University of Maryland Physics Department

Physics 273/273H - Introductory Physics / Waves

Prof. Hall - Fall 2012

• Course Info:
  • Syllabus
  • Schedule and suggested reading
  • Honors project (273H only)
• Simulations and animations:
  
• Damped harmonic oscillator
  
• Coupled oscillators
• The loaded string
• Fourier series
• Dispersion:
• Simple pulse animation with dispersion.
• Examples of addition of two harmonic waves with dispersion.
• Wikipedia illustration of group velocity and phase velocity (see animations).
• Youtube video of dispersion in water waves. Which is faster, the phase velocity or the group velocity?
  
• Final Exam: 
• The final exam will be held in Physics 1204 from 8 am to 10 am on Monday December 17th.
• There will be a review session in class on Tuesday December 11th, led by Prof. Tom Cohen.
• The exam will cover material from the entire semester, with the exception of the guest lecture by Prof. Hoffman on sonic booms and Cherenkov radiation on Monday December 10th. 
• The exam format will be similar to Exams 1 and 2, with a mixture of qualitative and quantitative questions.
  
• You will be given the following three formula sheets:
• Formula sheet #1 is here. 
• Formula sheet #2 is here.
• Formula sheet #3 is here.
  
• Hints for studying for the exams:
• Review the homework, and the homework solutions provided below.
• Review the formula sheets. Make sure you understand the meaning of all the equations which appear there.
• Review your class notes and the lecture notes posted below.
  
• Review the suggested reading form H.J. Pain.
• Notes:
• Week 1: Simple Harmonic Oscillator, small oscillations.
• Week 2: Complex analysis, Forced oscillator.
• Week 3: More forced oscillators, damped oscillators, and transients.
• Week 4: Electrical oscillators, phasor analysis.
  
• Week 5: More phasors and impedances, and exam 1 review.
• Week 6: Two coupled oscillators.
• Week 7: Normal modes, the loaded string.
• Week 8: The continuous string, Fourier's trick.
• Week 9: Fourier Series.
• Week 10: Fourier Transform and travelling waves.
• Week 11: Mechanical impedance, transmission and reflection, exam 2 review.
• Week 12: Energy transport, transmission lines.
• Week 14: Dispersion, group velocity, pulse propagation, interference, diffraction
  
• Week 15: Maxwell's equations and EM waves.
• Week 16: Final Exam review.
  
• Homework:
• Homework #1, and solutions.
• Homework #2, and solutions.
  
• Homework #3, and solutions.
  
• Homework #4, and solutions.
• Homework #5, and solutions.
  
• Homework #6, and solutions.
  
• Homework #7, and solutions.
  
• Homework #8, and solutions.
• Homework #9, and solutions.
• Homework #10, and solutions.
• Homework #11, and solutions.
• Homework #12, and solutions.