Physics 280: Physics of Particles and Nuclei Spring, 2003
Instructor: Prof. Mark Battle Searles 304. Ph. 725-3410 e-mail: mbattle@bowdoin.edu
office hours: 2:30-4:00 M&W, other times by appointment (or luck).
Class Meetings: MWF @ 1:30pm in Searles 313
Text: Introduction to Elementary Particles by David Griffiths. Many of the problem sets will be drawn from this text and I will assign readings from it nearly every day. During the 1st week of class, we will also have readings from A Tour of the Subatomic Zoo by Cindy Schwarz. This will be available in the Gedanken Lab. If you don’t have after-hours access to Gedanken, see Elsa Martz in the Physics Department Office.
Supplementary Materials: For a refresher/introduction to quantum mechanics, you can consult Six Ideas that Shaped Physics Unit Q: Particles Behave Like Waves by Thomas A. Moore. A copy of this book will reside in the Gedanken lab. Depending on how the term evolves, we may cover nuclei. If so, a suitable text will be placed in the Gedanken lab.
Course Outline: After a brief introduction to quantum mechanics, we will work our way through Griffiths. The readings for each day are available at: http://www.bowdoin.edu/~mbattle/courses/reading_schedule_280.pdf
Grading: Problem sets: 25% Occasional quizzes: 5%
Midterm exam (in class and take-home): 30% Final exam: 40%
Problem sets will be given out on Mondays and will be due 1 week later at the beginning of class. Late sets will not be accepted without advance consent. We will spend part of each Monday’s class discussing the problem set just completed.
Quizzes will given frequently throughout the semester during the first 5 minutes of class. If you arrive late, you’ll miss the quiz and receive no credit. The final exam is scheduled for Monday, May 12 at 2:00pm. Mark your calendars and plan accordingly.
This sheet (the one you’re reading right now) and all other information relevant for the course, can be found linked to the course’s homepage at: http://academic.bowdoin.edu/courses/s03/phys280/