29:212 SM Syllabus

29::212 Statistical Mechanics Syllabus

Spring Semester 2008

INSTRUCTOR

Professor Yannick Meurice
Office:514 VAN
Phone:335-1991
Email: yannick-meurice@uiowa.edu
Web page:http://www-hep.physics.uiowa.edu/~meurice/ or link from http://www.physics.uiowa.edu/
Lectures: MWF 8:30 AM to 9:20 PM in Lecture Room 618 in Van Allen Building.

OFFICE HOURS

M: 9:30-10:30 AM, Tu 11:00AM-noon, W: 9:30-11:30AM . Feel free to schedule appointments at other times.

TEXTBO0KS

I. Sachs, S. Sen and J. Sexton, Sattistical Mechanics, Cambridge, 2006.
M. Kardar, Statistical Physics of Particles, Cambridge, 2007.

Additional references:

K. Huang, Statistical Mechanics, Second edition, Wiley, 1987.
E. Fermi, Thermodynamics, Dover, 1936.
R. Pathria, Statistical Mechanics, Oxford, 1996.
L. Landau and E. Lifshitz, Statistical Physics, Pergamon, 1980.

There are also many good undergraduate textbooks that you may consult (Mandl, Morse, Reif, Schroeder ...)

COURSE SPECIFIC INFORMATION

The course is an introduction to statistical physics. It has three parts

Thermodynamics and kinetic theory
Statistical mechanics (classical and quantum)
Special topics (numerical simulations, astrophysical applications, non-relativistic field theory, crtical phenomena if time permits )

HOMEWORK AND READINGS
A reading assignment and a problem set will be provided every Wednesday .
There will be a discussion of the problems each Monday.
Unless specified differently, homeworks are due on Wednesday before noon (they can be handed in class, dropped in my mailbox or slid under my door ).
You are encouraged to discuss the problems with other students, but what you write should reflect accurately what you understand. No late work
(the two worse grades will be dropped from the homework average).
S=Sachs et al.; K=Kardar.

WEEK	READINGS	HOMEWORKS
1	S: 1 pp 1-22	S: 1, problems 1 to 4 (due 1/30/08)
2	S: 1 pp 23-34	S:1 prob. 6, 10 and 13 + 2 problems given in class (due 2/6/08)
3	S: 2	Problem set given in class
4		S:2 problems 1-5 . Due 2/22 noon.
5	S: 3	S2.6, S3.3, S3.5 + 2 problems give in class. Due 3/3 noon.
6		Review on 3/3 4:30 room 618; Midterm on 3/5 usual time and rooom.
7	S: 4	S: 4 pr. 1, 2 and 3 due 3/14
8	S: 7 141-156	S: 4 pr. 4, S: 7 pr. 1 and 2 due 3/28
9	S: 7 157 - 171	S: 7 pr. 3, 4 , 5 , 6 and 7 due 4/7
10	S: 8	Problem set given in class (due 4/14)
11		Review; see also notebook on Lane-Emden
12	S:9 + JSnotes	Midterm 4/23; Problem set 10 (given in class)
13	S: 10
14	S:11

ADDITIONAL EXERCISES AND READINGS

WEEK	READINGS	EXERCISES
1	K : 1 pp 1-16.	K: 1 problems 1, 3 and 4. (some solutions are given at the end of the book)
2	K: 1 pp 17-30	K: 1 prob. 4, 5, 6 and 8.
3	K : 2
4	K: 3
5 an 6	K: 4	K: 4 1-4
7 and 8	K : 5
9 and 10	K: 6	solved problems in these chapters
11 and 12	K:7

EXAMINATIONS AND FINAL GRADE

There will be two in-class exams during the semester and one final exam during the exam week (to held on
12:00 P.M,.Thursday, May 15 2008 see http://www.registrar.uiowa.edu/exams/single.aspx ).
The first midterm will be on March 5..
All the exams are closed notes and closed books. The final exam is comprehensive.
The final grade will be calculated in the following way: 30 points for the homeworks, 40 points for the in-class exams and 30 points for the final exam.

CLASS ATTENDANCE

Attendance at lectures is highly recommended but not required. You are strongly encouraged to ask questions during the lectures. There are no ``stupid questions''.

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY MAIN OFFICE

203 Van Allen Hall
319-335-1686
Chair– Professor Thomas F. Boggess at Thomas-boggess@uiowa.edu

PROCEDURES FOR STUDENT COMPLAINTS

A student who has a complaint related to a Physics or Astronomy course should follow the procedures summarized below. The full policy on student complaints is on-line in the College's Student Academic Handbook http://www.clas.uiowa.edu/faculty/handbook/5/f.shtml
• Ordinarily, the student should attempt to resolve the matter with the instructor first. If the complaint is not resolved to the student's satisfaction, the student should go to the course supervisor (if the instructor is a teaching assistant) or to Chair– Professor Thomas F. Boggess (see above).

If the matter remains unresolved, the student may submit a written complaint to the Associate Dean for Academic Programs, 120 Schaeffer Hall (335-2633). The associate dean will attempt to resolve the complaint and, if necessary, may convene a special committee to recommend appropriate action. In any event, the associate dean will respond to the student in writing regarding the disposition of the complaint. For any complaint that cannot be resolved through the mechanisms described above, please refer to the College’s Student Academic Handbook for further information.

PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING

A student suspected of plagiarism or cheating must inform the student in writing as soon as possible after the incident has been observed or discovered. Instructors who detect cheating or plagiarism may decide, in consultation with the departmental executive officer, to reduce the student's grade on the assignment or the course, even to assign an F. The instructor writes an account of the chronology of the plagiarism or cheating incident for the DEO (Associate Chair), who sends an endorsement of the written report of the case to the Associate Dean for Academic Programs, CLAS. A copy of the report will be sent to the student.

A detailed policy is printed in the Schedule of Courses and the College's Student Academic Handbook.

AMOUNT OF WORK EXPECTED

The College guideline is that one semester hour of credit is the equivalent of approximately three hours of work (class time + out-of-class preparation) each week over the course of a whole semester. In a typical lecture/discussion course, each hour of class normally entails at least two hours of outside preparation for the average student (e.g., in a three-credit-hour lecture course, standard out-of-class preparation is six hours per week). This standard is the basis on which the Registrar's Office assigns hours of University credit for courses.

STUDENT RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The College's Educational Policy Committee suggests that syllabi include a section on student rights and responsibilities. They suggest the following:

"All students in the College have specific rights and responsibilities. You have the right to adjudication of any complaints you have about classroom activities or instructor actions. Information on these procedures is available in the Schedule of Courses and on-line in the College's Student Academic Handbook (http://www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/academic_handbook/). You also have the right to expect a classroom environment that enables you to learn, including modifications if you have a disability."

"Your responsibilities to this class-and to your education as a whole-include attendance and participation. (Here an instructor could put specific information on his/her or the department's attendance policy.) You are also expected to be honest and honorable in your fulfillment of assignments and in test-taking situations (the College's policy on plagiarism and cheating is on-line in the College's Student Academic Handbook http://www.clas.uiowa.edu/students/academic_handbook/). You have a responsibility to the rest of the class-and to the instructor-to help create a classroom environment where all may learn. At the most basic level, this means that you will respect the other members of the class and the instructor, and treat them with the courtesy you hope to receive in turn."
This course is given by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This means that class policies on matters such as requirements, grading, and sanctions for academic dishonesty are governed by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Students wishing to add or drop this course after the official deadline must receive the approval of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences . Details of the University policy of cross enrollments may be found at: http://www.uiowa.edu/~provost/deos/crossenroll.doc