At a glance
- 3 lecture hours per week
- 1 tutorial hour per week
- 4 credits
Prerequisites
Topics Covered
- Vector Calculus: Vector operator
; gradient, divergence, and curl of a vector field; theorems of vector calculus. - Electrodynamics: Maxwell’s equations; displacement current; plane electromagnetic waves; energy density; continuity equation; momentum; electromagnetic spectrum.
- Quantum Physics: Atoms; atomic spectra; particle-wave duality; Planck’s law; Wien’s displacement law; de Broglie wavelength; Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle; Bohr’s model; energy levels; atomic excitation; laser
- Quantum Mechanics: Wave function; time-dependent Schrödinger equation; example of a free particle; expectation value; operators; steady-state Schrödinger equation; eigenvalues and eigenfunctions; Hamiltonian operator; particle in a box
- Nuclear Physics: Nucleus; angular momentum; magnetic moment; nuclear stability; nuclear forces; binding energy; binding energy/nucleon; radioactivity, alpha, beta, and gamma decay; decay law; half-life period; use in radiocarbon dating; fission and fusion
- Special Relativity: Frame of reference; Galilean relativity; Galilean transformation; speed of em-waves; Michelson-Morley experiment; postulates; Lorentz transformation; time dilation; length contraction; proper time and length; addition of velocities; relativistic momentum and energy
Learning Resources
- Beiser, A. (2003). Concepts of modern physics. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
- Feynman, R., Leighton, R. B., & Sands, M. (2008). The Feynman lectures on Physics, Vols. I, II, and III. Narosa.
- French, A. P. (2001). Vibrations and waves.
- Griffiths, D. J. (1999). Introduction to electrodynamics. Prentice Hall of India.
- Halliday, D., Resnick, R., & Walker, J. (2013). Fundamentals of Physics. Wiley.
- Kleppner, D., & Kolenkow, R. (2013). An introduction to mechanics. Cambridge University Press.
- Krane, K. S., & Halliday, D. (1988). Introductory nuclear physics (Vol. 465). New York: Wiley.
- Verma, H. C. (2011). Concepts in Physics, Vol. II. Bharati Bhawan Publishers.