Homework Assignment #10 (to be completed before 11:00PM on Friday 7/22)
Part One: Solve a problem set covering material from Chapter 40. The homework is posted at Mastering Physics. Solutions in pdf are available here.

Homework Assignment #9 (to be completed before 11:00PM on Friday 7/15)
Part One: Solve a problem set covering material from Chapters 22, 38, 39 and 40. The homework is posted at Mastering Physics. Solutions in pdf are available here.
Part Two: Derive expression for the energy levels of a hydrogen-like ion using Bohr's semiclassical theory. Do not make an assumption that the nucleus remains at rest while the electron orbits it, and carry out your calculations in the center of mass frame of reference. Present detailed calculations, and give comments and explanations along the way. Discuss your results. This part must be typed. Hand in your solutions before the class on Friday, or drop them off at my office (W509) later in the afternoon. Sun Hsieh wrote a very nice paper, which can be viewed here.

Homework Assignment #8 (to be completed before 11:00PM on Friday 7/08)
Solve a problem set covering material from Chapters 38 and 39. The homework is posted at Mastering Physics. Solutions in pdf are available here.

Homework Assignment #7 (to be handed in by 5:00PM on Friday 7/1.)

1. Inertial frame of reference is defined as a frame in which space is homogenous and isotropic and time is homogenous. Show that a free motion takes place at constant velocity in an inertial frame.
2. Show that Lorentz transformations can be understood as rotations in time-space plane of Minkowsky 4-dimensional space.
3. Using the previous result derive Lorentz transformations for energy and momentum.

Following literature may be useful: The classical theory of fields by L.D. Landau and E.M. Lifshitz, Chapters 1 and 2; Six not so easy pieces by Richard Feynman; Mechanics by L.D. Landau and E.M. Lifshitz, Chapter 1. Navraj Singh wrote a very nice paper, which can be viewed here.

Homework Assignment #6 (to be completed before 11:00PM on Friday 6/24)
Part one: Solve a problem set covering material from Chapters 24, 36, and 38. The homework is posted at Mastering Physics. Solutions in pdf are available here.
Part two: Study material from Chapter 37. We are not going to cover this chapter in the lectures, but knowing material from it may help you with your homeworks and the Quiz #2.

Homework Assignment #5 (to be completed before 11:00PM on Friday 6/17)
Solve a problem set covering material from Chapter 36. The homework is posted at Mastering Physics. Solutions in pdf are available here.

Homework Assignment #4 (to be handed in before class on Friday 6/10)
Write an essay on Michelson-Morley experiment. In your essay you should

• Give a historical background. Explain what was the motivation for the experiment, and what were experimental goals.
• Discuss Ether Hypothesis. Answer what is ether? What physical phenomena Ether Hypothesis was supposed to explain? What were known contradictions in Ether Hypothesis before the first Michelson-Morley experiment was carried out?
• Provide a detailed description of the experiment. Draw a sketch of the apparatus. Outline experimental results.
• Explain what did experiment show? What were implications of the results to the understanding of physical phenomena at that time? What conclusions were drawn from the experiment?
• Discuss the significance of the Michelson-Morley experiment for the Special Theory of Relativity. Be as specific as possible.
• Provide bibliography. List all references (books, scientific articles, etc.) that you consulted in order to write this essay.

This homework requires you to do a little bit of research on your own. You really need to consult literature other than your textbook if you want to write a good essay. The essay must be typed, hand written homeworks will not be accepted. Note that this is an open end assignment.

Homework Assignment #3 (to be completed before 11:00PM on Monday 6/06)
Solve a problem set covering material from Chapters 21 and 22. The homework is posted at Mastering Physics. Solutions in pdf are available here.

Homework Assignment #2 (to be completed before 11:00PM on Friday 5/27)
Solve a problem set covering material from Chapters 20 and 21. The homework is posted at Mastering Physics. Solutions in pdf are available here.

Homework Assignment #1 (to be handed in before class on Monday 5/23)
Write an essay in which you will cover following:

• Discuss your prior background in Physics and related sciences. Be as specific as possible.
• Explain in your own words what does term "Modern Physics" refer to.
• Discuss what are your expectations from this course, what would you like to get out of this course, and what is your reason for taking it.
• Discuss how is this course helpful for your education and why do you think it will be useful for your future career. Provide examples.
• Outline three topics you would like to have covered in this course. For each topic write a paragraph discussing why are you interested in it.

The essay must be typed, hand written homeworks will not be accepted. Note that this is an open end assignment and there are no right or wrong answers you can give. However, you cannot expect to get full credit for statements like "I took this course because it was my degree requirement."

Homework Assignment #0 (to be completed before 11:00PM on Friday 5/20)
Familiarize yourself with the Mastering Physics online system. Log on and work through "Introduction to MasteringPhysics" problem set. No credit will be given for this homework.

Last update: May 14, 2005.