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Physics & Astronomy

Materials Simulation Group

Tentative Grades
Syllabus
Office Hours/locations
Warm-ups link
Equation sheet
Corrections to typos/mistakes in the book

Week
Date

HW
Warmup
Reading/ Discussion
Topic
Sol.

Week
Date

HW
Reading/ Discussion
Topic
Sol.

01
Jan. 7

1 1.1-1.3 Equilibrium, ideal gases, equipartition  
08
Feb. 25
hw17
17
5.3 (continued, pages 175-186) Van der Waals model sol17
Jan. 9
hw01
2
1.4-1.5 Energy, temperature, work, ideal gases sol01
Feb. 27
hw18
18
5.4 Phase Transformations of Mixtures (pages 186-194)
Test Corrections are due in the HW box by 9:00 am
sol18
Jan. 11
hw02
3
1.6 Enthalpy and heat capacity sol02 Feb. 29

hw19
19

5.4 (continued, pages 194-200)

sol19
02
Jan. 14
hw03
4
2.1--2.2 Two state systems, Einstein model of a solid sol03
09
Mar. 3

hw20
20

6.1 The Boltzmann Factor (BIG change of gears starts here---from thermodynamics to statistical mechanics) sol20
Jan. 16
hw04
5
2.3 Interacting systems sol04
Mar. 5
hw21
21
6.2--6.3 Average Values and the Equipartition Theorem sol21
Jan. 18

hw05
6

2.4 Very large numbers sol05
Mar. 7
hw22
22
6.4 The Maxwell Speed Distribution sol22
03
Jan. 21
  Holiday (no class)
10
Mar. 10
  Exam 2, No Class (Exam covers materials up through Chap. 5 only.) Exam starts Monday and ends Tuesday night.
Cover sheet
sol02
Jan. 23
hw06
7
2.5 An application: The ideal gas sol06
Mar. 12
hw23
23
6.5--6.6 Partition Functions and Free Energy, and Partition Functions for Composite Systems sol23
Jan. 25

hw07
8

2.6 Entropy (Don't say its disorder! Why not?) sol07
Mar. 14
hw24
24
A.1--A3 Quantum Mechanics Review (read pages 357--373) sol24
04
Jan. 28
hw08
9
3.1 Temperature (What is it? Finally...) sol08
11
Mar. 17
hw25
25
6.7 Revisiting the Ideal Gas sol25
Jan. 30
hw09
10
3.2 Heat & Entropy sol09
Mar. 19
hw26
26
7.1 The Gibbs Factor sol26
Feb. 1
hw10
11
3.3 Paramagnetism sol10
Mar. 21
hw27
27
7.2 Bosons and Fermions sol27
05
Feb. 4
  Review (you lead the discussion---I'll be a resource.) Last year's Exam 1  
12
Mar. 24
hw28
28
7.3 Degenerate Fermi Gases
(read pages 271-279)
sol28
Feb. 6
  Exam 1 (Tues. & Wed.)
Cover sheet
sol01
Mar. 26
hw29
29
7.3 Degenerate Fermi Gases
(continued, read pages 280-288)*
Here is a cool applet related to our discussion today.
sol29
Feb. 8
hw11
12
3.4 Mechanical Equilibrium and Pressure sol11
Mar. 28
30
Exam 2 review; revisiting free energy ideas and phase diagrams
06
Feb. 11
  No class (Dr. Hart in D.C. for NSF Review Panel)
13
Mar. 31
  Exam 3, No Class (Exam covers material up through 7.2.) Exam will be available from March 28--31 (Friday,Saturday, and Monday [but not Tuesday]) Cover sheet
Feb. 13

hw12
13

3.5-3.6 Diffusive Equilibrum and Chemical Potential sol12
Apr. 2

hw30
31
7.4 Blackbody radiation sol30
Feb. 15
hw13
4.1--4.2 Heat Engines & Refrigerators sol13
Apr. 4

hw31
32

7.5 Debye theory of solids
Corrections for Exam 2 are due at 9 am
sol31
07
Feb. 19 (Tues)
hw14
14
5.1 Free Energy as Available Work sol14
14
Apr. 7
hw32
33
7.6 Bose-Einstein Condensation sol32
Feb. 20
hw15
15
5.2 Free Energy as a Force toward Equilibrium sol15
Apr. 9
hw33
34
8.2 Ising Model of a Ferromagnet: Exact solution and mean field solution
The Elusive Chemical Potential by Ralph Baierlein
Write-up of chemical potential article is due with the HW today.
Feb. 22
hw16
16
5.3 Phase Transformations of Pure Substances (pages 166-174) sol16
Apr. 11
hw34
35
8.2 Ising Model of a Ferromagnet: Monte Carlo simulation
ising.m, energy.m, bringIntoCell.m
alloy.m, alloyEnergy.m
Final Exam: 3-6 pm Fri. Apr. 18 C255Cover sheet
(Sorry, no testing center this time.) sol04

15
Apr. 14

hw35
36

8.1 Weakly interacting gases
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