Physics 115B - Spring 2022

Lectures: TR 8:00-9:15 Phelps 2524
Discussions: F 8:00-8:50 GIRV 2112 (Wang)

F 9:00-9:50 GIRV 2112 (Wang)

http://hep.ucsb.edu/people/claudio/ph115b-s22

Announcements:


Instructor: Claudio Campagnari
Email: claudio@physics.ucsb.edu
Office: Broida 3001.  Phone 805-893-3742.
My office is in the Department Admin Suite, which is currently locked to students without appointments.
Use the backdoor to my office which is opposite the ladies' room on the 3rd floor of Broida.
Just knock....

Office hours: Wednesday 2:30-3:30, or by appointment, or whenever you can find me.
In person or zoom.  In person preferred.
I will keep a zoom room open during those times.
https://ucsb.zoom.ua/j/85450692272?pwd=bUlmdWRqaUxDMnltUi9menlSd3oxdz09




Administrative Assistant: Debbie Ceder
Email: dla@physics.ucsb.edu
Office: Broida 5014. Phone 805-893-2058.



Teaching Assistant Diandian Wang
Email: diandian@ucsb.edu
Office hours: F 10-11:30



Learning Assistant
Mindy Harkness

Email:
harkness@ucsb.edu


W 10-11 and 12-1




Learning Assistant
Natalie LeBaron

Email:
Nlebaron@ucsb.edu


T 11:30-1:30




Grader
Zoe Xing

Email:
wenjie_xing@ucsb.edu



Course Description:

Quantum Mechanics in 3D, hydrogen atom, orbital and spin angular momenta, Clebsch-Gordan coefficients, identical particles,
symmetries, conservation laws.


Textbook:

Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, Griffiths and  Schroeder, 3rd edition.  Same as 115A (amazon link)


Additional Material

Homework:

Homeworks should be turned in with Gradescope (code = V8VERZ).

Note: the number of interesting/good QM problems that one come up with is somewhat limited.
If you search hard enough on the web, you are likely to be able to find solutions to many of the assigned problems (or
to very similar problems).  My recommendation is that you try hard to do the problems yourself, or with your study group.
If you do end up getting help from the internet or other sources, make sure you understand the solution, do not
just copy it down.  Maybe just take a hint to get started and then finish things by yourself.
To be clear: I am not encouraging you to do this, but I recognize reality, and I also think that there is some learning value
in looking things up, but only after you have made a good effort.  Careful: do not overdo it!  Remember that in the end you
will need to solve exam problems all by yourself.
 
In any case: if you get help with your homework from any source (internet, friends, study group...), make a note of
it with your solution.  You will not be penalized in any way, but honesty is always good.


Homework Number Due date Problems Solutions
1 Friday, April 8, 5pm
here
here
2 Friday, April 15, 5pm
Extended to Sunday April 17, 5pm
here
here
3 Friday, April 22, 5 pm
here
here
4 Sunday, May 1, 5 pm
Note the unusual time/day
here
here
5 Friday, May 6, 5pm
here
here
6 Friday, May 13, 5pm
Extended to Tuesday May 17, 5pm
here
here
7 Friday, May 20, 5 pm
here
here
8 Friday May 27, 5 pm
Extended to Sunday May 29, 5pm
here
here
9 Never
here
here



Discussion Session Materials


Date
Questions
Solutions
April 1
here
here
April 8
here
here
April 15
here
here
April 22
here
here
April 29
here
here
May 6
here
here
May 13
here
here
May 20
here
here
May 27
here
here
June 3
here
here



Exams and Grading:

There will be one midterm and one final.  
The midterm will be on Tuesday, April 26 during normal class time.
The final will be Thursday, June 9, 8-11 am.

The final grade for this class will be calculated from a curve based on your scores on the Homework (15%), Midterm (35%), Final (50%).
For an example on how I previously arrived at the letter grades for a class, see this
link.

If you miss the midterm for a good reason (eg: illness), your letter grade will be calculated based on the homework and final only.
If you miss the final you will be given an incomplete.  You will take the Physics 115B final the next time that the class is being offerred.
If, on the other hand, this is your last class that you need to graduate in June 2022, we'll figure something else out.


Midterm

Here is the test, and here are the solutions.  The distribution of scores (maximum 38) is shown below.




Final

Here is the test, and here are the solutions.
The histograms show the distributions of scores for the Midterm, the Homeworks, the Final exam, and the Combined score.  Letter grades are assigned based on the Combined score as shown below> Many students had thei letter grade "bumped up", mostly based on the performance on the final.





Tentative Schedule:

Week of March 28
QM in 3D, Spherically symmetric potential
Week of April 2
Radial QM, Oscillator in 3D, H-atom
Week of April 9
Orbital angular momentum,  Spin
Week of April 11
More spin, Addition of angular momentum
Week of April 18
More angular momentum, review/catch up
Week of April 25
Midterm, EM coupling
Week of May 2
More angular momentum, Identical particles
Week of May 9
Identical particles, Atoms, Solids (sort of)
Week of May 16
Transformations and conservation laws
Week of May 23
Parity, Rotations, Time translations
Week of May 30
Heisenberg picture, catch up