Physics 317 - Winter 2008

Email rsaenz.at.calpoly.edu
Phone 756-2447
Office Science D38
Fax 756-2435

Course Information

Relativistic Pictures

Assignments

  1. Reading: Mermin - Chapters 1-6
    Due January 14 Problems 1-3, 5, 7 (be prepared to talk about 5 & 7 in class on Wednesday, January 16)
  2. Reading: Mermin - Chapters 7-10, 13
    Due January 23 Clock Problem, 9 & 11 from More Problems, and Mermin 6 & 7 (note that the answer is given in #6, so you must show how to get it, and in #7, the reference should be to problem 6 (not 7))

  3. Midterm, Friday, February 8

    Reading:

    Mermin - Chapters 11, 13, 16, 17
    Griffiths - Chapter 12, through equation 12.24

    Homework Due February 6

    10 (previous handout), 15-16, Mermin #2, Doppler Twins

    Exercises to do in the privacy of your notebook:

    8, 13 and 14 (from the previous handouts)
    Derive the velocity transformation for the y-component of u (and the y'-component of u') - in both directions
    Show from the LT that the interval is invariant (finish what we started in class).
    Multiply the LT matrix and its inverse, and show that you get the Identity matrix.

  4. Reading: Mermin - Chapters 1-11, 13, 16, 17
    Griffiths - Chapter 12 through p 500, 502-506
    We did problem 12.19 in class - take a look at it     Due February 18 - 17 & 18 (previous handout), Minkowski Twins and #1

  5. Reading: Griffiths - Chapter 12, pages 500-511 Due Wednesday, February 26 Problems 2-8 (here is G 12.6)

  6. Reading:
    Griffiths - pages 511-519, 522-530, 535-538
    Problems - see handout - due March 17 (finals' week)
    We did much of problem 12.38 in class See handout - due March 17 (finals' week)

Homework Solutions

  1. 1&5, 7

  2. M6, M7, clocks, more clocks, 11

  3. Cookie(M2), 10, Notebook Exercises, bullet(15), photon angle(16), Doppler Twins

  4. 17, 18, For Twins-Minkowski, see Mermin p 192-193
    Pion, more, and more, even more

  5. sun, 3, 4&7, 5(G12.6), 6

  6. 2,3,4ab,G12.8&12.31, 4c, G12.42, 7 or see Griffiths

Links

Class Alias