| INSTRUCTOR: | Raju Raghavan | R. Bruce Vogelaar |
|---|---|---|
| EMAIL: | raghavan@vt.edu | vogelaar@vt.edu |
| OFFICE: | 325 Robeson, 1-2761 | 313 Robeson, 1-8735 |
| OFFICE HRS: | ||
| CLASS HRS: | Lectures: 12:30 - 1:45 T, Th Room: 116 Robeson | |
| Labs | ||
| TEXTBOOK: | ``Modern Physics, 4th edition'' by Tipler
& Llewellyn (supplementary material) |
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| LAB GTA: | ||
| GRADER: | Erika Gifford |
| Scope: | This course will cover modern physics, ie. the physics of the 20th century, arguably one of the most exciting and productive time periods of any science. The topics to be covered will take us from roughly 1905 (special relativity) to today (discovery of the top quark, 1995). The topics to be covered are special relativity, Rutherford-Bohr atom spin, statistical physics, nuclear structure, radioactivity, reactions and nuclear applications, elementary particle physics, general relativity, astrophysics and cosmology. Ph 2305 and 2306 or their equivalents are prerequisites, and "Foundations of Quantum & Solid State Physics is a co-requisite. | ||||||||
| Grading: | The course grade will be based on exams, laboratories, and homework. There will be two 75 minute in-class exams and a final exam. The final grade will be based on the following distributions:
There is an additional penalty for missing labs. For details refer to the laboratory home page. From time-to-time, there may be in-class opportunities for extra credit. Class participation can influcence letter grades by a third-step. Individual grades will be available to students on the Blackboard system. |
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| Homework: | Homework assignments will be given weekly. You are expected to attempt them by Thursday's lecture each week. Homework will be due Thursday at the beginning of class the week after being assigned. Late homework will be accepted for half credit up until one week late. | ||||||||
| Lectures: | In addition to the homework, reading will be assigned each week. | ||||||||
| Exams: | You may bring a single sheet of notes in your own handwriting along with the textbook to exams. Calculators may be used during exams --- but no programmable features may be used. | ||||||||
| Honor Code: | The honor code pertains to all aspects of this course. You are encouraged to work with others in studying the material and discussing homework problems. But all work (exams, labs, and homework) turned in under your name (or student number!) must be your own work. | ||||||||
| Email: | You are encouraged to send to raghavan@vt.edu or vogelaar@vt.edu any questions you have concerning the course material. If we think that the answer would be useful to everybody in the class, we will send out an answer to the entire class with the identifiers of the original questioner removed. | ||||||||
| Disability Related Accommodations: | Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations is requested to speak with me during the first two weeks of class. All discussions will remain confidential. Students with disabilities should also contact Disability Support Services in the university. |