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PHYSICS 104: Uncertainty and Chance in Physics
Prof. S. Teitel stte@pas.rochester.edu ----- Fall 2000
Course Info
| Time: | Fall 2000, Tues. & Thurs. 2:00 -- 3:15, B&L 405 |
| Instructor: | Prof. S. Teitel |
| Website: | http://www.pas.rochester.edu/~stte/phy104f00/ |
| Prerequisites: | High school algebra; high school chemistry helpful but not essential |
| Restrictions: | Closed to majors in engineering and the physical sciences |
| Text: | Reasoning About Luck, by Vinay Ambegaokar
on reserve in POA library (B&L 3rd floor) |
| Grading: |
| Homework | 40% |
| 1st inclass exam | 15% |
| 2nd inclass exam | 15% |
| final exam | 30% |
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| Homework: | There will be approximately 8 homework assignments handed out during the semester. These count 40% of your course grade. You must hand them in on time to get full credit. You are encouraged to discuss homework problems with your classmates, however each student must hand in his or her own independently written up solution. Copied solutions will be penalized. |
| Exams: | Exams will be closed book, closed notes. Exam dates will be announced later. |
Tentative Syllabus
- Theory of Probability (roughly 1/2 semester)
coin flipping experiments
definition of probability and simple computation rules
permutations and combinations and the binomial theorem
binomial distribution
mean and standard deviation of a probability distribution
behavior at large N -- the Normal distribution
applications: random walks and diffusion, diffusion limited aggregation and fractals
- Elementary Mechanics (roughly 1/4 semester)
vectors - geometrical description
Newton's laws of motion applied to linear and circular motion
conservation of energy
Newton's law of gravitation
equivalence (and importance) of inertial and gravitational mass
- Elementary Kinetic Theory of Gases (roughly 1/4 semester)
ideal gas law
deducing the atomic theory of matter from chemistry experiments
chemical formulae and Avogadro's number
deriving the ideal gas law from probabilitic mechanics
the relation between temperature and energy
other topics as time permits
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