Syllabus for Physics 008 (The Quantum World Around Us)

Syllabus for Physics 008: The Quantum World Around Us

Spring 2007

Lecture 1: Jan. 11, 2007. Introduction to the course; view a BBC show about Richard Feynman (The Quest for Tannu Tuva).
Lecture 2: Jan. 16, 2007. Magnetic needles. [Conceptest handout]

Reading: QED, p. 3-12; Quantum Universe, preface; Strange World, p. 1-11.

Lecture 3: Jan. 18, 2007. Tutorial on projections; Stern-Gerlach experiment.

Reading: Strange World, p. 13-20.

The last day of add drop period is January 19!

Lecture 4: Jan. 23, 2007. Repeated measurements with Stern-Gerlach analyzers. Terminology for Projections. Conceptest on Stern-Gerlach experiments

Reading: Strange World, p. 21-28.

Lecture 5: Jan. 25, 2007. Probability; tutorial on probability.

Reading: Strange World, p. 31-34.
HW #1 due

Lecture 6: Jan. 30, 2007. Two-slit experiments with Stern-Gerlach analyzers. Analyzer loop handout; Conceptest

Reading: Strange World, p. 64-70.

Lecture 7: Feb. 1, 2007. Nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic resonance imaging.

Reading: Magnetic Resonance by George Pake, Scientific American, Aug. 1958, pg. 58; Notes on MRI.
HW #2 due

Lecture 8: Feb. 6, 2007. Probability amplitudes and clock hands. Quantum mechanical rules for light. Conceptest 1. Conceptest 2

Reading: QED, p. 13-35.

Feb. 7, 2007, 7--8 pm.

Lecture 9: Feb. 8, 2007. Computer tutorial on partial reflection and interference. Tutorial worksheet
- HW #3 due
Lecture 10: Feb. 13, 2007. Mirrors and gratings. Conceptest 1. Conceptest 2

Reading: QED, p. 36-76.

Lecture 11: Feb. 15, 2006. Two-slit experiments with light. Conceptest 1, Conceptest 2

Reading: QED, p. 77-85.
HW #4 due

Lecture 12: Feb. 20, 2007. Computer tutorial on two-slit experiment with photons. [tutorial]
Lecture 13: Feb. 22, 2007. Two-slit experiments, revisited. Practice Midterm

Reading: The Quantum Universe, Ch. 1-2.
HW #5 due

Lecture 14: Feb. 27, 2007. Koenigsberg bridge problem; tutorial on topology.

Reading: Leonhard Euler and the Koenigsberg Bridges by Leonhard Euler, Scientific American, July, 1953, p. 66.

Lecture 15: Mar. 1, 2007. Midterm Examination

The last day to drop the class is March 12, 2007.

Lecture 16: Mar. 13, 2007. Heisenberg uncertainty principle; energy.

Reading: The Quantum Universe, Ch. 3; The Principle of Uncertainty by George Gamow, Scientific American, Jan. 1958, p. 51.

Lecture 17: Mar. 15, 2007. Atomic theory and quantized energy levels.

Reading: The Quantum Universe, Ch. 4.

Lecture 18: Mar. 20, 2007. Quantum-mechanical tunneling and tunneling microscopes.

Reading: The Quantum Universe, Ch. 5 and The Scanning Tunneling Microscope by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer, Scientific American, Aug. 1985, p. 50.

Lecture 19: Mar. 22, 2007. The Pauli exclusion principle; tutorial on the periodic table of elements.

Reading: The Quantum Universe, p. 74-82.

First paper due on March 23, 2007.

Lecture 20: March 27, 2007. Molecules and chemistry.
Lecture 21: March 29, 2007. View a Nova episode on fullerenes (The Race to Catch a Buckyball).

Reading: Fullerenes by Robert Curl and Richard Smalley, Scientific American, Oct. 1991, p. 54.
HW #6 due

Lecture 22: Apr. 3, 2007. Introduction to solid-state physics and band theory. Conceptest 1, Conceptest 2

Reading: The Quantum Universe, p. 82-95; The Nature of Solids by Gregory Wannier, Scientific American, Dec. 1952, p. 39.

Easter Break: April 5--9, 2007.

Lecture 23: Apr. 10, 2007. Tutorial on band theory. [Tutorial].
Lecture 24: Apr. 12, 2007. Metals, insulators and semiconductors.

HW #7 due

Lecture 25: Apr. 17, 2007. Magnets. Conceptest 1, Conceptest 2

Reading: Magnetic Materials by Richard Bozorth, Scientific American, Jan. 1955, p. 68.

Lecture 26: Apr. 19, 2006. Lasers.

Reading: The Quantum Universe, p. 109-115.
HW #8 due
Topic for second paper must be approved by this date.

Lecture 27: Apr. 24, 2007. Superconductivity.

Reading: The Quantum Universe, p. 115-122; The New Superconductors: Prospects for Applications by Alan Wolsky, Robert Giese and Edward Daniels, Scientific American, Feb. 1989, p. 61.

Lecture 28: April 26, 2007. Course evaluations; view a Nova episode on Richard Feynman (The Best Mind Since Einstein).
- Second paper due on April 27, 2007.
Final Exam: Saturday, May 5, 2007, 4-6 pm. (Place: TBA)

Extra Credit Activities

February 7, 2007, 7pm: Guest lecture by John Van Meter on How we use MRI to see how the brain functions.
March XX, 2007, 7pm: Mindwalk.

For more information, see the course page on extra credit.

Last modified Jan. 11, 2006.