Physics of Contemporary Challenges | 2023-Fall

Course Name
Physics of Contemporary Challenges
Course Number
ph315
Year/Term
Fall-2023
Course Credits
3
Class meeting times
3 hours of lecture per week
Prerequisites
Recommended: PH 211
Course description
An introduction to thermal and quantum physics in the context of contemporary challenges faced by our society, such as power generation, energy efficiency, and global warming.
Topic/Day
Activities
Resources
Homework Due
1 Wednesday
Introduction
Writing answers to HW questions
Introduction to Term Project
9 Rules for Typography in Physics
Classroom norms
A quick guide to LaTeX
Ethan's OneNote Notebook
SEWHA Ch 1 - Motivations
SEWHA Ch 2 - Balance Sheet
SEWHA Ch 8 - Hydroelectricity
Optional: Lecture by David MacKay, the author of Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air (SEWHA).
2 Friday 9/29
Hydroelectric power from a coarse-grained model.
Homework 0 (w/ Solution)
Homework 0 (pdf)
3 Monday
Energy for transportation - a coarse-grained model.
TEDx Talk by Sanjoy Mahajan (aerodynamics)
SEWHA Ch 3 - Cars
SEWHA Appendix A: Cars II
SEWHA Ch 4: Wind
SEWHA Appendix B: Wind II
6 Ideas Unit T: Ch 1 pages 4-14
4 Wednesday
Wind energy - a coarse-grained model.
5 Friday 10/6
Uncertainty analysis - air density.
Homework 1 (w/ Solution)
Homework 1 (pdf)
6 Monday
Energy flow. Energy conservation. The need to define entropy.
"6 Ideas Unit T" by Thomas Moore:
  1. Ch 2 (first half of chapter) pages 20-24 “Macrostates and microstates”
  2. Ch 3 pages 38-47 “Entropy and Temperature”
Youtube videos:
  1. How entropy powers the Earth by MinutePhysics
  2. What is not random? by Veritasium
Monte Carlo video (redundant with today's lecture?): Monte Carlo and multiplicity (6:28)
7 Wednesday
Entropy from multiplicity. Example - Einstein solid.
8 Friday 10/13
Temperature from S(U). Maximizing the work from heat.
Homework 2 (w/ Solution)
Homework 2 (pdf)
9 Monday
Continue discussing work from heat (including sunlight, which is a form of heat). Heat capacity predicted by the equipartition theorem. Degrees of freedom.
"6 Ideas Unit T" by Thomas Moore:
  1. Section T5.4 Equipartition Theorem
10 Wednesday
HW1 review. Review degrees of freedom. Energy in the degrees of freedom fluctuate at the microscopic level - but averages out over time.
11 Friday 10/20
Heat capacity measurements of H2 gas suggest quantization of energy.
Homework 3 (w/ Solution)
Homework 3 (pdf)
12 Monday
Review of material on midterm
Practice midterm (not to be turned in) (w/ Solution)
Practice midterm (not to be turned in) (pdf)
13 Wednesday
Midterm exam
14 Friday 10/27
Quantum mechanics: Introduction to partial differential equations and functions of space and time.
"6 Ideas Unit Q" by Thomas Moore:
  1. Chapter 1 pages 4-12 Wave Models
  2. Chapter 2 pages 20-29 Standing Waves and Resonance
15 Monday
Quantum mechanics: Standing waves on guitar string.
16 Wednesday
Quantum mechanics: Superposition, frequency level diagrams, and spectrograms
17 Friday 11/3
Quantum mechanics: Introduction to the Schrodinger equation, wavefunctions describing matter waves.
Homework 4 (w/ Solution)
Homework 4 (pdf)
18 Monday
Quantum
"6 Ideas Unit Q" by Thomas Moore:
  1. Chapter 11 “Spectra”
  2. Chapter 5 “The Wave Nature of Particles (de Broglie wavelength)”
  3. Section 10.3 “A Quanton in a Box”
Videos to watch:
  1. Electron microscopes explained by Physics Girl
19 Wednesday
Quantum
20 Friday 11/10
Holiday (Veteran's Day)
21 Monday
Quantum Weirdness
"6 Ideas Unit Q" by Thomas Moore:
  1. Chapter 4 “The Particle Nature of Light”
Wednesday 11/15
Quantum
Double Slit Experiment on YouTube (9 minutes).
Quantum entanglement on YouTube (5 mins)
Draft of Term Project
Draft of Term Project (pdf)
Friday 11/17
Thermal radiation
Homework 5 (w/ Solution)
Homework 5 (pdf)
24 Monday
25 Wednseday
Planck's radiation law
Friday 11/24
Thanksgiving break
26 Monday
Planck's Radiation Law
28 Wednesday
Friday 11/31
Day 29 Monday 12/1
Size scale and energy scale of nuclei
Homework 6 (w/ Solution)
Homework 6 (pdf)
30 Wednesday
Nuclear Physics Practice Problems (w/ Solution)
Nuclear Physics Practice Problems (pdf)
31 Friday 12/10
Term Project
Term Project (pdf)