Undergraduate Course: Dynamics and Relativity (PHYS09014)
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 09 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits |
10 |
| Home subject area |
Undergraduate (School of Physics and Astronomy) |
Other subject area |
None |
| Course website |
None |
|
|
| Course description |
This course emphasises frames of reference in discussing the classical mechanics of particles. It starts with a review of Newtonian mechanics, the importance of inertial frames and the classical description of collisions and scattering processes. Non-inertial frames are introduced, leading to a discussion of the centrifugal and Coriolis forces. There follows a substantial section on Special Relativity, which introduces Lorentz transformations, Minkowski spacetime, relativistic kinematics, and the application of four-vector methods to particle collisions and decays. The course concludes with an introduction to General Relativity through a discussion of the equivalence principle, and the idea of curved spacetime. |
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 | 09:00 - 09:50 | | | | | | King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | | 09:00 - 09:50 | | | King's Buildings | Tutorial | | 3-5,7-11 | | | 09:00 - 10:50 | | |
| First Class |
Week 1, Monday, 09:00 - 09:50, Zone: King's Buildings. JCMB |
| Additional information |
Workshop/tutorial sessions, as arranged. |
|
| 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 | 09:00 - 09:50 | | | | | | King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | | 09:00 - 09:50 | | | King's Buildings | Tutorial | | 3-5,7-11 | | | 09:00 - 10:50 | | |
| First Class |
Week 1, Monday, 09:00 - 09:50, Zone: King's Buildings. JCMB |
| Additional information |
Workshop/tutorial sessions, as arranged. |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course it is intended that a student will be able to:
1)state the definition of an 'inertial frame', understand the virtues of using the 'Lab' and 'Centre of Mass' frames and exploit them in problem-solving by means of the Galilean transformation
2)Apply appropriate conservation laws to two particle scattering problems, and hence determine scattering trajectories, differential cross-sections and total cross-sections;
3)Explain the occurrence of 'fictitious forces' in accelerating reference frames;
4)Interpret and apply formulae for the centrifugal and coriolis forces in a rotating frame'
5)State the postulates of Special Relativity and discuss their implications for 'simultaneity';
6)State the Lorentz transformation and demonstrate the utility of Minkowski diagrams;
7)Apply the Lorentz transformation in problem solving and use it to derive time dilation, length contraction and velocity addition formulae;
8)State the definition of 4-vectors, demonstrate the Lorentz invariance of their scalar products and appreciate their significance in the context of causality;
9)Apply the 4-vector formulation of relativistic dynamics to particle decays and relativistic collisions;
10)Discuss 'Equivalence' and space-time curvature, and derive the gravitational Doppler shift formula. |
Assessment Information
Coursework, 10%
Degree Examination, 90%
Visiting Student Variant Assessment
Coursework, 10%
Degree Examination, 90% |
| Please see Visiting Student Prospectus website for Visiting Student Assessment information |
Special Arrangements
| Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser |
Dr Jamie Cole
Tel: (0131 6)50 5999
Email: R.J.Cole@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary |
Mrs Linda Grieve
Tel: (0131 6)50 5254
Email: linda.grieve@ed.ac.uk |
|
copyright 2010 The University of Edinburgh -
1 September 2010 6:34 am
|
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