Lecture 1

Syllabus
Professor Wei Cui
Room 313 (PHYS)
Phone: 494-5395
Email: cui@purdue.edu
PHYS 342, Fall 2012
MWF 1:30-2:20 pm
Room 203 (PHYS)
Office Hours: by appointment
Textbook: Modern Physics by Tipler & Llewellyn (6
th
ed)
Course Web Page: Blackboard Vista
Lecture 1
Syllabus - Contd
Exams: Four in-class exams
Homework:
1. One problem set per week, due on Wednesdays
before the lecture
2. Late homework will be penalized at -20% per day.
Quizzes:
Given at random times
Grades:
homework 30%
quizzes 10%
exams 60%
Lecture 1
Classical vs. Modern
Newtonian relativity vs. Einsteins theory of relativity
Absulote time vs. relative time
Separation of space and time vs. unification of space and
time
Galilean transformation vs. Lorentz transformation
Newtonian mechanics vs. Quantum mechanics
Macroscopic vs. microscopic
Deterministic vs. probabilistic
Continuum vs. discrete
Separation of particle and wave properties vs. duality
Intuitive vs. Counter-intuitive
Lecture 1
Inertial Frame of Reference
A frame of reference in which Newtons laws hold
The first and second laws define inertia: a measure of
resistance to acceleration
Strictly speaking, it only exists in an empty space far,
far away from any mass, i.e., only in our minds.
To a very good approximation, distant stars define an
inertial frame of reference
Lecture 1
Blank Sky
Lecture 1
Inertial Frame of Reference-Contd
A frame of reference that moves at a constant
velocity with respect to an inertial frame of
reference
Strictly speaking, no frames of reference attached to the
earth can be viewed as an inertial frame of reference
Reference frames vs coordinate systems
For a chosen reference frame, various coordinate
systems (e.g., Cartesian, spherical, cylindrical, ) can
be adopted for mathematical purposes.
Lecture 1
Inertial Frame vs. Non-inerital Frame
Lecture 1
Galilean Transformation
t t
z z
y y
vt x x
=
!
=
!
=
!
" =
!
z z
y y
x x
u u
u u
v u u
=
!
=
!
" =
!
z z
y y
x x
a a
a a
a a
=
!
=
!
=
!
v
S
y
z
x
O
S
y
z
x
O
vt
Lecture 1
Galilean Invariance
Laws of mechanics are invariant under Galilean
transformation
Newtons laws
Conservation laws: energy, momentum, angular
momentum
Newtonian principle of relativity
Lecture 1
Application to Sound Waves
Doppler Shift: two cases
1. Source at rest, observer moving at a velocity
In the reference frame of the observer, the sound speed
is
v c +
, where c
Is the speed of sound, assuming
the observer moves toward the source.
) 1 (
/ 1
2
2
! ! + ! "
+
=
+
=
#
c
v
c
v
T
c v
T
v c
T
$
Therefore, the period measured by the observer is
Lecture 1
Application to Sound Waves - Contd
2. Observer at rest, source moving at a velocity
v
In the reference frame of the observer, the sound speed
is still c, since air does not move. On the other hand,
the wavelength of the sound is shortened by
) 1 (
c
v
T
c
v
T T
c
vT
T ! = ! =
!
=
"
#
vT
vT
So, the period of the wave measured by the observer is
Lecture 1
Reading Assignments
Newtons Laws
Gravity
Hookes law
Conservation laws: energy, momentum, angular momentum
Waves and propagation of waves
Power and energy in waves
Reflection and refraction
Coherence, interference, and diffraction
Doppler effects
Electricity and magnetism
Lecture 1
Reading Assignments Contd
Electromagnetic waves
Maxwells equations
Speed of light
Properties of waves
Medium
Coherence
Interference conditions
Interference patterns from two reflective surfaces in a
wedge configuration
Chapter 1, section 1-1