FIU
PHY 4134

Widely Applied Physics I
Monday & Wednesday & Friday, 1:00-1:50 pm, Fall 2016
Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 1:30-3:00 p.m. for Fall 2016

 John Lilley, Nuclear
  Physics: Principles and Applications

Instructor Prerequisites Text Objectives Grading Schedule Quizzes

 


Instructor:
Name: Dr. Pete Markowitz
Office: CP209
Phone: 305-348-1710
Email: markowit@fiu.edu


Department Home Page: http://www.fiu.edu/physics
Home Page: http://www.fiu.edu/~markowit

 

Prerequisites:
The course is not terribly mathematically intensive, but does require using exponentials and doing simple integrals. Although in the past we have asked that you have already taken Modern Physics, this year we are asking only that you have taken Physics II. Ideally you would also have Modern Physics as either a co- or pre-requisite.


That implies obviously that you also have passed Calculus II (MAC 2312).   The course will also use Mathematica.   Experience with Mathematica is NOT assumed. The beginning Wolfram tutorial online may be useful as an introduction as well as some examples from other classes. We will be using Blackboard for course management (grades and homework solutions). You will need to use your FIU email account for all class emails. If you do not regularly log into your FIU account, you will need to set the forwarding (or start checking it regularly).

Textbook: Nuclear Physics: Principles and Applications, John S. Lilley, published by Wiley (2001), ISBN 0471979368.

The course will use Nuclear Physics: Principles and Applications from J.S. Lilley, published by Wiley (available as paperback for roughly $50 from the publisher or online vendors).
The Lilley text will be our main source of information, and the classroom activities will primarily based upon the the book. However we will be using several other sources for supplemental material and for homework problems. These materials will ordinarily be posted in Blackboard.

Course Objectives:

The objective of the course is to introduce students to the basics of nuclear physics and some of the applications derived from it.

The course will first review the experimental and theoretical foundation that has been obtained over the last 100 years. Then it will provide the physics principles behind the interactions of radiation with matter. This will allow the subsequent discussion of selected topics in medical physics and industrial applications. The course will conclude with a discussion of reactor technology and, time permitting an outlook on fusion energy.

The course is NOT a laboratory course and you should not expect to do laboratory write-ups. On the other hand, the course will find ways to demonstrate the detection of radiation and the use of various techniques. There will be a "hands-on" component to the course.

Course Format:
This course is primarily classroom based, however the there are a variety of interactive, hardware aspects of the course. Additionally, the grading is internet-based (i.e., Blackboard ).   Solutions to homeworks will also be available within Blackboard .  We will also introduce using Mathematica for a fraction of the course homework.


A rough schedule and topic list is given in the below. Some sections or chapters will be covered in greater depth than others.

It is important to read the sections prior to each class as they will complement the class exercises, discussions and activities. You should also read those sections that will not be covered in class. As you read, you should take notes (or create a "reverse outline" of the text), and bring those pre-class notes to class. They will be used as part of your grade.

Some lectures will be given in the class however we have better uses for classroom time than repeating material which you will have read the previous night in preparation. You will also be asked to give an individual presentation at the end of the term.

Blackboard and e-mail will be used throughout the course to facilitate communications between the instructor and students. For that purpose, you will need to use your official FIU email. If you were registered before the start of classes, you should already have received a welcome email from me.

Grading:
We will have two in-class mid-terms plus a cumulative final for the course.  Additionally, all students will take turns demonstrating lecture demonstrations.   Grades are based on unannounced, conceptual quizzes (weekly), homework, mid-term examinations, and the (cumulative) final exam:

Conceptual Quizzes
15%
Student Demos
10%
Worksheet
10%
Homework
20%
Mid-term exam I
15%
Mid-term exam II
15%
Final Exam
15%


Letter grades are approximately based upon the following scale:

A
>93%
A-
90-92%
B+
88-89%
B
83-87%
B-
80-82%
C+
78-79%
C
73-77%

Course Schedule:
A draft calendar for the course is given here, but will be updated throughout the course. New reading and homework assignments will be given each lecture.  Note that they may cover more or less than one chapter.  Students are encouraged to work with others on the homeworks, however all the work turned in must be the student's own. *Indicates a Mathematica assignment.* To get started on the Mathematica assignments, a page showing how to make a plot ( (pdf file is here), (Mathematica notebook is here)). An older example page written for E&M is available here.


Due Date
Topic
Due for class
22 August 2016
Introduction and Syllabus
Section 1.1-1.2
24 August 2016
The Basics of Nuclear Physics
Sections 1.3-1.4
26 August 2016
Nuclear Potential
Sections 1.5-1.6 HW 1
29 August 2016
Nuclear Structure
Sections 2.1-2.2
31 September 2016
Nuclear Structure
Section 2.3
2 September 2016
Radiation detectors
meet in Sr. Lab
5 September 2016
No Class
Labor Day
7 September 2016
Nuclear Structure
Sections 2.4-2.5 HW 2
9 September 2016
Nuclear Structure
Section 3.1
12 September 2016
Nuclear Instability
Section 3.2
14 September 2016
Nuclear Instability
Sections 3.3-3.4 HW 3
16 September 2016
Nuclear Reactions
Sections 4.1-4.2
19 September 2016
Nuclear Reactions
Sections 4.3-4.6
21 September 2016
Interactions of Radiation with Matter
Sections 5.1-5.2
23 September 2016
Interactions of Radiation with Matter
Sections 5.3-5.4 HW 4
26 September 2016
Section 5.5

28 September 2016
Detectors & Instrumentation
Sect. 6.1-6.3
HW 5
30 September 2016
Detectors & Instrumentation
Sect. 6.4-6.5
3 October 2016
Detectors & Instrumentation
Sections 6.6-6.8
5 October 2016
Detectors & Instrumentation
Blackboard reading
7 October 2016


10 October 2016
Biological Effects of Radiation
Section 7.3-7.4 HW 6
12 October 2016
Biological Effects of Radiation
Section 7.5
14 October 2016

Exam I
17 October 2016
Nuclear Medicine
Section 9.2 HW 7
19 October 2016
Nuclear Medicine
Section 9.3
21 October 2016
Nuclear Medicine
Section 9.4
24 October 2016
Nuclear Medicine
Section 9.5 HW 8
26 October 2016
Nuclear Medicine
Guest Lecture: Dr. R. Laird
28 October 2015
Nuclear Medicine
In class worksheet
31 October 2015
Fusion
Section 11.1-11.3
2 November 2015
Fusion
Section 11.4-11.5
4 November 2015

Exam II
7 November 2015
Fusion
Chpt 11 HW 9

9 November 2015
Fusion
Guest lecture, Dr. Werner Boeglin
11 November 2015
No Class
Veteran's Day
14 November 2015
Fusion
Chpt 11
16 November 2015
Fission
Chpt 10 HW 10

18 November 2015
Fission
Chpt 10
21 November 2015
Fission
Chpt 10 HW 11

23 November 2015
Fission
Chpt 10
25 November 2015
No Class

28 November 2015
Fission
Chpt 10
30 November 2015
Fission
Chpt 10
2 December 2015
Fision
Chpt 10
5 December 2015
Final Exam
12:00 pm

Quizzes:
Quizzes will be based on previous days' material, the readings due that day for class, and examples from homeworks previously due. They will be entirely conceptual.

Homework:

Homework problems must be neatly done, with each problem begun on a fresh page. Multiple problems on the same sheet or sheets with multiple solutions to the same problem will not be accepted. No pages with scratched-out work will be accepted -- if you spoil the page, begin with a clean sheet. Problems will not be accepted if the solutions are scribbled sideways, upside down, or at the edge of another problem. There should not be multiple columns on a single page. Paper does not need to be ruled, but cannot be torn out of a notebook.

Homework assignments normally are due at the beginning of class on the due date (e.g., 4:00 pm).  As of 4:01 pm, homework not turned in is late. Late homework will continue to be accepted for one week (7 days) for 50% credit. Homework assignments will not be graded or accepted if they are past due by more than 7 days. No credit or grading of homework turned in later than 7 days will be provided. Solutions will be linked from the moodle course page at that time. No make-up for missing homework is possible.
   
 
 


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