Syllabus P571
Mathematical Methods in Physics
Fall 2013

Text: ``Mathematical Methods for Physicists'', G.B. Arfken, H.J. Weber, and F.E. Harris, Elsevier, 7th edition.

The textbook is a reference tool, but the class does not follow the book in a linear way and additional material is included. The lectures are posted in the class website.

Other useful items: You will need a table of functions. For example, ``Handbook of Mathematical Functions'', M. Ambramovitz and I.A. Stegun, Dover.

Lectures: Tuesday and Thursday 2:10 PM to 3:25 PM.

Room: 306 Nielsen Building.

Instructor: Prof. Adriana Moreo - Rm 303 South College Building.

Office Hours: Monday 2:15PM to 3:15PM. I also will be available by request.

Phone: 974-2084 (UTK) or 241-1698 (ORNL). E-mail: amoreo@utk.edu

Web Page: http://sces.phys.utk.edu/~moreo/mm13/index.html

HOMEWORK: Due on Tuesday at the beginning of the class following assignment on preceeding Tuesday. Late homework will not be accepted. The assignments will be listed in the webpage. The homework will be graded and returned to you. Each problem will be graded on a scale from 0 to 10. The homework grade will be normalized at the end of the semester to 30 points and results from the average of all homework sets excluding the one with the lowest grade. Solutions to all homework problems will be available on the webpage.

MIDTERM EXAMS There will be two midterm exams administered during class and with a take home part.  Class notes can be used in the exams.


GRADING:


WEEK

#per

Subjects (Tentative)

Chapter

1st

1

Vectors.

1.7, 3.1

2nd

2

Transformations: Contravariance and Covariance.

3.2,3.3, 4.1, 4.2

3rd

2

Tensors, cotensors, dual spaces.

4.3

4th

2

Delta functions.

1.11

5th

2

Direct products and tensor contractions.

4.1

6th

2

Metric tensor and pseudotensors.

3.9,3.10,4.2

7th

1

First Midterm Exam - Thursday, October 3


8th

2

Lorentz transformations, field strength tensor.

17.8,17.9

9th

1

Differential equations – Separation of Variables.

7, 9

10th

2

Separation of variables: Cartesian coordinates.

9.4

11th

2

SV: cylindrical – Frobenius method.

7.5, 9.4

12th

2

SV: spherical – Legendre polynomials

9,15.1-4

13th

1

Spherical Harmonics - Second Midterm Exam - Thursday, November 14

15.5

14th

2

Green Functions.

10

15th

1

Integral Transforms: Fourier and Laplace.

20

16th

1

Review




Final Exam: Thursday December 5 from 2:45 PM to 4:45 PM.

Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of
a disability should contact me privately to discuss your specific needs.
Please contact the Office of Disability Services at 865-974-6087 in Hoskins
Library to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented
disabilities.