Physics 386 GENERAL INFORMATION Spring 1997

  1. Important information and suggestions about studying and exams:
    1. Before each lecture, read over your notes from the previous lecture and the relevant part of the text book, so you will get the maximum benefit from the next lecture.
    2. We will have one midterm examination and a final examination. Before each examination, read over your notes and the sections of the textbook covered in the lecture. Make a brief list of relations that you will find useful to know "by heart." Work practice problems. For the midterm examination, you will be allowed to bring along a sheet of paper (two sheets of paper for the final exam) of ordinary size (8.5 inches by 11 inches), on which you have written any helpful relations you choose. Nevertheless, you will want to know some things "by heart", for the sake of speed and to adopt a routine in solving quantum mechanics problems.

  2. The assigned textbook is Quantum Mechanics, by A. Goswami. It is published by Wm. C. Brown. It costs approximately $65; I regret the high price. We will be adding other material, mainly from the book by Peebles (see below).
  3. The following books are on reserve in the Physics Library for you. For the most part, however, the assigned book will be adequate for your needs. 
    	  Bohm                           Quantum Theory
          Cohen-Tannoudji                Quantum Mechanics, vols. 1,2
          Dirac                          Principles of Quantum Mechanics
          Eisberg                        Fundamentals of Modern Physics
          Eisberg                        Quantum Physics of Atoms, Molecules,
                                             Solids, Nuclei and Particles
          Feynman                        Feynman Lectures on Physics, vol. 3
          Goswami                        Quantum Mechanics
          Griffiths                      Quantum Mechanics

	  Haken                           Physics of Atoms and Quanta
          Melissinos                      Quantum Mechanics;  a Modern
                                               Introduction
          Merzbacher                      Quantum Mechanics
          Park                            Introduction to the Quantum Theory
          Rae                             Quantum Mechanics
          Rae                             Quantum Qhysics:  Illusion or Reality?
          Richtmeyer                      Introduction to Modern Physics
	  Peebles                         Quantum Mechanics
          Schwabl                         Quantum Mechanics
          Steep                           Quantum Mechanics
          Wheeler and Zurek               Quantum Theory and Measurement
  4. Problems will be assigned every week. Each problem is due the following week, at 5:00 PM.

    You will derive maximum benefit from the problem sets if you work them very soon after they are assigned. To encourage you to do that, and to make life tolerable for the grader, the following penalties will be in force for late solutions:

    1. A problem set handed in one lecture late receives 80% of the normal credit.
    2. A problem handed in one week late receives 50% of the normal credit.
    3. A problem handed in later than a week will not be graded or counted.
    4. Documented hardship cases need to be negotiated with the grader; work for other courses does not count.

    Grading: Your final course grade will be based on your homework (50%), the midterm exam (20%) and the final exam (30%) - percentages are approximate.

    Please staple your homework pages together when handing them in, and remember to put your name on it! Turn your homework into the class homework box marked '386'; the homework boxes are located on the second floor, along the north hallway (opposite that of the department offices).

    The homework is the most important part of the course. One can learn Quantum Mechanics only by doing. This is, of course, true for any area of Physics, but particularly so for Quantum Mechanics

  5. Prerequisites for the course:
    1. Advanced Calculus or
    2. Differential Equations and Orthogonal Functions.
    3. A reasonably good knowledge of Classical Mechanics and Electromagnetism.

    If you have had only one of the subjects listed under (a) and (b), you should be taking the other one with this course. A course in linear algebra is also very useful, but is not required.

    gullings@uiuc.edu