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Physics 325
Introduction to Mathematical Physics
Philosophy is written in this grand book, the universe which stands continually open to our gaze. But the book cannot be understood unless one first learns to comprehend the language and read the letters in which it is composed. It is written in the language of mathematics, and its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometric figures. Without a knowledge of them, it is humanly impossible to understand a single word of it.
Galileo Galilei, 1622
Preface: The goals of this course are for you to become more adept at applying mathematical tools to physics problems and to be better prepared for other upper division courses and the real world. One of the tools we will spend some time on is powerful software that can solve practically any math problem provided you can express it correctly (it can be quite demanding) and interpret the results (they are not always obvious). The Department of Physics and Astronomy has recently purchased Mathcad, or you may prefer to use Mathematica. Both are available in many on-campus computer labs or may be purchased at substantial student discounts.
Prerequisites: Physics 214 Introduction to Physics II and Mathematics 261 Calculus IV (formerly III) are the prerequisites for this course.
Text: Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering, 2nd ed., by K.F. Riley, M.P. Hobson, & S.J. Bence (Cambridge University Press, 2002). Buy it at the
bookstore or online (more). The authors have provided a list of corrections to typos and other errors in the book. Although it is too long to cover in one semester, I hope that you will keep this book and find it a valuable reference as you continue your studies.
Other useful books: It is often helpful to get additional viewpoints from other books. Another good text is Mathematical Methods for Students of Physics and Engineering by Sadri Hassani (Springer, 2000). Essential Mathematical Methods for Physicists by George Arfken and Hans Weber (Academic Press, 2003) is a somewhat higher level book. A useful two-volume text is Advanced Engineering Mathematics with Mathematica and MATLAB by Reza Malek-Madani (Addison-Wesley, 1998). An older and thinner, but unaccountably more expensive book is Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences, 2nd ed., by Mary L. Boas (Wiley, 1983). Numerous other books are available in the library.
As mentioned above, you will be expected to solve some problems using symbolic software, such as Mathematica or MathCad. You may find a book helpful here, for example, A Physicist's Guide to Mathematica by Patrick Tam (Academic Press, 1997) [update for Version 4 available] or Mastering Mathematica: Programming Methods and Applications by John W. Gray (Academic Press, 1998), or one of the several books about using Mathcad. See also Mathematica Tutorial by Scott DeRuiter. Note that we will meet in a computer lab, Stevenson 2044, on Friday, Sept. 3 only. Other dates may be announced. Homework due on such dates will be collected at the end of the hour.
Course Outline
Assignments and Grading: Two midterm exams will each determine 20% of your grade, the final exam will be 30%, and homework will count 30%. Check your current standing.
Other lectures: Each Monday at 4:00 p.m., from Sept 13 through Nov 29, the Department of Physics and Astronomy will present a free public lecture in its renowned "What Physicists Do" series. You will find these lectures a valuable supplement to your course work, as they will help you to know what is currently happening in physics and related fields. The lectures will become increasingly easy to understand as you progress in your studies.
Office hours: Since Nov. 16 my office has been a cubicle in Chalk Hill, phone 664-2594. Official office hours are WF 10;00 - 10:50, but feel free to come by any time I am around. It is a long trek to Chalk Hill from just about anywhere, so it is a good idea to call or e-mail before coming during non-office hours. E-mail to joe.tenn@sonoma.edu is an excellent way to contact me just about any time. Messages may also be left with Gayle Walker in Schulz 2009C. If you have any problems which affect your performance in this course, please contact me. Do not stop attending classes.
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