PHYS 225 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Course Description

Relativity & Math Applications

Credit: 2 hours.

Prerequisite: Credit or concurrent registration in PHYS 212.

Theory of Special Relativity, with applications to kinematics and dynamics. Key mathematical methods as they apply to aspects of electromagnetic theory and classical mechanics, including vector analysis, series expansions, matrices, Fourier analysis, partial differentiation, three-dimensional calculus, and simple differential equations.

Course Goals

By the end of this course the student will be able to:

• compute with and explain the fundamental effects of special relativity, including
  • time dilation, length contraction, Doppler shifts
  • the postulates of relativity and how they imply the Lorentz transformations
  • 4-vectors and the spacetime metric
  • relativistic kinematics, using invariance and energy-momentum conservation
  • relativistic invariance of Maxwell's equations
     
• apply important mathematical methods in phyiscs problem-solving, especially to problems in relativity, including
  • matrix multiplication and the relationship to group theory
  • using Taylor series to compute approximations and infinitesimal symmetry transformations
  • solve first-order ordinary differential equations by separation of variables
  • compute fluently with vector differential operators and convert between the differential and integral forms of Maxwell's equations
  • manipulate complex numbers
  • solve the wave equation using Fourier transformation

Course Components

All students are required to participate in all course components. Credit is granted in each course component. Please register for the course in Gradescope to receive credit (you will need to log in using your NetID). All course components are subject to the Academic Integrity Policy.

Learning Strategy

To effectively learn new material, students need a wide array of experiences. The learning philosophy is intended to help students efficiently process problems in physics by providing the necessary experiences.

The learning philosophy introduces new material in lectures, delves deeply into this material through practice problems and derivations in discusssion, and reinforces the material through more practice problems in homework.

This course covers a large amount of new material. Each concept builds on previous course concepts. Mastery of previous material is essential. This is the student's responsibility. In order to succeed the student must not fall behind!

Component Description

For all components of this course, the Course Attendance Policy explains the tardiness and missed class policies.

Lecture

Participation is required.

• Attend the lecture in person. 
• Students will be expected to participate by:
  • Completing one-minute papers at the start and end of each lecture, submitted via Gradescope
  • Answering questions
  • Working with a partner student
  • Taking good notes

Each lecture will focus on a topic of the day as described in the course schedule. Notes from each lecture will be posted in their complete form on the following day.

You must turn in both one-minute papers to achieve attendance credit.

Discussion

Weekly two (2) hour discussion sections are required. Students select a discussion section during registration.

Each discussion session will consist of the following:

• In-discussion work:
  • Each student within their small group will work together to complete a single problem set solution.
  • Each group should work together to resolve differences.
  • Each group will submit one document with their team solution set to Gradescope for your TA to evaluate.  This document should include:
    • The final solution set for all problems.
    • All work must be shown for participation credit.
    • All work must be in the group's own words--no copying other solutions.
    • The effort from each student must be identified on the final packet.
    • Students will take turns submitting the problem set for each week.

Homework

Homework assignments will be posted on the course schedule page. They are typically assigned on Thursdays and due the following Thursday (with exceptions for midterm week and reading day), and cover material from the lecture and discussion of the week they are assigned. Homework is submitted through Gradescope.

You must work the problems before the Gradescope deadline to receive full credit for the homework.

Homework problems are designed to:

• Evaluate conceptual understanding.
• Develop problem-solving skills.

Late Homework Rules:

• Up to 80% credit will be awarded for finishing an assignment up to one week late.
• Contact Prof. Kahn if you are struggling with the homework assignments.

Bonus Points and Dropped Assignments

• Automatically dropped assignments: See the  Course Grading page for detailes about dropped assignments. 
• Bonus points: Up to 20 bonus points for the semester that can be applied to all scores in the class except for exams. You can earn bonus points in 2 ways:
  • attending office hours (1 point per week, up to 15 points total)
  • completing a short written assignment by the end of the course on Einstein's original 1905 relativity paper (5 points)

More information can be found in the Bonus Points section of the  Course Grading page.

Office Hours

There will be open office hours every week (Wednesday 1:30-5:30pm in Loomis 276) to give students one-on-one assistance if they need more help. These are a great place to get assistance working through difficult topics, figuring out homework questions, or addressing other concerns about the class. You do not need to have a “good” question for office hours – any question where you are working on your understanding is welcome!

Exams

The purpose of exams in this course is to assess your mastery of concepts and related problem-solving skills. In physics classes we consider that you have ‘mastered’ a topic when you remember the rules of how a concept or physical phenomenon works and can apply those rules to unfamiliar situations.

You will be assessed in this course using one midterm exam and one final exam. The specific dates are available in the Schedule.

Academic Integrity

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Student Code should also be considered as a part of this syllabus. Students should pay particular attention to Article 1, Part 4: Academic Integrity. Read the Code at the following URL: http://studentcode.illinois.edu/.

Academic dishonesty may result in a failing grade. Every student is expected to review and abide by the Academic Integrity Policy. Ignorance is not an excuse for any academic dishonesty.

It is your responsibility to read this policy to avoid any misunderstanding. Do not hesitate to ask the instructor(s) if you are ever in doubt about what constitutes plagiarism, cheating, or any other breach of academic integrity.

Infractions include, but are not limited to:

• cheating
• plagiarism
• fabrication
• academic interference
• computer-related infractions
• unauthorized use of university resources
• sale of class materials or notes
• surrender of class materials to a third-party
• facilitating infractions of academic integrity.

Violations of any of these rules will be prosecuted and reported to the student's home college.

All aspects of the course are covered by these rules, including:

• one-minute papers
• discussions
• homework
• exams
• documentation submitted for petition for an excused absence