Cornell Physics 214: Waves, Optics, and Particles
(Fall 2006)
Announcements
- The P214 final exam will be in Baker 200 at 2:00 pm tomorrow (Tuesday).
Best of luck to all!!!
- Note: some of the problems in the review problems for the final are from
an edition of Young and Freedman (Y&F) older than the one you probably have.
If the solutions to some of the Y&F problems don't correspond to the
question in your edition of Y&F, feel free to skip them. One student
noticed this for question 38-6.
Final Exam Info:
- Basic Info- The exam is basically a Prelim III. It is not cumulative. It will be designed to take about as long
as the previous prelims (about 1.5 hours), but you'll be given the full
final exam period to complete it. The exam is closed-book, a formula sheet
will be provided, and any kind of calculator is allowed. (But extra notes
and formulas are not to be stored in the calculator.)
- Exam coverage-
- Lectures: everything from multiple slit interference to the end of the
course, including (but not necessarily limited to) multiple slits, finite
slit, multiple finite slits, continuity equation (general conservation
laws), wave equation as conservation of momentum, conservation of energy,
introduction to quantum mechanics, de Broglie hypothesis, Heisenberg
Uncertainty principle, bound states in an infinite well, extracting
probability distributions for measurement of position P(x) and momentum P(p) from the
wave function psi(x), Schroedinger's equation, solving Schroedinger's
equation for piecewise constant potentials, Feynman sum approach, basic
concept of renormalization and renormalization group.
- Assignments: Problem Sets 9, 10, 11, 12.
- Labs: 3rd and 4th Labs
- Final Review Party- The final review party will be held in 701 Clark
Hall, from 7-9pm on Thu, Dec. 7. In preparation, please do practice set 1
under "Study Materials" below.
- Formula Sheet- A PDF draft of the formula sheet is here. (The only changes will be
to fix typos -- email Prof. Arias if you see any!)
- Study Materials- Please do the first set in preparation for the Review Party
- Set of practice problems 1 [PDF]; Solutions- part 1 [PDF], part 2 [PDF].
- Set of practice problems 2 [PDF]; Solutions [PDF].
Note that this semester (Fall 2006), most announcements will be posted on Blackboard.
Class Handouts
(Note: links at bottom of first page of each for printing either as PDF or postscript.)
- Course information handout
[HTML]
- Lab schedule [HTML]
- TA office hour list [HTML]
In class Computer Demos
- Matlab/octave code for in-class computer solution of wave equation at change
in media: refltrans.m
- Version of code for plucked guitar string (Problem 3, from
Problem Set 7): pluck.m
- Matlab/octave code for in-class renormalization group calculation
of electron propagating through a perfect crystal: crystal.m
- Version of code for in-class calculation
of electron propagating through a crystal with a small amount of
disorder: disorder.m
Online Course Materials
Lecture notes (dates are approximate!)
(See bottom of first page of each HTML for printable version.)
- Simple Harmonic Motion (Lecs 8/25-9/06) [Notes: HTML]
- Intro to Waves: Waves on a String and Standing Waves (Lecs
9/08-9/13) [Notes: HTML]
- Other Waves: Sound (Lec 9/15) [HTML]
-
Other Waves: Electromagnetic (Lec 9/20-9/22) [HTML]
- Wave Phenomena I (and General Solution to Wave Equation):
Traveling Waves, Superposition and Reflection [HTML]
- Wave Phenomena I(b): Reflection and transmission at a change in
medium (Lecs 10/11-10/13)[HTML]
- Introduction to complex representation for waves (Lecs 10/18-10/20):
[HTML].
- Wave Phenomena II: Interference (Lecs 10/20-11/01) [Notes: HTML]
- Wave Phenomena III: Transport of momentum and energy (Lecs
11/03-11/08) [Notes: HTML]
- Quantum I: Intro to quantum, in class electron diffraction experiment, de
Broglie hypothesis, value of h-bar, Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle,
Particle in a box, Schrodinger's equation (Lec 11/15-11/22).
[HTML]
- Quantum II: Solving Schrodinger's equation (Lec 11/29).
[HTML]
(Especially Sections 1.1-1.6).
- Quantum III Feynman Diagrams, Renormalization, Renormalization
Group, Band Gaps and Anderson Localization (Lec 12/01).
All sections after ``Extracting the rules'' [HTML]
- Web course on deriving quantum mechanics from the generalized de
Broglie hypothesis (not required reading for the course).
[HTML]
(home page for
the course)
Draft text by Prof. Giambattista
Previous assignments and solutions
Fall 2001, Fall 2003,
Fall 2004, and
Fall 2005.
(Note: For printable versions (PDF, for instance), you can always find
a link at the bottom of the first page of each HTML.)
Previous prelims and Solutions
- Prelim 1
- Prelim 2
Assignments
- Problem Set #1 (out 8/23, due 8/31)
[PDF,
PostScript]
- Problem Set #2 (out 8/23, due 8/31)
[PDF]
Note: Generally,
this semester (Fall 2006), assignments and solutions will be posted on Blackboard.