Methods of Mathematical Physics
PHY 616 (Section G), Fall Semester, August 26 - December 4, 1998
Dr. Thomas Curtright
In this class we will study some techniques from pure and applied mathematics which I have found to be useful in theoretical physics.
Lectures:
1:00 - 2:30 pm, Monday and Wednesday, 110 Knight Physics Bldg.
Discussions or Make-ups (as announced in class):
1:00 - 2:30 pm, Friday, 110 Knight Physics Bldg.
Office Hours:
3:00 - 4:00 pm, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 325 Knight Physics Bldg., or by appointment (phone 284 - 2324 ext 4).
Required Textbook:
Mathematical Methods of Physics, J. Mathews and R. Walker, 2nd Edition, Benjamin - Cummings, 1970.
Other Recommended Material:
Handbook of Mathematical Functions, M. Abramowitz and I. Stegun, National Bureau of Standards, AMS 55, 1964.
Advanced Mathematical Methods for Scientists and Engineers, C. Bender and S. Orszag, McGraw - Hill, 1978.
Numerical Recipes in C / Fortran / Pascal. The Art of Scientific Computing, W. Press, S. Teukolsky, W. Vetterling, and B. Flannery, Second Edition, Cambridge University Press, 1992.
Homework:
You are required to read and study chapters 13, 1 - 4, and 7 - 8 in Mathews and Walker. This represents a bare minimum of material you should learn. We will probably not follow the book closely in lecture, and we may treat other topics.
You are encouraged to attempt all of the problems in the above chapters of Mathews and Walker.
You are also encouraged to read any supplementary material (such as may be pointed out in class on various occasions) and to become acquainted with either the Macsyma, Maple, or Mathematica computational systems.
Graded Problems:
These will be due as announced in lecture, about one week in advance
Midterm Exam:
Wednesday, 14 October, 2:00 - 4:00 pm, in the physics library.
Final Exam:
Friday, 11 December, 2:00 - 4:00 pm, in the physics library.
Grading Policy:
Your grade will be based with equal weight on each of