Physics 374 Syllabus (tentative)

Prof. E. F. Redish

Topics

  1. The Kinds of "Things" -- Mathematical Structures
    • Numbers -- integers, rational, real, complex
    • Measurement -- dimensional analysis
    • Relationships -- functions and functional dependence
    • More complex objects
      • Vectors
      • Operators
      • Fields

  2. Expansions, Approximations, and Estimations
    • Scales
    • The Taylor series

  3. Particles (Ordinary Differential Equations)
    • Linear Motion
      • Viscous Damping -- Interpreting exact solutions
      • Drag Damping -- Interpreting numerical solutions
      • Conservation Laws and Symmetries -- Momentum and energy
    • Rotational Motion
      • Coordinate Systems
      • Conservation Laws and Symmetries -- Angular momentum and energy

  4. Oscillations and Waves (Matrices and transforms)
    • Coupled Oscillators -- normal modes and eigenvectors
    • Modeling the Continuous Elastic string -- Fourier transforms

  5. Fields (Partial Differential Equations)
    • Temperature -- A scalar field, the diffiusion equation
    • Fluid Flow -- A vector field, the Navier-Stokes equation
    • Electromagnetic Fields -- Maxwell's equations

    RETURNS

    University of Maryland Physics Department Physics 374 Home

    This page prepared by

    Edward F. Redish
    Department of Physics
    University of Maryland
    College Park, MD 20742
    Phone: (301) 405-6120
    Email: redish@umd.edu

    Last revision 12. August, 2005