PHZ3113 Mathematical Physics, Spring 2008

Syllabus

Main course page

 Credits: Three undergraduate credit hours.
Lectures: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11:15am - 12:05pm, HCB 317.
First day of class: Monday, January 7, 2008.
Office hours: Monday 5:00-6:00pm in KEN 209 (help session), Tuesday 3:00-4:00pm in KEN 310, and by appointment.

Lecturer: Per Arne Rikvold.
Office: 310 Keen.
Tel.: (850) 644-6814/6011.
E-mail: rikvold@scs.fsu.edu

Description: Mathematical methods applied to physical systems. The course material will be drawn from the following areas: vectors, linear algebra, specialized techniques of integration, integral transforms, special functions, boundary-value problems, numerical methods.
Prerequisite: PHY 2049, PHY2-2049C, or PHY 2054C. Corequisite: MAp 2302 or MAP 3305.

Textbook: H.J. Weber and G.B. Arfken, Essential Mathematical Methods for Physicists (Elsevier Academic Press, Amsterdam, 2004).
Homework: Weekly, due every Wednesday.
Midterms: One hour during class time, twice.
First midterm: Monday, February 11.
Second midterm: Wednesday, March 26.
Final exam: Monday, April 21, 10:00am - 12:00noon. HCB 317.
Grading: Scale of 0-100%, based on weighted average of final exam (35%), two midterms (20% each), and homework solutions (25%).
Letter-grade cutoffs:
A- / B+: 90%
B- / C+: 70%
C- / D: 50%
D / F: 40%

About the course

Mathematics is the language of physics, and in this course we will practicfe and extend our skills in this language. Starting with a brief review of differentiation and integration and the Taylor expansion in one dimension, we go on to study The emphasis will be on developing intuition by paper-and-pencil analytical work.
The homework, which is due weekly, is an integral part of the course and acounts for 25% of the total grade. Working problems is absolutely essential to developing a true understanding of the material.

ADA Statement: Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: (1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; (2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. Please do this during the first week of class.

Honor Code: Students are expected to uphold the Academic Honor Code published in the Florida State University Bulletin and the Student Handbook. The Academic Honor Systems of Florida State University is based on the premise that each student has the responsibility to (1) uphold the highest standards of academic integrity in the student's own work, (2) refuse to tolerate violations of academic integrity in the university community, and (3) foster a high sense of integrity and social responsibility on the part of the university community.



Last Updated by PAR, January 2, 2008.
Please send comments or suggestions to rikvold@scs.fsu.edu