Undergraduate Mathematical Physics

Physics (PHZ) 3113, Fall 2010
Florida Atlantic University

Announcements / Assignments / Resources

General Information

• t = 9:30 – 10:50 AM, Tuesdays and Thursdays
  x = Room 103, Marleen & Harold Forkas Alumni Center
• Course Syllabus [PDF]
• Course Outline [PDF]
• Required Text
  • Mary L. Boas. Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences, Third Edition. Wiley, 2006.
    ISBN 0-471-19826-9 [FAU|Barnes & Noble|Amazon]

Announcements

• The take-home mid-term exam will be handed out in class on Thursday, October 7. It will be due at the start of class on Tuesday, October 12.
• Class will not meet on Thursday, November 11 due to the Veteran's Day holiday.
• Class will not meet on Thursday, November 25 due to FAU's Thanksgiving Recess.
• The take-home final exam will be handed out in class on Tuesday, November 30. It will be due on Thursday, December 2 by the end of the final exam period (7:30–10:15 AM).

Assignments

The problem sets listed below we be graded pass/fail. Their purpose is to offer students ample opportunity to learn and practice the mathematical techniques introduced in the lectures. Homework problems , in contrast, will be assigned numerical grades as described in the syllabus. Their purpose is to offer students some detailed feedback on their progress. Roughly speaking, the problem sets test breadth of understanding, while the homework problems test depth.

The following sets of practice problems will be examined for completeness:

1. Review of elementary calculus [PDF], due Tuesday, August 31.

2. Review of linear algebra [PDF], due Tuesday, September 7.

3. Fourier series [PDF], due Thursday, September 16.

4. Fourier transforms [PDF], due Thursday, September 23.

5. Functions of a complex variable [PDF], due Thursday, October 12.

6. Contour integration [PDF], due Thursday, October 26.

7. Evaluation of definite integrals [PDF], due Tuesday, November 16.

Resources

Review Problems

These problem sets are entirely optional. They involve prerequisite material that will not be covered in the lectures. Their purpose is to help students review this material as they prepare for the course. Students should at least examine each problem to ensure that they would feel comfortable solving it, even if they do not write out a full solution.

The instructor will be available during the office hours listed in the syllabus, or by appointment, to discuss these problems during the last two weeks prior to the start of the course.

1. Elementary calculus [PDF]

2. Matrices and determinants [PDF]

3. Vector algebra and geometry [PDF]

4. Vector calculus [PDF]

5. Matrix algebra [PDF]

6. Complex numbers [PDF]

Other Textbooks

Its usually a good idea to have a handbook of formulas and so forth. This one is priced nicely.

• M.R. Spiegel, S. Lipschutz and J. Liu. Mathematical Handbook of Formulas and Tables, Third Edition. Schaum's Outline Series. McGraw-Hill, 2008. ISBN 0-071-54855-6 [Amazon]

Here are several other texts that might be useful. The first is the book we used last year and quite readable. The second is enormous and comprehensive. The third has, in my opinion, a slightly more engineering approach. The last is a classic, but probably more of a graduate-level text. The fifth is an outline with a large number of solved problems.

• T.L. Chow. Mathematical Methods for Physicists: A Concise Introduction. Cambridge, 2000. ISBN 0-521-65544-7 [Amazon]
• K.F. Riley, M.P. Hobson and S.J. Bence. Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering, Third Edition. Cambridge, 2006. ISBN 0-521-67971-0 [Amazon]
• B.R. Kusse and E.K. Westwig. Mathematical Physics: Apprlied Mathematics for Scientists and Engineers, Second Edition. Wiley, 2006. ISBN 3-527-40672-7 [Amazon]
• F.W. Byron, Jr. and R.W. Fuller. Mathematics of Classical and Quantum Physics. Dover, 1992. ISBN 0-486-67164-X [Amazon]
• M. Spiegel. Schaum's Outline of Advanced Mathematics for Engineers and Scientists. McGraw-Hill, 1971. ISBN 0-071-63540-8 [Amazon]

Software

• Most files distributed on this site are in .pdf format. You may need to install Adobe Reader to view and print them.

This site was last updated Sunday, November 7, 2010 6:26 PM EDT.