Physics 321 - Quantum Theory I
The objective of this course is to provide you with a solid foundation in the physics of
introductory quantum mechanics, particularly, wave and matrix mechanics.
Quantum mechanics is the study of Nature at the subatomic scale. At this distance regime, a deterministic view of nature (one where observables such as position & momentum can be measured, in principle, with infinite precision) must be abandoned and replaced with that of an indeterministic view dictated by probabilities and uncertainty. This indeterminacy is NOT due to a deficiency of the theory but is rather due to Nature itself.
According to quantum theory, entities such as the position of a particle are not well-defined until the measuring process is performed. Prior to measurement, the particle simply does not have a unique position! The very act of measurement forces the particle to choose a single, unambiguous state. In this sense, the observer creates reality itself.
Think all of this is too weird to possibly be correct? Rest assured that there has been an abundance of experiments performed over the last ninety years testing theoretical predictions made by quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics has never made a false prediction!
Welcome to the bizarre and fascinating world of quantum physics!
| Set | Chapter | Problems | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Mon, Jan. 29 | 2 | 1 | Mon, Feb. 5 | 3 | 2 | Mon, Feb. 12 | 4 | 2 | Fri, Feb. 23 | 5 | 2 | Wed, Feb. 28 | 6 | 2 | Mon, Mar. 4 | 7 | 2 | Mon, Mar. 11 | 8 | App | Wed, Mar. 27 | 9 | 3 | Wed, Apr. 3 | 10 | 3 | Wed, Apr. 10 | 11 | 3 | Fri, Apr. 19 | 12 | 4 | Fri, Apr. 26 | 13 | 4 | Fri, May 10 |