1 Wednesday

Introduction, Quantities, not just numbers

Writing answers to HW questions
Introduction to Term Project
Mathematical communication
9 Rules for Typography in Physics

SEWHA Chapter 1
SEWHA Chapter 2
SEWHA Chapter 3
SEWHA Chapter 8
You might also enjoy a talk by David MacKay

2 Friday 9/24

Quantities, not just numbers

Rain Power Estimate
Columbia river gorge

Homework 0
Homework 0 (pdf)

3 Monday

Energy flow

Conservation of Energy: First Law of Thermodynamics
A coarse-grained model for transportation

SEWHA Appendix A: Cars
SEWHA Appendix A: Cars II
SEWHA Appendix B: Wind II
SEWHA Appendix F: Waves II
6 Ideas Unit T: Ch 1 pages 4-14

4 Wednesday

Car efficiency

5 Friday 10/1

Wind energy

Homework 1
Homework 1 (pdf)

6 Monday

Irreversibility

Irreversibility
Einstein solid simulation

"6 Ideas Unit T" by Thomas Moore:

Ch 2 (first half of chapter) pages 20-24 “Macrostates and microstates”
Ch 3 pages 38-47 “Entropy and Temperature”

Youtube videos:

How entropy powers the Earth by MinutePhysics
What is not random? by Veritasium

Monte Carlo video (redundant with today's lecture?): Monte Carlo and multiplicity (6:28)

7 Wednesday

Entropy and heat

Introducing entropy
Dropping hot metal into water

8 Friday 10/8

Temperature and entropy

Temperature and Entropy
Basics of heat engines
Efficiency of a car engine

Homework 2
Homework 2 (pdf)

9 Monday

Work and engines

A gas heat engine
Work in a gas heat engine

"6 Ideas Unit T" by Thomas Moore:

Section T5.4 Equipartition Theorem
Section T5.5 The Ideal Gas Law
Chapter T7 Gas Processes

10 Wednesday

Gasses

A gas heat engine, continued
Heat in a gas heat engine

11 Friday 10/15

Gasses, continued

The Carnot cycle
Thermodynamics retrospective

Optional video about Carnot Cycle (9:33)

Homework 3
Homework 3 (pdf)

12 Monday

Midterm exam

Practice midterm (not to be turned in)
Practice midterm (not to be turned in) (pdf)

13 Wednesday

Equipartition theorem

Equipartition theorem
Applying the equipartition theorem

14 Friday 10/22

Quantum mechanics and equipartition

Quantum mechanical correction to the equipartition theorem
Heat capacity of N$_2$

Video answer to why only quadratic terms obey equipartition (3:35)

Homework 4
Homework 4 (pdf)

15 Monday

Math communication and dimension checking

Checking math

16 Wednesday

Vibration and rotation

Introducing quantum mechanics
Travelling wave solution

"6 Ideas Unit Q" by Thomas Moore:

Chapter 1 pages 4-12 Wave Models
Chapter 2 pages 20-29 Standing Waves and Resonance

17 Friday 10/29

Waves

Solutions to the wave equation
Earthquake waves

Homework 5
Homework 5 (pdf)

18 Monday

Boundary conditions and musical instruments

Superposition and boundary conditions and music

"6 Ideas Unit Q" by Thomas Moore:

Chapter 11 “Spectra”
Chapter 5 “The Wave Nature of Particles (de Broglie wavelength)”
Section 10.3 “A Quanton in a Box”

Videos to watch:

Electron microscopes explained by Physics Girl

19 Wednesday

Spectra

Quantum waves and spectra
Hydrogen emission

20 Friday 11/5

Spectra continued

Solvable quantum systems

Homework 6
Homework 6 (pdf)

21 Monday

Double-slit experiment and quantum weirdness

Interference and quantum weirdness
de Broglie wavelength after freefall

22 Wednesday

Photons

Photons
Seeing stars

"6 Ideas Unit Q" by Thomas Moore:

Chapter 4 “The Particle Nature of Light”

23 Friday 11/12

Planck's Law and Stefan Boltzmann Law

Thermal radiation
Energy radiated from one oscillator
Thermal radiation at twice the temperature
Review for second midterm

Homework 7
Homework 7 (pdf)

24 Monday

Midterm

Practice problems for midterm 2
Practice problems for midterm 2 (pdf)

25 Wednseday

Thermal radiation

Planck spectral distribution
Spectral intensity at twice the temperature
Blackbody PhET

26 Friday 11/19

Temperature of Earth

Wavelength of peak intensity
Using the Stefan-Boltzmann law
Grey space capsule

Homework 8
Homework 8 (pdf)

27 Monday

Radiation and energy flow

Temperature of the Earth
Optical depth of atmosphere

28 Wednesday

Earth under plexiglass

Friday 11/26

Thanksgiving break

29 Monday 11/29

Fission and fusion
Size scale and energy scale and nuclei

Fission and fusion

30 Wednesday

Hydrogen fusion

31 Friday 12/3

Contemporary Challenges Review

Homework 9 (including term project)
Homework 9 (including term project) (pdf)

Topic/Day

Activities

Resources

Homework Due