Syllabus for PHYS 230 Introduction to Modern Physics ... - Mike Larsen

Syllabus for PHYS 230 Introduction to Modern Physics – Spring 2012

Class Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:25-10:40, RHSC 126 Instructor Information: Dr. Mike Larsen Office Phone: 843-953-2128 Office Hours: Tuesdays 12:30-1:30 PM, Wednesdays 10-11 AM, Thursdays 4:00-5:00 PM, or by appointment. (I’m here a lot, and usually am willing to drop anything I’m working on to help you out. If you need help outside of “official office hours”, try to find me [my office door has a Dr. Larsen finder that can sometimes be helpful], and chances are I’ll happily drop what I’m doing to discuss anything you need). Office Locations: RHSC 310 (I also am sometimes in my labs during office hours – RHSC 303B or RHSC 316. Check the door of room 310 for my current location.) Email address: [email protected] Prerequisites: PHYS 112 or HONS 158 Co-requisite or prerequisite: MATH 221 or permission of the instructor Course Webpage: http://larsenml.people.cofc.edu/phys230_spr12.html (Please see course page for full description of course, rationale, and supplementary information). Course Description An introduction to atomic and nuclear physics. Topics include: relativity, atomic theory, x-rays, wave particle duality and elements of quantum mechanics.

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Attendance Policy Attendance is expected, but ultimately your choice – however, there are consequences to missing class. If you miss class on the date when an assignment is due, it will be late and marked down accordingly. You will also miss any class notes or announcements from days you miss class. You also might miss a quiz (that can’t be made up). Textbook and References The textbook for this course is: Tipler, P.A. and R.A. Llewellyn (2008). Modern Physics (5th Ed.) W.H. Freeman and Company For many of you, this is going to be your first Physics course after the introductory sequence. It is very common once you get to this level to use other texts to help reinforce or explain ideas. Other texts you may wish to consult from time to time (but are by no means required) include: Eisberg, R.M. (1961). Fundamentals of Modern Physics. Wiley. Eisberg, R.M. and R. Resnick (1985). Quantum Physics of Atoms, Molecules, Solids, Nuclei, and Particles. Wiley. Feynman, R.P. (1965). The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Addison-Wesley. French, A.P. (1968). Special Relativity. CRC Press. Rohlf, J.W. (1994). Modern Physics from α to Z ◦ . Wiley. Taylor, J.R., Zafiratos, C.D. and M.A. Dubson (2004). Modern Physics for Scientists and Engineers, (2nd Ed.) Prentice Hall. Thornton, S.T. and A. Rex (2005). Modern Physics for Scientists and Engineers, (3rd Ed.) Brooks Cole. This is not a comprehensive list, but are decent books to check if your current text doesn’t seem to explain an idea in a particularly clear way. These are at several different levels of mathematical sophistication and emphasize different topics.

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Classroom Policies This class is held in a science laboratory – a general rule for life is to not have food or beverage in a science lab if you plan on staying healthy. Please do not bring food or drink to lab. Your professor also has a major pet-peeve about cell-phones in class. Please be considerate of your instructor, as well as your fellow classmates, and turn off your cell-phone ringers before class starts. Please also abstain from texting or other potentially disruptive activities during class. If you are causing a disruption to the class, the professor may remove you from the class. Honor Code / Code of Conduct It is expected that you will adhere to the university’s honor code and student code of conduct, as can be found in your student handbook. Students with Disabilities The College will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Students should apply at the Center for Disability Services/SNAP located on the first floor of the Lightsey Center, Suite 104. Students approved for accommodations are responsible for notifying your professor as soon as possible and subsequently contacting your professor again at least one week before any specific accommodation is needed. Grading Grading Scale: The formal numerical scale might move around a little bit depending on the class performance, but the final grading scale will be no more stringent than:

A >90 A90 B+ 89 B 81-88 B80

C+ 79 C 71-78 C70 D 60-69 F