Calendar

The calendar below provides information on the course's lecture (L) and exams (E) sessions.

SES # TOPICS                      KEY DATES
L1 Periodic Phenomena (Oscillations, Waves) - SHO - Complex Notation - Differential Equations - Physical Pendulum  
L2 Beats - Damped Free Oscillations (Under- Over- and Critically Damped) - Quality Q  
L3 Forced Oscillations with Damping Problem set 1 due one day after lecture 3
L4 Forced Oscillations - Power at Resonance (Resonance Absorption, Resonance Width, Quality Q) - Transient Phenomena (General Solutions including Initial Conditions)  
L5 Coupled Oscillators Problem set 2 due one day after lecture 5
L6

Driven Coupled Oscillators - Triple Pendulum - Steady State and Transient Solutions - Cramer's Rule

(See the lecture notes: Analysis of Triple Pendulum)

 
L7 Many Coupled Oscillators - Wave Equation - Transverse Traveling Pulses and Waves Problem set 3 due one day after lecture 7
L8 Traveling Waves - Boundary Conditions - Standing Waves - Sound (Longitudinal Waves) - Energy in Waves  
L9 Musical Instruments - Sound Cavities - Normal Modes Problem set 4 due one day after lecture 9
L10 Exam 1 Review  
E1 Exam 1 covering all material through Problem Set 4  
L11 Fourier Analysis - Time Evolution of Pulses on Strings  
L12 Dispersion - Phase Velocity - Group Velocity Problem set 5 due one day after lecture 12
L13 Electromagnetic Waves - Plane Wave Solutions to Maxwell's Equations - Polarization - Malus' Law  
L14 Accelerated Charges - Poynting Vector - Power - Rayleigh Scattering - Polarization Problem set 6 due one day after lecture 14
L15 Doppler Effect - Sound - EM Radiation - Binary Stars - Neutron Stars and Black Holes - Expanding Universe  
L16 Boundary Conditions at Perfect Conductors - Reflection - Standing EM Waves - Transmission Lines - Radiation Pressure Problem set 7 due one day after lecture 16
L17

Wave Guides - Resonance Cavities of EM-radiation and Sound

(See the lecture notes: Resonances in Sound Cavity)

Problem set 8 due three days after lecture 17
L18

Boundary Conditions for Dielectrics - Index of Refraction - Snell's Law - Total Internal Reflection - Fresnel Equations - Brewster Angle

(See the lecture notes: Fresnel Equations)

 
L19 Exam 2 Review Problem set 9 due one day after lecture 19
E2 Exam 2 covering all material Problem Set 5 through 9  
L20 Huygens' Principle - Interference - Thin films - Soap - Oil - Light (double slit interference)  
L21 Diffraction - Gratings - Pin Holes - Angular Resolution Problem set 10 due one day after lecture 21
L22 Rainbows - Haloes - Coronae - Glories

Bring a friend and an umbrella! A rainbow will appear! - The Physics behind the Mystery Picture will be revealed.
 
L23 Farewell Special - Bring a Friend! Problem set #11 (no due date)
E3 Final Exam