Reading: You will get the most out of lectures if you’ve already peaked at the homework and thoughtfully read the corresponding material in advance. Not only will the utility of lectures depend upon your having done so, but parts of your homework grade will explicitly reflect its importance. We’ll be using Schroeder’s text, but I’ll also give one reading from Chabay & Sherwood (the 231 text), and the reading schedule notes the sections of Chabay & Sherwood that correspond to Schroeder readings (in case you want an intro-level refresher), alternatively, you may wish to look back at Moore’s Unit T (used in Phys 233.)
A different perspective is often quite helpful. These are some other popular texts:
Statistical Physics, Mandl (Wiley, 1988)
An Introduction to Statistical Physics, Rosser (Ellis Horwood 1982)
Thermal Physics, Kittel and Kroemer (W.H. Freeman & Co.)
Fundamentals of Statistical and Thermal Physics, Reif (McGraw-Hill 1965)
Statistical Physics, Reif (McGraw-Hill 1965)
and, of course, Chabay & Sherwood’s Matter and Interactions I and Moor’s Unit T are good references for the fundamentals.
Homework: 50% of your grade. The homework is intended to give you practice working with the material introduced in class and in the reading, and to extend beyond lecture’s coverage. There are two components to the homework: Problems, and Discussion Prep.
Problems: 40% of your grade. This homework will be assigned daily, based on the material just covered in lecture, but they will be due weekly, usually at the beginning of each Monday class (see schedule for details). Assignments are listed on the attached schedule; as they evolve, I will let you know and update the on-line schedule. Feel free to ask questions about the homework at any time (while you’re working on it, after it’s handed back,…)
Discussion Prep: 10% of your grade. As already mentioned, you’ll get the most out of all components of the course (reading, meeting times, homework,…) if you read deeply and before class. To encourage that practice, by 9a.m. on lecture days, you should turn in three prep items of your choosing: a) first draft of some of the homework (no final grade will be recorded until homework is due), b) unassigned homework problems, c) questions that the reading raised, or d) something else like filling in the ‘left to the reader’ gaps in the book’s derivations; or putting one of the book’s particularly confusing arguments into your own words.
Exams: 50%
(16.6 % for each) of your grade. There will be
three, equally weighed exams (including the final). All exams will be closed
book, closed notes. If something is unclear to you or you disagree with the
grading, please give me a call, send me an
e-mail, or drop by my office.
Cheating: Dishonesty seriously undermines the academic pursuit; therefore, it is my philosophy that the punishment for cheating should not simply erase its 'beneficial' effects, but be enough of a deterrent that the 'benefit' of cheating not be worth the risk. For example, I prefer to fail from the course a student who has cheated on an exam. According to the University Academic Honesty Policy, all instances of dishonesty are recorded by the Registrar’s office. On tests, “cheating” is fairly clear-cut. On homework, there’s some gray; in this class, you should feel free to work together, but the work you turn in must be your own / reflect your own understanding.
Late work: Except in extenuating circumstances, late work will not be accepted.
Grade: If at anytime you are interested in reviewing your standing in the course feel free to give me a call, send me an e-mail, or drop by my office.
Homework
50%
Exams
50% (16.6% for each exam)
Final Grade Assignments: Final grades will be assigned according to the following:
93 ⅓ ≤ A (4.0) ≤ 100%
90 ≤ A- (3.7) < 93 ⅓
86 ⅔ ≤ B+ (3.3) < 90
83 ⅓ ≤ B (3.0) < 86 ⅔
80 ≤ B- (2.7) < 83 ⅓
76 ⅔ ≤ C+ (2.3) < 80
73 ⅓ ≤ C (2.0) < 76 ⅔
70 ≤ C- (1.7) < 73 ⅓
66 ⅔ ≤ D+ (1.3) < 70
63 ⅓ ≤ D (1.0) < 66 ⅔
60 ≤ D- (0.7) < 63 ⅓
0 ≤ F (0.0) < 60
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