Physics 218 2001 Schedule

Lectures, reading and exams

James P. Sethna

Shown below is a tentative schedule for the course lectures and exams. The associated reading is from Elmore and Held (E&H), Physics of Waves and from Feynman's Lectures on Physics, Volumes I and II.
Date Lecture Reading
1. Friday Aug 31 Deriving the Wave Equation E&H 1.1
2. Monday Sept 3 Traveling Waves, Boundary Conditions E&H 1.2
3. Wednesday Sept 5 Resonance, Standing Waves E&H 1.3-1.5, Feynman I.22-5/6
4. Friday Sept 7 Finding New Laws Feynman I.23
5. Monday Sept 10 Fourier Series E&H 1.6, 1.7
6. Wednesday Sept 12 Energy, Power, Momentum E&H 1.8
7. Friday Sept 14 Reflection and Transmission E&H 1.9
8. Monday Sept 17 Longitudinal Sound E&H 4.1
9. Wednesday Sept 19 Beats, Group and Phase Velocities E&H 4.7,12.3-12.5,Feynman I.48-1/4
10. Friday Sept 21 Solitons and Local Modes
11. Monday Sept 24 Shock Waves E&H 5.10, Feynman I.51-1/2
12. Wednesday Sept 26 Waves in Fluids E&H 5.1-5.3
13. Friday Sept 28 Higher Dimensions E&H 5.5-5.7
14. Monday Oct 1 Interference Feynman I.29
Wednesday Oct 3 Review
14. Friday Oct 5 Prelim I
Monday Oct 8 Fall Break
15. Wednesday Oct 10 Multiple Slits and Diffraction Feynman I.30
16. Friday Oct 12 Uncertainty, AM, FM E&M 12.1-4, Appendix C
17. Monday Oct 15 Tensors E&H 7.1, Feynman II.31
18. Wednesday Oct 17 Elasticity Tensors E&H 3.1-3.4, Feynman II.38-1/8
19. Friday Oct 19 Elasticity Theory E&H 7.2-7.3, Feynman II.39
20. Monday Oct 22 Elastic Waves E&H 7.5, Feynman I.51.3
21. Wednesday Oct 24 Impedence and Ethernet Cables E&H 8.1
22. Friday Oct 26 Electromagnetism and Light E&H 8.2-8.4
23. Monday Oct 29 Waves in Conductors E&H 8.5
24. Wednesday Oct 31 Waves in the Early Universe
25. Friday Nov 2 Light Travels in Straight Lines: Least Time E&H 9.1-2, Feynman I.26,I.27
Monday Nov 5 Review
Wednesday Nov 7 Prelim II
26. Friday Nov 9 Atoms in Motion Feynman I.1
27. Monday Nov 12 New Laws: the Diffusion Equation Feynman I.6
28. Wednesday Nov 14 Solving the Diffusion Equation Feynman I.43
29. Friday Nov 16 Random Walks and Diffusion Feynman I.41
30. Monday Nov 19 Kinetic Theory of Gases Feynman I.39
31. Wednesday Nov 21 Principles of Statistical Mechanics Feynman I.40
Friday Nov 23 Thanksgiving Break
32. Monday Nov 26 Applications of Kinetic Theory Feynman I.42
33. Wednesday Nov 28 Laws of Thermodynamics Feynman I.44
34. Friday Nov 30 Entropy Feynman I.45
35. Monday Dec 3 Michelle Wang: Molecular Motors Feynman I.46
36. Wednesday Dec 5 Ira Wasserman: Birth and Death of the Universe
37. Friday Dec 7 Eberhard Bodenschatz: Waves in Fluids
Tuesday Dec 18 Final Exam, 9-11:30am, Rockefeller 132