Syllabus: Atomic and Electronic Structure of Matter, PHY971, Spring 2010

 

Credits: Total Credits: 3 Description: Atomic structure, bravais lattices, x-ray scattering. Vibrations, phonons, neutron scattering. Electron in solids, electron gas. Bloch's theorem. Metals, semiconductors and insulators. Introduction to cooperative phenomena.

INSTRUCTOR: Carlo Piermarocchi, Room 4263 Biomedical & Physical Sciences, Telephone: 4-5631 Email: carlo at pa.msu.edu. Office hours: Friday 10:00am-11:30am. Call or email to schedule an appointment at other times.

Text: Ashcroft and Mermin, Solid State Physics.

Also recommended: László Mihály and Michael C. Martin, Solid State Physics: Problems and Solutions

Meetings: Monday and Wednesday from 11:30 pm to 12:20 pm, and Friday from 12:40 pm to 1:30 pm in room 1308 BPS. The schedule of the lectures is here.

Homepage: http://www.pa.msu.edu/courses/current/PHY971/

Grading:

Group assignments:  The course is organized in the Problem Based Learning format. Students are required to be engaged in group activities and take control of their learning process during the class and in meetings outside the class. Assignments will be given as part of the group activity and will count towards your final grade (group grade). 

Midterm Exams: There will be two midterm exams on Wed march 3th and on Wed April 14th. If you miss one midterm and provide a valid excuse (a written note from a doctor, dean etc.) your midterm grade will be the same of the other midterm.

Individual Project: You will be given an individual project on a subject assigned by the instructor or proposed by you. You will have to give a presentation in class of about 20 minutes and produce a written report at the end of the semester.

 
Final Grades: Grades are based on the following formula:

 

%

First Midterm

20

Second Midterm

20

Group Work

5

Individual Project Presentation

30

Individual Project Report

25

TOTAL

100

The guaranteed scale may be lowered in your favor but not raised is:

Total point percentage

Final grade 

>93%

4.0

88%-93%

3.5

83%-88%

3.0

78%-83%

2.5

73%-78%

2.0

68%-73%

1.5

60%-68%

1.0

<50%

0.0