Instructor: David Kaplan
Office: Physics C433 (Note: C wing is in the tower beneath the Physics library)
Office Hours: Monday 2-3:30 PM, and by arrangement at other times.
Email: dbkaplan@phys.washington.edu
Telephone: 685-3546
TA: Zenghui Wang, Physics B229, zenghui@u.washington.edu
TA Office Hours: Tuesday, 2:30-4:30. Room C441, Physics and Astronomy Building.
Lectures: MWF 11:30-12:20, Physics A110
Text:
Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences,
Mary L. Boas, second
edition,
Wiley 1983. There is a companion book with selected solved problems
available
as well.
Lectures will include material not in the text.
Homework: Assigned each Wednesday
and due the following Wednesday. Discussing the
problems in groups is encouraged, but you must write up your own solutions.
Assignments and solutions will be posted on the web.
Midterm exams: There will be two in-class, one-hour, open-book
midterms.
There will be no make-up midterm exams.
Grades:
The two midterm exams and the homework count as three parts of the
grade, and
the final as two parts. The worst part of the five will be dropped.
A missed midterm
will count as the dropped score.
Examples:
If your final is the worst part, it will count as 25% of the grade, as
will each
of the midterms and the homework.
If a midterm is the worst part, its score will be dropped so that the final
will
count as 50% of the grade, while the better midterm and the homework
will each count as 25% of the grade.
You need to take at least one midterm exam plus the final to pass this
course.
Computer:
Basic use of a computer mathematics program such as Mathematica
will be helpful
for some of the assigned problems. For information on how to access and
use
Mathematica, click
here
.