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PHY 2020 – Physics IV

At a glance

  • 3 lecture hours per week
  • 1 tutorial hour per week
  • 4 credits

Prerequisites

Course Description

  • Vector Calculus: Vector operator ; gradient, divergence, and curl of a vector field; theorems of vector calculus
  • Electrodynamics: Maxwell’s equations; displacement current; plane electromagnetic waves; energy density; continuity equation; momentum; electromagnetic spectrum
  • Quantum Physics: Atoms; atomic spectra; particle-wave duality; Planck’s law; Wien’s displacement law; de Broglie wavelength; Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle; Bohr’s model; energy levels; atomic excitation; laser
  • Quantum Mechanics: Wave function; time-dependent Schrödinger equation; example of a free particle; expectation value; operators; steady-state Schrödinger equation; eigenvalues and eigenfunctions; Hamiltonian operator; particle in a box
  • Nuclear Physics: Nucleus; angular momentum; magnetic moment; nuclear stability; nuclear forces; binding energy; binding energy/nucleon; radioactivity, alpha, beta, and gamma decay; decay law; half-life period; use in radiocarbon dating; fission and fusion
  • Special Relativity: Frame of reference; Galilean relativity; Galilean transformation; speed of em-waves; Michelson-Morley experiment; postulates; Lorentz transformation; time dilation; length contraction; proper time and length; addition of velocities; relativistic momentum and energy

Learning Resources

  • Beiser, A. (2003). Concepts of modern physics. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
  • Feynman, R., Leighton, R. B., & Sands, M. (2008). The Feynman lectures on Physics, Vols. I, II, and III. Narosa.
  • French, A. P. (2001). Vibrations and waves.
  • Griffiths, D. J. (1999). Introduction to electrodynamics. Prentice Hall of India.
  • Halliday, D., Resnick, R., & Walker, J. (2013). Fundamentals of Physics. Wiley.
  • Kleppner, D., & Kolenkow, R. (2013). An introduction to mechanics. Cambridge University Press.
  • Krane, K. S. (2008). Introductory nuclear Physics. New York: Wiley.
  • Verma, H. C. (2011). Concepts in Physics, Vol. II. Bharati Bhawan Publishers.