Instructor: Dr. H Tahsiri: Department of Physics &
Astronomy
Office: PH2 210. Office Hours: Tues, Thurs, 12-1 or
by appoitment.
Phone: 562-985-5502
E-mail: htahsiri@csulb.edu - htahsiri@cox.net
Grading:
Homwork =20%,Take home midterm 1=25%, Take home midterm 2 =25%, Take home final exam =15%. Take home final research project =15%
Student Final Exam Projects:
The purpose of the take home final exam research paper project is to create a semi- original problem. Please click the following previous year's sample projects.
The Goal: The goal of this course is for you to become more adept at applying mathematical tools to physics problems and to be better prepared for other upper or graduate division courses and the real world. One of the popular tools , that we will use in this course is Mathematica, a powerful software, that can solve practically any math problem provided you can express it correctly. While Mathematica's power is no substitute for thinking it does spare the user from performing complex, tedious and time consuming mathematical operations and thereby frees up time for creative thinking. The methodology for this course is traditional lectures in Math Physics and the use of Mathematica as a symbollic calculator. No programming skill is needed . We will follow Mathematica commands and use them as it becomes useful for our work.
TextBook 1: Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering,Third Edition, by Riley, Holson and Bence. Publisher, Cambridge University Press. (Required). For further reading any advanced book on Mathematical physics will be adequate. (See references at the bottom of this page).
TextBook 2: Student solution Manual, Third Edition, by Riley and Hobson. Publisher, Cambridge University Press.(Required).
Textbook 3: "Mathematica" by Eugene Don. Publisher, Schum's Outlines.(Required): We will occationally meet in a computer lab. Students will gain hands-on experience where the basic ideas are described in how to do tedious and time consuming assigned problems.
Lectures: You are encouraged to be present in every class to take notes during my lectures. Use your textbook as a reference to the lectures.
Mathematica Computer Lab Sessions Handout: Based on lectures covered in class.
Physics 560A"Mathematica Lab".
Using "Mathematica" in the Lab is for you to become more adept at applying mathematical tools to physics problems and to be better prepared for other upper or graduate division courses and the real world. One of the popular tools , that we will use in this course is "Mathematica", a powerful software, that can solve practically any math problem provided you can express it correctly. While Mathematica's power is no substitute for thinking it does spare the user from performing complex, tedious and time consuming mathematical operations and thereby frees up time for creative thinking. The methoology for this course is traditional lectures in Mathematical Methods of Physics and the use of Mathematica as a symbollic suppercalculator. No programming skill is needed . We will follow Mathematica commands and use them as it becomes useful for our work.
Material Covered:
The exact material covered usually depends upon each class's interest and abilities; however, the basics will include : 1) Functions defined as Integrals--> The Gamma, Beta and Error Function. Elliptic Integral. The Dirac Delta Function. Contour Integrals. 2) Analytical and numerical solution to linear and nonlinear differential equations-->( Green Function Methods), system of differential equations. 3) Orthogonal Polynomials-->Strum-Liouville problems, Eigenfunction expansion and Green's Function, self-adjoin operators, Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization.. 4) Partial Differential Equations--> Spectial Functions, Boundary value problems, separation of variables and "Parabolic","Hyperbolic,"Elliptic"partial differential equation, Schridinger equation. 5) Integral Transform--> Laplace and Fourier Transform as applied to partial differential equations. 6) Numerical Solutions to PDE --> Runge-Kutta Methods and the Finite Difference Formulations.
Your grade will be based on the total number of points obtained from homework, midterm exams, final exam and the take home final exam research project. I'll assist you with the selection of topics for your project. Please check this page periodically for any changes. I reserve the right to make minor adjustments.
Interesting websites
References:
Mathews and Walker "Mathematical Methods of Physics"
Arfken "Mathematical methods for physicists"
Wyld "Mathematical methods for physics"
Volkovyskii , Lunts, and Aramanovich "A collection of problems
on complex analysis"
Courant and Hilbert "Methods of mathematical physics"
Tikhonov and Samarskii "Equations of mathematical physics"
Budak, Samarskii, and Tikhonov "A collection of problems
in mathematical physics"
Vladimirov "Equations of mathematical physics"
Vladimirov "A collection of problems on equations of mathematical
physics"
Bender and Orszag "Advanced mathematical methods for scientists
and engineers"