Schedule -- Dreyfus

You can find an overview of the text readings for this class (plus readings I am not assigning) at: Working Content II

Notes:

  • This schedule is tentative and subject to change. Reading Assignments are online; commentary in WebAssign is due 9 PM the evening before the lecture.
  • Attend recitation during the first week of class to take surveys and meet your TA.
  • Recitations and labs begin on February 1.
Date Class Reading   Content Quiz/HW

Week 1

 Recitation: Surveys  
1/26 1

 

 Introduction to the class
and review of 131

SNOW DAY		  
1/28 2

6.4.2.1 Interatomic forces
6.4.2.2. Chemical bonding


7.2.1 Organizing the idea of energy
7.2.2 Enthalpy

 Introduction to the class and review of 131

Energy, chemical bonds, and enthalpy

Week 2

 Recitation:
How a kinesin walks
 Lab 6:
Modeling fluid flow I
2/2 3

7.3.1 The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics: A Probabilistic Law
7.3.2 Implications of the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Entropy
7.3.2.1 Why entropy is logarithmic

 Entropy and the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics Quiz 1
2/4 4

7.3.2.3 A way to think about entropy -- sharing
7.3.2.4 Entropy and heat flow

 Entropy and the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics HW 1

Week 3

 Recitation:
Entropy and diffusion
 Lab 6:
Modeling fluid flow II
2/9 5

7.3.2.2 Consequences of the Second Law of Thermodynamics
7.3.3 Motivating free energy
7.3.3.1 Gibbs free energy
7.3.3.1.1 Example: Free energy of an expanding gas

Free energy Quiz 2
2/11 6 7.3.4 How energy is distributed: Fluctuations

7.3.4.1 Boltzmann distribution
7.3.4.2 Boltzmann distribution and Gibbs free energy

 Fluctuations and the Boltzmann distribution HW 2

Week 4

 Recitation: Insane in the membrane, 1: Oil & water
 Lab 7:
Electric forces in a fluid I
2/16 7

4.2.4.1 Charge and the structure of matter
4.2.4.3 Coulomb's law
6.2.3 Electric potential energy

 Recap: Electric charge, force, and energy Quiz 3
2/18 8 8.1 The Electric field
8.1.2 Making sense of the idea of field

8.2 The electric potential

 Electric field and potential HW 3

Week 5

 Recitation: Insane in the membrane, 1: Oil & water (continued)
 Lab 7:
Electric forces in a fluid I (continued)
2/23 9 8.2.1 Motivating simple electric models
8.2.1.1 A simple electric model: a line charge
8.2.1.2 A simple electric model: a sheet of charge
Quiz 4
2/25 10 8.4.1 Two parallel plates
8.4.2 The capacitor 		  Capacitance HW 4

Week 6

 Recitation: Insane in the membrane, 2: Lipid bilayers
 Lab 7:
Electric forces in a fluid II
3/1 11

8.3.3 Dielectric constant

 Dielectrics / Review for the midterm Quiz 5
3/3 12

 

MIDTERM 1

Week 6

 Recitation:
Introduction to circuits
 Lab 8: Modeling signal transmission along nerve axons I
3/8 13

8.3.1 Screening of electrical interactions in salt solution 8.3.1.1 Debye length
8.3.2 Nernst potential

Go over midterm / Electrostatics in a fluid  
3/10 14

8.5.1 Quantifying electric current
8.5.2 Resistive electric flow: Ohm's law

 Electric current HW 5

Week 8

 Recitation:
What's "free" about free energy?
 Lab 8: Modeling signal transmission along nerve axons II
3/22 15 8.5.3 Ways to think about current: A toolbox of models 8.5.4 Kirchhoff's principles
8.5.5 Electric energy and power		 Electric circuits Quiz 6
3/24 16

9. Oscillations and waves
9.1 Harmonic oscillation
9.1.1 Mass on a spring

9.1.1.1 Hanging mass on a spring

 Harmonic oscillation HW 6

Week 9

 Recitation:
Introduction to light
 Lab 9:
Geometric optics I
3/29 17

9.1.1.2 The pendulum
9.1.2 Damped oscillators
9.1.3 Driven oscillators: resonance

9.1.5 Quantum oscillators -- discrete states

 Harmonic oscillation Quiz 7
3/31 18 9.2 Waves in 1D
9.2.1 Waves on an elastic string
9.2.2 Wave pulses
 Waves in 1D HW 7

Week 10

 Recitation:
Salting out and denaturing DNA
 Lab 9:
Geometric optics II
4/5 19 9.2.2.1 Propagating a wave pulse - the math
9.2.3 Wave speed		 Wave speed Quiz 8
4/7 20

9.2.4 Superposition of waves in 1D

9.2.5 Sinusoidal waves
9.2.6 Summing different wavelengths -- spectral analysis
   Superposition of waves HW 8

Week 11

 Recitation: Spectroscopy - How does light interact with matter?
 Lab 10: Analyzing light spectra -
Implications for living systems II
4/12 21 9.2.4.1 Beats
9.2.4.2 Standing waves		 Standing waves Quiz 9
4/14 22

 

MIDTERM 2

Week 12

 Recitation: Spectroscopy - How does light interact with matter?
 Lab 10: Analyzing light spectra -
Implications for living systems II
4/19 23

10 Three models of light
10.3 The photon model of light
10.3.1 Basic principles of the photon model

 The photon model of light  
4/21 24

10.1.1 Basic principles of the ray model
10.1.2 Flat mirrors

 The ray model of light HW 9

Week 13

 Recitation:
Seeing inside the body
 Lab 11: Exploring complex absorption and emission in molecules
4/26 25 10.1.3 Curved mirrors
10.1.3.1 Curved mirror equations
10.1.4 Lenses
10.1.4.1 Lens equations
   Mirrors and lenses Quiz 10
4/28 26

10.2.1 Electromagnetic radiation and Maxwell's rainbow
10.2.2 Huygens' principle and the wave model

   The wave model of light HW 10

Week 14

Recitation:
Photosynthesis

 Makeup labs and surveys
5/3 27

10.2.2.1 The math of Huygens' principle
10.2.3 Two-slit interference

 Interference Quiz 11
5/5 28 10.2.4 Diffraction
10.2.4.1 Interference from two wide slits
10.2.4.2 The Diffraction grating
10.2.4.3. What you can learn from spectra

 Diffraction

HW 11

Week 15
 
5/10 29 10.3.1.1 Reconciling the wave and photon model - sort of
 Conclusion and review  
5/17 Time: 6:30-8:30 pm FINAL EXAM Location: Physics 1410/1412
University of Maryland