PHYS 201: Fundamentals of Physics, II

Syllabus

Professor:

Ramamurti Shankar, John Randolph Huffman Professor of Physics, Yale University

Description:

This is a continuation of Fundamentals of Physics, I (PHYS 200), the introductory course on the principles and methods of physics for students who have good preparation in physics and mathematics. This course covers electricity, magnetism, optics and quantum mechanics.

Recommended Texts:

Fishbane, Paul M., Stephen Gasiorowicz, and Stephen T. Thornton. 2005. Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics, 3rd Edition. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.

Serway, Raymond A., and John W. Jewett, Jr. 2008. Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 7th Edition, Part II. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.

Wolfson, Richard and Jay Pasachoff. 1998. Physics with Modern Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 3d ed. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley Publishing Company.

Recommended math supplement: Shankar, Ramamurti. 2003. Basic Training in Mathematics: A Fitness Program for Science Students. New York: Springer Publishing Company.

Requirements:

Single variable calculus, elementary vectors and complex numbers.

Homework is given every Wednesday and is due the following Wednesday before class. Solutions are posted on Wednesdays, so problem sets must be turned in on time. There is one in-class midterm halfway through the semester.

Grading:

Homework 20%, Midterm 30%, Finals 50% (Standard Plan)
100% based on Finals alone (Amnesty Plan)
Letter grade will be based on the better of the two above.