Undergraduate Course: Tensors and Fields (PHYS10016)

Course Outline
School	School of Physics and Astronomy	College	College of Science and Engineering
Course type	Standard	Availability	Available to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate)	Credits	10
Home subject area	Undergraduate (School of Physics and Astronomy)	Other subject area	None
Course website	http://www2.ph.ed.ac.uk/~rhorsley/	Taught in Gaelic?	No
Course description	This course provides an introduction to tensors and their uses in physics. Topics covered include: vectors, bases, determinants and the index notation; the general theory of Cartesian tensors; rotation and reflection tensors; various applications including elasticity theory - stress and strain tensors; orthogonal curvilinear coordinates, grad, div and curl; the divergence and Stokes' theorem, Laplacians; delta functions; applications to electromagnetism: scalar potential theory, e.g. Gauss's Law, dipoles, multipole expansions, solutions of Laplace's & Poisson's equations.

Entry Requirements
Pre-requisites	Students MUST have passed: Foundations of Mathematical Physics (PHYS08024) OR ( MP2A: Vectors, Tensors and Fields (PHYS08032) AND MP2B: Dynamics (PHYS08033))	Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	Students intending on taking Tensors & Fields in Junior Honours must have obtained a minimum grade of 'C' in Foundations of Mathematical Physics or a minimum average grade of 'C' in MP2A: Vectors, Tensors and Fields and MP2B: Dynamics.
Additional Costs	None

Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites	None
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?	Yes

Course Delivery Information

Delivery period: 2010/11 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)						WebCT enabled: No		Quota: None
Location	Activity	Description	Weeks	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
King's Buildings	Lecture		1-11		11:10 - 12:00
King's Buildings	Lecture		1-11					11:10 - 12:00
King's Buildings	Tutorial		2-11					15:00 - 17:00
First Class	Week 1, Tuesday, 11:10 - 12:00, Zone: King's Buildings. JCMB
Additional information	Workshop/tutorial sessions, as arranged.
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name		Hours:Minutes	Stationery Requirements		Comments
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)			2:00	12 sides

Delivery period: 2010/11 Semester 1, Part-year visiting students only (VV1)						WebCT enabled: No		Quota: None
Location	Activity	Description	Weeks	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
King's Buildings	Lecture		1-11		11:10 - 12:00
King's Buildings	Lecture		1-11					11:10 - 12:00
King's Buildings	Tutorial		2-11					15:00 - 17:00
First Class	Week 1, Tuesday, 11:10 - 12:00, Zone: King's Buildings. JCMB
Additional information	Workshop/tutorial sessions, as arranged.
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name		Hours:Minutes	Stationery Requirements		Comments
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)			2:00	12 sides

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course it is intended that a student will be able to: 1)be confident with the index notation and the Einstein summation convention 2)have a good working knowledge of matrices and determinants and be able to derive vector identities 3)understand the meaning and significance of tensors and their application to simple physical situations 4)understand and manipulate various orthogonal curvilinear co-ordinates 5)be familiar with the divergence and Stokes' theorem 6)appreciate the Dirac delta function 7)understand the meaning of a field and potential 8)apply the methods of solution of potential theory to various situations (mainly electrostatic) 9)to be able to apply what has been learnt in the course to solving new problems

Assessment Information
Degree Examination, 100% Visiting Student Variant Assessment Degree Examination, 100%

Special Arrangements
None

Contacts
Course organiser	Dr Roger Horsley Tel: (0131 6)50 6481 Email: rhorsley@ph.ed.ac.uk	Course secretary	Miss Laura Gonzalez-Rienda Tel: (0131 6)51 7067 Email: l.gonzalez@ed.ac.uk