Review

From Warmup I think really just going over all the equations for each section

and the basic theories. An equation sheet would be

AWESOME!

(Hasn’t looked at the course website all semester….)

This is today’s agenda.

Lots of request to cover things from the beginning of the year.

I found it interesting that the semester went by so fast. It feels

like it's only been a month, so I guess I've really just been

travelling at 96% the speed of light. Hey! That means I really

weigh less that I think I do! Good bye Freshman fifteen!

About the Final Problems are similar in difficulty and length to other exams.

Format similar to previous exams, but longer.

Multiple choice problems

Warmup, conceptual questions

Homework-type problems

Cumulative.

Roughly one “homework” problem for each major section of the course.

Since the final is open book, you will be tempted to do the review while you take it. I would not recommend this.

How to prepare…

Preparing for the final Make a list of concepts

Use these slides as a STARTING point

How do concepts relate to one another?

Review the equation sheet from last semester

How do the equations relate to the concepts?

Work through examples in the text

Try it without looking at the answer first

Peek at the answer second

Carefully read the book’s solution third

Review old midterms (especially problems you missed)

Review Homework (particularly the “Extra-Problems”)

Fluids Pascal’s Law (changes in pressure transmitted through fluid)

Archimedes Principle (buoyant force = weight of displaced

fluid)

Continuity equation (conservation of fluid)

Bernoulli’s equation (conservation of energy)

Thermodynamics Calorimetry (conservation of energy)

Heat Capacity/Specific Heat

Latent heat (phase transitions)

Evaporative cooling

Heat flow

Convection

Conduction

Radiation

Thermodynamics First law of thermodynamics

Heat Engines/Refrigerators/P-V Diagrams

Efficiency

Coefficient of performance (COP)

Types of processes

Isothermal

Isobaric

Isovolumetric

Adiabatic

Second law of thermodynamics

Carnot engine/efficiency

Thermodynamics Macroscopic vs. Microscopic descriptions of a system

Kinetic theory (temperature = average kinetic energy)

Entropy

Microstates / Macrostates

Combinatorics (counting microstates)

Temperature = (inverse) rate of change in entropy

Waves Wave equation/Solutions

Properties

Amplitude

Velocity

Frequency

Wavenumber

Angular Frequency

Waves carry energy

Complex Numbers Rectangular vs Polar representations

Operations

Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division

Complex Conjugate

Absolute value

Euler’s Formula

Used:

Adding waves (super-position)

Reflection/Transmission

Optics (multiple slits)

Sound Sound

Pressure wave/Displacement Wave

Intensity, Sound levels, Amplitude

Harmonics, Beats, Standing Waves

Boundary conditions

Doppler Effect

Moving source vs. moving observer

Fourier Transforms

Geometric Optics Huygens Principle

Law of Reflection

Snell’s Law Index of refraction

Lenses, Mirrors Objects vs. Images

Virtual vs. Real

Upright vs. Inverted

Magnification

Aberrations

Magnifier/Telescope Angular magnification

Wave Optics Waves in 3D

Polarization (vector)

Wave-vector (relation to velocity)

Wave phase

Optical path length

Interference

Multiple Slits

Diffraction

Gratings (many slits)

Relativity Time Dilation

Length Contraction

Space-time diagrams

Events

World lines

Lorentz Transformations

Energy and Momentum

Relativistic momentum

Energy/mass

Relativistic mass vs. Rest mass

Topics and Relation to other

courses

Physics 123

(Majors)

121

220 222

230

360

441-442

471

Math 352 Math 334

Fluid

Mechanics

Thermodynamics Wave Mechanics

Optics

Special

Relativity

451-452 318

461

We have covered a lot! You’ve worked very hard.

Thinking like a physicist

You have been exposed to the topics of this course your

entire life (fluids, heat, waves, light, maybe not relativity….)

What could you possibly have left to learn?

Physics is not so much a list of topics as a way of

approaching problems

Physics Education Research (PER)

Most people think of the world in terms of Aristotelian physics

Experience/Experiments -> Principles

Principles allow us to extrapolate knowledge to new

circumstances

Thinking like a physicist

Contrast Physics 121 (Newtonian Physics – algorithmic)

Move beyond algorithmic problem solving into creative problem solving

Ask: How do the principles determine the solution?

Not: What are the mathematical steps to solve the problem? (These

are secondary to our main purpose.)

Analogy: We are building a scaffolding that you will fill in with

Homework/Labs/other physics classes

Solving problems vs. really DOING physics

Think about the ideas and how they apply to real world scenarios.

How do they relate to each other?

What new problems does this principle let me solve?

“I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves”

-Joseph Smith

A problem you haven’t seen

before: Two slits are illuminated by coherent light and make an

interference pattern on a distant screen.

You know how to solve this problem. (Standard 2-slit interference)

What happens if you put a lens between the slits and the screen?

We never discussed this possibility in class or in homework.

If this question on the final, your initial reaction would likely be: OMG, I have no idea how to do this—Curse you, Dr. Transtrum!

BUT, if you think about it for a few minutes, you could probably figure it out.

After all, you know how lenses work, and you know how slits create interference patterns. Those are the ONLY principles involved.

If you can imagine how those two different governing principles can be combined, you are well on your way to thinking like a physicist.

From Warmup Thank you for everything this semester :)

This has been an interesting year. Thanks!

Thanks! I’ve enjoyed having you all in class this semester!

Conclusion

We’ve covered a lot of material

Fluids, Heat, Waves, Optics, Relativity

We’ve learned a lot of new math

Complex Numbers, Fourier Transforms, Waves in 3D

You’ve done a lot of work.

You’ve all come a long way and should feel proud.