SYLLABUS Physics 5
Fall 2005
4 Credit hours - MWF 9-9:50 a.m., HI 28 Dr.
Staunton
Office: HI 31A
Office Hours:
MWF 10-11:45, M 2:30-4:30 Tel: 271-3033 Office
W 2:30-4:30 457-8758 Home
Lawrence.Staunton@drake.edu
Texts:
Serway, Raymond. A. &
Robert J. Beichner, Physics for
Scientists & Engineers with Modern Physics (5th Edition), Saunders, 2000
Mermin, N. David, Space
and Time in Special Relativity (Paperback), McGraw-Hill, 1968
Silk, Joseph, The Big
Bang (Paperback), W.H. Freeman,
1989
Course Description:
In this course we will study the physics of light;
not all of it, but the most basic topics.
In particular, we will follow the book by Serway in an investigation of
geometrical optics, the refraction of light, wave motion and interference
effects. Armed with this knowledge we
will discuss the famous Michelson-Morley experiment in which a measurement of
the difference in the speed of light due to motion was attempted. They found a null result. This is because the speed of light is
independent of the relative motion of source and observer.
This was very confusing at the time of the
experiment, the late eighteenth century, and remained so until Einstein
proposed his Theory of Special Relativity in 1905. In effect he said to just accept the experimental fact of the
constancy of the speed of light, insist on the consistency of the laws of
nature, and in a simple and beautiful way, the results of Special Relativity
follow. We will follow the book by
Mermin unraveling those results: the relativity of space and time, the
complementary nature of mass and energy.
Finally, we will follow the book by Silk in
considering some modern cosmology, i.e., what the results of light observations
reveal about the history and structure of our universe and its future
evolution.
Prerequisite:
Advanced algebra & plane trigonometry.
(CLEP tests: Friday’s @ Grandview $80
Register: 263-2971)
Co-requisite:
Enrollment in Math 50 (Calc 1) or a higher level of calculus.
Grading
|
Examination
1 |
W |
9/28 |
25% |
|
Examination
2 |
M |
11/14 |
25% |
|
Examination
3 |
W |
12/14 |
25% |
|
Laboratory |
|
|
25% |
|
Total |
|
|
100% |
Make-up Exams:
Makeup exams will only be given in cases of documented
medical emergency and then only with my permission. Unusual circumstances may lead to other reasons for makeup exams
but these REQUIRE prior notice, as well as my permission. Failure to provide due notice or to turn up
for a test or exam will result in zero (0) points being awarded. It is the student's responsibility to make
sure I am informed of any circumstances that may cause a test or exam to be
missed, sufficiently in advance to allow for the test to be rescheduled. After the fact excuses will be judged on a
case-by-case basis, and permission after the fact will rarely be granted.
Academic Dishonesty:
Any incidence of academic dishonesty will result in
a failing grade. In addition, any such
incident will be reported to the dean of the student's college, for possible
further penalties.
Calendar
|
Week 1 |
|
|
Intro
to Lab |
|
|
M |
8/22 |
Introduction
& Computer Skills |
|
|
W |
8/24 |
Introduction
to Excel |
|
|
F |
8/26 |
Serway
Ch 36: Thin Lenses |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 2 |
|
|
Lab: The Focal Length of Lenses |
|
|
M |
8/29 |
Serway
Ch 36: Telescope, Spherical Surfaces |
|
|
W |
8/31 |
Serway
Ch 36: Lens Maker's Equation, Mirrors |
|
|
F |
9/02 |
Serway
Ch 36: Mirrors, Ch 16: Wave Motion, Ch 35: Dispersion |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 3 |
|
|
Lab
: The Telescope |
|
|
M |
9/05 |
Labor Day Holiday |
|
|
W |
9/07 |
Serway
Ch 16: Reflection, Transmission of Waves |
|
|
F |
9/09 |
Serway
Ch 17: Sound Waves |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 4 |
|
|
Lab:
Standing Waves |
|
|
M |
9/12 |
Serway
Ch 17: Intensity, The Doppler Effect |
|
|
W |
9/14 |
Serway
Ch 18: Interference |
|
|
F |
9/16 |
Serway
Ch 18: Interference |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 5 |
|
|
Lab:
Interference and Diffraction |
|
|
M |
9/19 |
Serway
Ch 37: Interference, Young's Double Slit |
|
|
W |
9/21 |
Serway
Ch 37: Interference, Thin Films |
|
|
F |
9/23 |
Serway
Ch 37: Thin Films, Ch 38: Diffraction |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 6 |
|
|
Lab:
Inverse Square Law |
|
|
M |
9/26 |
Serway
Ch 38: Diffraction, Review |
|
|
W |
9/28 |
TEST 1 |
|
|
F |
9/30 |
Serway
Ch 39: Introduction to Special
Relativity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 7 |
|
|
Lab:
The Interferometer |
|
|
M |
10/03 |
Serway
Ch 37: The Interferometer, Michelson-Morley |
|
|
W |
10/05 |
Mermin
Ch 4: The Moving Stick, Ch 5: The Moving Clock |
|
|
F |
10/07 |
Mermin
Ch 17: Space Time Diagrams |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 8 |
|
|
No
Labs |
|
|
M |
10/10 |
Mermin
Ch 5: Appendix: Another Way |
|
|
W |
10/12 |
Mermin
Ch 7: Simultaneity |
|
|
F |
10/14 |
Mermin
Ch 7: Simultaneity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 9 |
|
|
Lab: Computer Lab: Space-time Software |
|
|
M |
10/17 |
Fall Recess |
|
|
W |
10/19 |
Mermin
Ch 6: Whose Stick Really Shrinks? |
|
|
F |
10/21 |
Mermin
Ch 9: Why Does He Say My Stick Shrinks? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 10 |
|
|
Lab:
The Speed of Light |
|
|
M |
10/24 |
Mermin
Ch 13: Lorentz Transformations |
|
|
W |
10/26 |
Mermin
Ch 14: Addition of Velocities |
|
|
F |
10/28 |
Mermin
Ch 16: The Twin Paradox |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 11 |
|
|
Lab:
Index of Refraction |
|
|
M |
10/31 |
Mermin
Ch 17: Geometry of Space Time |
|
|
W |
11/02 |
Mermin
Ch 18: Energy & Momentum |
|
|
F |
11/04 |
Serway
Ch 39: Relativistic Momentum &
Energy |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 12 |
|
|
Lab: Analysis of Light with a Spectroscope |
|
|
M |
11/07 |
Mermin
Ch 18: Energy & Momentum |
|
|
W |
11/09 |
Mermin
Ch 17: Geometry of Space Time |
|
|
F |
11/11 |
Serway
Ch 45: Fusion, Binding Energy, The
Sun |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 13 |
|
|
Lab:
The Photoelectric Effect |
|
|
M |
11/14 |
TEST 2 |
|
|
W |
11/16 |
Serway
Ch 40: The Photo-electric Effect |
|
|
F |
11/18 |
Serway
Ch 40: The Bohr Model & Atomic Spectra |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 14 |
|
|
No
Labs |
|
|
M |
11/21 |
Silk
Ch 1-4: Introduction to Astrophysics |
|
|
W |
11/23 |
Thanksgiving Recess |
|
|
F |
11/25 |
Thanksgiving Recess |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 15 |
|
|
Lab: Computer Lab: Expansion of the Universe |
|
|
M |
11/28 |
Silk
Ch 5: Cosmological Models |
|
|
W |
11/30 |
Silk
Ch 17: The Hubble Law |
|
|
F |
12/02 |
Introduction
to General Relativity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 16 |
|
|
No
Labs |
|
|
M |
12/05 |
Silk
Appendices 1-8: The Schwartzchild
Metric |
|
|
W |
12/07 |
The
Friedman Universe, The 3° K
Background |
|
|
F |
12/09 |
Day
Free for Study |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Week 17 |
|
|
|
|
|
W |
12/14 |
TEST 3 7:30-9:20 am |
Withdrawal and
Dropping the Course:
The
last day to drop without a W on your record is
Friday, September 2.
The
last day to drop without receiving an F grade is Friday, October 14.
Additional
References:
General Physics:
Fishbane, P. & S.
Gasiorowicz & S. Thornton, Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 3rd
Ed., Prentice Hall, 2005
Halliday, D. & R.
Resnick, & J. Walker Fundamentals of Physics, 6th Ed., Wiley, 2001
Hecht, E., Physics,
Brooks/Cole, 1994
Young, H. D. & R. A.
Freedman, University Physics, 11th Ed., Addison-Wesley, 2005
Special Relativity:
Bondi, H., Relativity and
Common Sense, Doubleday, 1964
Durell, C. V., Readable
Relativity, Harper & Row, 1960
Einstein, A., The Meaning of Relativity, Princeton
U. Press, 1956
Evett, A., Special
Relativity, Publishers Creative Service, 1982
French, A. P., Special
Relativity, Norton, 1968
Gammow, G., Mr. Tompkins in Wonderland, Cambridge
U. Press, 1940
Russell, B., The ABC of Relativity, Allen, London 1958
Staunton, L. P., & H. Van
Dam, "Graphical Introduction to
the Special Theory of Relativity,"
American Journal of Physics, Vol. 48, No. 10, October 1980, pp
807-817
Taylor, E. F., & J. A.
Wheeler, Spacetime Physics,
Freeman, 1966
Optics:
Jenkins, F. A. & H. E.
White, Fundamentals of Optics, McGraw-Hill, 1957
Möller, K.D., Optics,
University Science Books, 1988
Biography:
Clark, R. W., Einstein:
the Life & Times, World, 1971
Pais, A., Subtle is the
Lord..., Clarendon, Oxford, 1982
Schilpp, P.A., editor, Albert
Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist, Tudor, 1948
Physics 5 – Introductory
Topics in Physics
Introduction
to Excel:
Use of a spreadsheet to analyze data and to produce graphs.
Geometrical
Optics:
Thin Lenses. Snell’s Law. Refracting Astronomical Telescopes. The Lens Maker’s Equation. Law of Reflection. Plane Mirrors. Spherical Mirrors.
Physical Optics:: Wave Motion. Dispersion. Waves on a String. Reflection and Transmission at a Boundary. Total Internal Reflection. Sinusoidal Waves.
Sound: Longitudinal Waves. Variation of Intensity with Distance. The Doppler shift. Superposition and Interference.
Standing
Waves: String instruments. Organ pipes. Beats.
Interference
of light waves:
Young’s Double Slit. Thin Films. Single Slit Diffraction. Diffraction Gratings. The Michelson-Morley Experiment.
Special
Relativity:
Time Dilation. Simultaneity. Fitzgerald Contraction. The Synchronization of Clocks. The Twin Paradox. The Pole-vaulter Paradox.
Space-time Diagrams. The
Geometry of Space-time. Lorentz
Transformations. Addition of
Velocities. Doppler Shift of
Light. Relativistic Energy and
Momentum. Nuclear Fusion. The Sun.
Modern
Physics:
Black Body Radiation. The
Photo-electric Effect. Photons. Compton Scattering. Atomic Spectra. The Bohr model.
Astrophysics: Hubble’s Law. Olber’s
Paradox. Introduction to General
Relativity. The Schwarzschild Metric and
Black Holes. Analysis of Curved
Geometries. The Einstein – de Sitter
Universe. Friedman’s Equation. The Big
Bang and the Cosmic Background Radiation.
Physics 5 – Introductory
Topics in Physics
Outcomes:
1) The students will have an
in-depth working knowledge of simple optics.
2) The students will understand wave motion and
interference effects.
3) The students will have an intermediate level
understanding of the Special Theory of Relativity, and will be able to analyze
textbook situations.
4) The students will be able to analyze the
energetics of nuclear reactions.
5) The students will have an introductory
understanding of the early quantum theory.
6) The students will be able to discuss the significance of the Hubble Law.
7) The students will be able to discuss in general
terms the curvature of the universe and its possible future fate.
8) The students will have enhanced their
understanding by performing laboratory experiments and using Excel for their
analysis.