WEEK DATE READING TOPIC(S) 1. 4 Sept. * Introduction to 20th Century Physics
2. 11 Sept. Ch. 1* Special Relativity -- simultaneity, time dilation,
length contraction, Lorentz transformations
3. 18 Sept. Ch. 1* Special Relativity -- proper time and length,
velocity transformations, invariants, spacetime
4. 25 Sept. Ch. 1* Relativistic Kinematics -- momentum, kinetic energy,
rest mass, total energy, collisions, mass conversion
5. 2 Oct. Ch. 1* General Relativity -- equivalence principle
4 Oct. (approx.) --- First Midterm Examination
6. 9 Oct. Ch. 2 Quantum Phenomena -- atomic spectra and the electron,
blackbody radiation, photoelectric effect, X-rays,
(Mon 14 Oct = Holiday) Compton effect, pair production
7. 16 Oct. Ch. 3,4 Simple Models -- Rutherford's nucleus, Bohr's atom,
de Broglie's "matter waves"
8. 23 Oct. Ch. 4,5 Waves vs. Particles -- probability amplitude, interference,
wave packets, dispersion, Heisenberg's uncertainty,
non-local behaviour
9. 30 Oct. Ch. 5,6 Schroedinger's Equations -- operators and expectation values,
localized and unlocalized free states, square wells,
simple harmonic oscillator, tunneling
6 Nov. (approx.) --- Second Midterm Examination
10. 6 Nov. Ch. 7,8 Atomic Physics -- wave functions, orbital and intrinsic
(Mon 11 Nov = Holiday) angular momentum, Pauli exclusion principle, symmetry
11. 13 Nov. Ch. 8,9 Spin & Statistics -- Maxwell distributions, Fermi-Dirac statistics
and metals, Bose-Einstein statistics and superconductivity
12. 20 Nov. Ch. 10-15 Selected Advanced Topics
13. 27 Nov. Catch-up and Review
(Fri 29 Nov = Last Day of Classes) Review
mid-Dec. --- Final Examination
Note: Homework material is covered in lectures before or during the week of the assignment.