Physics & Astronomy

Physics 451   Quantum Mechanics I   Fall 2011 MWF 9AM, C285 ESC  Instructor: Karine CHESNEL

Instructor and TA contacts

Karine Chesnel

Office: N319 ESC

email: kchesnel@byu.edu

phone: 801-422-5687

Office hours: MWF 10 to 11am

Teaching assistant:

Grayson Tarbox, graysonisbond@gmail.com

phone: 314-681-2831

Course objectives

This class provides a solid introduction to the concepts and fundamentals of Quantum Mechanics. With this course, you will learn the following concepts and will apply them to solve the following situations:

1. The Schrodinger equation.
2. Probability, measurement outcomes, expectation values and standard deviation.
3. Heisenberg uncertainty principle
4. Time-Independent Schrodinger equation, and stationary states
5. Eigenstates and eigenvalues of an operator
6. Simple Harmonic Oscillator
7. Infinite square well and finite barrier potential
8. Free particle
9. Schrödinger equation in spherical coordinates
10. Hydrogen Atom and spherical harmonics
11. Angular Momentum and Spin
12 Two particles systems, atoms and solids
 

Course materials

Textbook: David J. Griffiths, Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, 2nd ed.

We will follow this Class Schedule

CID/ Iclicker

You can get your course ID here. Remember to indicate your CID on each of your homework and each of your tests.

In order to answer in-class quizzes and questions, you need to get your own I-Clicker and register it here     

Homework

Here you will find your homework assignments, normally due twice a week: T and Th by 7pm.

There will be helping sessions on T and Th nights, room N337 ESC (undergraduate lab): - time to adjourned -

Submit your homework in the reserved slots "Phys 451" across N373 ESC

For best learning results and to get best scores, I strongly encourage you to explain your reasoning, method and findings in sentences as much as possible, together with your calculation.  

Exams

There will be 3 mid-term exams and one final exam. The exams are time limited for 3 hours, closed books.

Exam I :  DATES CHANGED October 4-6, 2011 - Testing center

Exam II: October 27 - 29, 2011 - Testing center

Exam III:  November 21- 28 , 2011 - Testing center

Final exam :  December 12, 2011, 7am - 10am - C285 ESC

Grading

In-Class Quizzes on Reading (10% of grade)

Homework (40% )

Exams (30%)

Final (20%)

You can check your grades here

Lecture notes

You may review some of my lecture notes below.

Part I                            Part II                            Part III                        Part IV

Aug 29                        Sep 28                            Oct 31                        Nov 28

Aug 31                        Sep 30                            Nov 2                         Nov 30

Sep 2                           Oct 3                             Nov 4                         Dec 2

Sep 7                           Oct 5                             Nov 7                         Dec 5

Sep 9                           Oct 7                             Nov 9                        Final Review

Sep 12                         Oct 10                           Nov 11

Sep 14                        Oct 12                           Nov 14

Sep 16                        Oct 14                           Nov 16

Sep 19                        Oct 17                           Review 3

Sep 21                        Oct 19

Review 1                    Oct 24

 .                                Review 2

Useful material

Practice exam 1

Practice exam 2; solutions to Pb 4 and Pb5

Practice exam 3; solution to Pb1 (page1 and page2),  Problem 3, Pb 4 (p1, p2, p3),   Pb5

Practice final exam (2009), (2010)  solutions to Pb1, Pb2, Pb3, Pb4, Pb5

Quantum applet simulations: http://www.falstad.com/mathphysics.html

Quantum Physlet®   animations