PHZ3113: Mathematical Physics - Spring 2009

Mathematics is the language of physics, and in this course we will practice and extend our skills in this language. Starting with a brief review of differentiation and integration and the Taylor expansion in one dimension, we go on to study

• Vector calculus,
• Differential equations
• Curvilinear coordinate systems
• Linear algebra (matrices and determinants)
• Series expansions
• Complex analysis
• specialized techniques of integration, integral transforms, special functions, boundary-value problems, numerical methods.

The emphasis will be on developing intuition by paper-and-pencil analytical work. The homework, which is due weekly, is an integral part of the course and accounts for 25% of the total grade. Working problems is absolutely essential to developing a true understanding of the material.

Syllabus

Credits: 3 undergraduate credit hours. Lectures: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11:15am - 12:05pm, HCB 317. First day of class: Wednesday, January 7, 2009. Office hours: Monday 5:00-6:00pm in KEN707 (help session), Thursday 5:00-6:00 in KEN413 Prerequisite: PHY 2049, PHY-2049C, or PHY 2054C. Corequisite: MAP 2302 or MAP 3305.

Lecturer: Per Arne Rikvold. Office: 413 Keen. Tel.: (850) 644-6814. E-mail: prikvold@fsu.edu

Textbook: H.J. Weber and G.B. Arfken, Essential Mathematical Methods for Physicists (Elsevier Academic Press, Amsterdam, 2004). Homework: Weekly, due every Wednesday. Midterms: One hour during class time, twice. First midterm: Monday, February 2. Second midterm: Monday, March 30. Final exam: Thursday, April 30, 12:30 - 2:30pm. HCB 317. Grading: Scale of 0-100%, based on weighted average of final exam (35%), two midterms (20% each), and homework solutions (25%). Letter-grade cutoffs: A- / B+: 90%, B- / C+: 70%, C- / D: 50%, D / F: 40%