May11 W Final Exam solutions
The final is 7:30--9:30 am in the regular class room
as specified by Finals Schedule for 2011 Spring.
_________________________________________________________________
This allowed by NAU Ferpa Rules on Grades.
The grading categories, their weightings, and their drops are:
homeworks 10 % or less 1 drop
note readings 10 % or less 3 drops
G & A readings 10 % or less no drops
2 or 3 in-class exams 35 % or more no drop
1 comprehensive final 35 % or more no drop
Each in-class exam is worth 17.5 % or 11.67 % of final grade.
Attendance is NOT kept and NO marks are assigned for attendance.
Daily note readings can be reported without attending.
Like any course, just showing up 3 times a week for session of physics
keeps us moving forward in the course.
There are absolutely NO extra credits.
See
Policy on Grades from the
UI Catalog.
Note that E-6 states that grade changes after instructor submission are
only allowed for clerical corrections, not for reweighting or additional work.
There is another avenue for grade emendation:
the Academic
Hearing Board (1640.02 C-4) can have a say on grades---but it's not
very promising.
Beware of aliens bearing grades.
No dated schedule has ever been adhered to by the instructor.
So there are no dates for chapters in this tentative schedule.
However, we have 16 weeks in the semester (not counting spring/fall recess) and we may lose about two weeks of classes for in-class exams and holidays: e.g., in the fall, Labor Day and in the spring Martin Luther King Day and Presidents Day.
So about 14 weeks and 42 lecture class hours.
We will cover from the beginning to chapter 5 or chapter 6.
Some parts of chapters may be assigned as readings with NO in-class lecturing on them.
No dated schedule has ever been adhered to by the instructor.
So there are no dates for chapters in this tentative schedule.
However, we have 15 weeks in the semester (not counting spring/fall recess) and we may lose about two weeks of classes for in-class exams and holidays: e.g., in the fall, Labor Day and in the spring Martin Luther King Day and Presidents Day.
So about 13 weeks and 39 lecture class hours.
We will cover material from or related to that in chapters 5, 6, 7, and 9 of Griffiths for sure. Some other chapters/material will probably be covered too.
Some parts of chapters and notes may be assigned as readings with NO in-class lecturing on them.