- Course name:
- Paradigms in Physics: Central Forces
- Course number:
- PH 426 / PH 526.
- Instructor:
- Doris Li
- Office hours:
All office hours will be in Weniger 304F or by appointment.
Monday:
Tuesday:
- 2-3pm (Doris)
- 3-4pm (Lupe)
- 4-5pm (Nate)
Wednesday:
- 12-1pm (Natalie)
- 3:30-4:30pm (Kien)
Thursday:
Friday:
- 12-1pm (Brett)
- 2-3pm (Doris)
- 4-5pm (Nate)
Instructor:
Doris Li (Doris) Wngr 491.
I have an “open door” policy - anytime my office door is open, you are welcome to knock and ask if I have time to chat! If you need to meet with me privately, you may either drop by my office, send me an email to make an appointment, or come to my regular office hour and we can go up to my office.
Corinne Manogue (MathBits) Wngr 493.
Graduate TA/Grader:
Lupe MacIntosh
Brett Pentecost
Lupe is the in-class TA for this course, but Lupe and Brett will each grade one homework assignment per week. If you have a question about how a homework problem was graded, please start by discussing it with the graders.
Undergraduate LAs:
Nathan Hastings
Kien Peter
Natalie Rodgers
- Course credits:
- 3
- Class meeting times:
- 7 hours of lecture/discussion per week for five weeks.
- Prerequisites:
- PH213, PH425, PH422
- Course description:
- Gravitational and electrostatic forces; angular momentum and spherical harmonics, separation of variables in classical and quantum mechanics, hydrogen atom.
- Learning resources:
Junior and Senior level courses for majors share textbooks. Copies are freely available in the SPS room and Weniger 304F. The recommended (NOT required) texts for this particular course are:
McIntyre (McIntyre), Quantum Mechanics, Pearson, 2012, ISBN 13:978-0-321-76579-6
Taylor (T), Classical Mechanics, University Science Books , 2005. ISBN 978-1891389221
We will also be using assigned readings from two (free) online textbooks:
The Geometry of Static Fields
The Geometry of Mathematical Methods
The McIntyre text will used extensively in the quantum capstone PH 451 next year. We will only be using a few small readings from the Taylor book, so don't feel you need to buy it if you don't already have it. The online texts are underdevelopment. If you would like a complete and published mathematical methods textbook, we recommend: Boas (Boas), Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences, 3rd ed., Wiley, 2005. ISBN 978-0-471-19826-0
We will be using the computer algebra system Mathematica in several of the upper-division physics courses. Students who wish to put a copy of Mathematica on their privately owned computer (helpful, but not required) should contact COSINe for current academic licensing information.
The physics majors' study room (Weniger 304F), with many machines running this software, are open at all times to enrolled students. See the physics department office for information about keys to Weniger 304F.
- Learning outcomes:
-
-
1) Explain the consequences of energy and angular momentum conservation in a system of interacting particles.
-
2) Use effective potential diagrams to determine properties of classical orbits.
-
3) Solve ordinary differential equations using power series methods.
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4) Solve the initial value problem for partial differential equations with more than one spatial variable.
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5) Solve for the quantum properties of a particle confined to a ring, rigid rotor, and the hydrogen atom in several different representations.
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6) Apply Schroedinger time dependence to central force systems (ring, rigid rotor, H atom).
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7) Relate the state of a quantum system (ring, rigid rotor, hydrogen atom) to graphs of a wave function.
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8) Grad: Communicate graduate level understanding of central force problems to both peers and instructors.
- Course content:
-
-
1.) Classical Planetary Orbits
-
2.) Kepler's Laws of Planetary Orbits
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3.) Solving PDE's with Separation of Variables
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4.) Quantum Orbital Angular Momentum
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5.) Quantum Particle on a Ring
-
6.) Quantum Particle on a Sphere
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7.) Quantum Hydrogen Atom
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8.) Series Solutions of ODE's
See also course schedule.
- Evaluation of student performance:
Your course grade will be determined by:
- Required Homework/Other Assignments: (50%)
- Classroom Participation & Attendance (10%) Class participation is crucial for the activity-based teaching style used in the Paradigms classes. I expect that you will attend class ready to do physics. I also expect that your behavior will contribute to a safe, collaborative learning space for everyone. Please see the department guidelines for further information.
- Final Exam (40%)
Notes:
- Homework: The best way to learn the material of this course is to attend class and do the homework. Homework will be posted on the online course schedule. Solutions will be posted online after the due date.
- Practice Problems: I sometimes provide Practice Problems. These are meant to be review or relatively simple examples for you to check whether you understand the material. They will not be graded. Solutions will be posted at the same time as the practice problems. I recommend that you at least read each practice problem. If you don't know how to do it, ask for help.
- Late Homework: We really want you to do the homework, so we will absolutely accept late homework. Late homework will receive a penalty:
- within 48 hours of the due time will receive a 20% penalty.
- after 48 hours of the due time will receive a 50%penalty.
When you know that an assignment will be late, let me know as soon as possible and turn in what you've completed at the due/date time. This helps me with grading logistics. Any portion of the work that is turned in on time will not be subject to the late penalty. Please consult the instructor for extenuating circumstances.
- Final: The final exam will occur from 2pm-4pm on June 12, 2025 (Thursday).
Grading Scale: Course letter grades will be assigned using the following lower bounds for each grade bin. These lower bounds may be adjusted down as needed.
A = 93%,
A- = 90%,
B+ = 87%,
B = 83%,
B- =80%,
C+ = 77%,
C = 73%,
C- = 70%,
D = 60 F = 0%
- Course Expectations and Policies
Class will meet on MWF 1-1:50 pm and on TTh from 12-1:50 pm in Weniger 328.
Professional Learning Outcomes
- Communicate scientific ideas in writing and with other representations (e.g. graphs, code), using good scientific language and practices, concisely and without ambiguity.
- Learn to work with and communicate productively and respectfully with peers and collaborators of different backgrounds.
- Cite the information and ideas obtained from or with others in a clear and professional manner.
- Communicate in a timely and professional manner with others in the work environment when things don't go to plan.
In support of these Professional Learning Outcomes, this course has the following expectations and policies:
- The problems in Paradigms courses will likely take longer than problems you've seen in previous courses. If you find that you have worked on a problem for 1/2 hour, it's time to pause, take a break, sleep, and seek help from classmates or the instructional team.
- You are strongly encouraged to work on assignments, including coding and plotting, collaboratively. Science is inherently a social and collaborative effort. So that we can best support your learning, you are required to turn in assignments that you have written up independently.
- Appropriate resources on assignments include: working with each other, graduates of the course, the course TAs and LAs, or the course instructor; textbooks; other online materials other than solutions to these specific problems, etc. Do NOT use homework solutions from previous years and do NOT share your completed homework solutions with other students (in other words, collaborate through discussion, not copying).
- Document your resources appropriately. If someone else helps you solve a problem, reference them. An appropriate reference might be“Doris Li (private communication, 1/15/21)” or “I worked with Doris Li on this problem”.
Representing someone else's work as your own without reference, also known as plagiarism, is unethical, but collaboration and exchange of ideas is healthy. You can avoid having collaborative efforts take on the look of plagiarism by acknowledging sources as described above and by writing up your work independently.
- Academic calendar:
- All students are subject to the registration and refund deadlines as stated
in the Academic Calendar:
https://registrar.oregonstate.edu/osu-academic-calendar
- Statement regarding students with disabilities:
- Accommodations for students with disabilities are determined and approved
by Disability Access Services (DAS). If you, as a student, believe you are
eligible for accommodations but have not obtained approval please contact
DAS immediately at 541-737-4098 or at
http://ds.oregonstate.edu. DAS notifies
students and faculty members of approved academic accommodations and
coordinates implementation of those accommodations. While not required,
students and faculty members are encouraged to discuss details of the
implementation of individual accommodations.
- Expectations of student conduct:
- Students are expected to comply with the University code of
conduct, available at https://beav.es/codeofconduct.
- Student bill of rights
OSU has twelve established student rights. They include due process in all university disciplinary processes, an equal opportunity to learn, and grading in accordance with the course syllabus: https://asosu.oregonstate.edu/advocacy/rights
- Reach out for success:
- University students encounter setbacks from time to time. If you encounter
difficulties and need assistance, it’s important to reach out. Consider
discussing the situation with an instructor or academic advisor. Learn
about resources that assist with wellness and academic success at
oregonstate.edu/ReachOut.
If you are in immediate crisis, please contact
the Crisis Text Line by texting OREGON to 741-741 or call the National
Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)