SYLLABUS

Old Dominion University
College: Sciences
Department: Physics
Course ID and Title: 454/554 Thermal and Statistical Physics
Call Number: 23598 or 23599

Thermal and Statistical Physics 454/554
1 Meet The Professor
1.1 Instructor Contact Information
Title
 Associate Professor
Name
 Moskov Amaryan
Office Location
 OCNPS 213 or NPRF on 47-th street
Office Hours
 Tuesday 10am-1:30pm and Thursday 10am-noon in OCNPS room 213 and from noon to 1pm in Learning Center. Otherwise by appointment.
Email Address(es)
 mamaryan@odu.edu or better amarian@physics.odu.edu
Telephone Number(s)
 757-683-4614
Fax Number
 757-683-3038
Other
 Secretary: 757-683-3468
1.2 Contact Policy

In principle I am available any time during the working day, but it is better to make an appointment via e-mail

1.3 About The Professor
Teaching and Education Background

I have got my master and PhD degrees in Yerevan, Armenia. My more detailed CV can be found in my web page

Research Interests

My research interests are related to the experimental study of the quark-gluon structure of the nucleon and nuclei via high energy electron scattering experiments. These include in particular topics related to spin structure of the nucleon, Deeply Virtual Compton Scattering, and the search for exotic pentaquark baryon states.

Selected Papers and Publications

You can find a list of my publications on my web page

Personal Website

My web site is here: http://argon.physics.odu.edu/~amarian

1.4 Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is based on the assumption that physics students are enthusiastic and motivated to learn more. I also believe that the teaching is a process of cooperation between me and students. Therefore all lectures and the homework assignements are expected to be taken seriousely.

2 Student Help Resources
2.1 Technical Support Center

http://occs.odu.edu/, occshelp@odu.edu, 757-683-3192

2.2 Study Guides Strategies

http://www.studygs.net/

3 Course Readings
3.1 Required Materials
 Textbook: "Thermal Physics" by Daniel Schroeder (Addison Wesley)
3.2 Optional Materials
 "Introduction to Statistical Physics" by Kerson Huang (CRC Press)
4 Course Description
4.1 ODU Catalog Description
Course Number
 23598 or 23599
Pre- or Co-requisites
 PHYS 319 or ME 304, PHYS 323
Lecture Hours
 Tuesday-Thursday 17:45-19:00
Location
 Room OCNPS 0202 in OCEANOGRAPHY BLDG
Credits
 3
Official Description
 A study of the fundamental concepts of thermodynamics, kinetic theory, and statistical mechanics. Topics include the thermodynamics of simple systems, kinetic theory of gases, statistical mechanics of gases and an introduction to quantum statistics.
4.2 Instructor Course Description
Topics to be Covered:
Energy in thermal physics
Second law of thermodynamics
Thermodynamic concepts
Engines and refrigerators
Free energies and chemical thermodynamics
Elementary statistical mechanics
 You can find the detailed course outline here:
  • Course Outline
  • 4.3 Entry Level Requirements
     undergraduate/graduate
    5 Course Objectives and Expectations
    5.1 Course Objectives
     Understand the laws of thermodynamics, temeperature, heat and energy. Study basic concept of entropy and be able to use statistical methods to derive average behavior of thermodynamic systems
    6 Teaching and Learning Methods
    6.1 Delivery Method
  • Lecture Notes (here)
  • 6.2 Instructional Approach
     Homework Assignements
    6.3 Course Interaction
    Faculty-Student Communication System (FSCS)
     Office hours, e-mail
    Mailing List
     I will make the course e-mail list
    Course Final Evaluation
     On-line through ODU web page
    7 Course Schedule
  • Schedule of topics, readings, homeworks and exams
  • 8 Grading Criteria
    8.1 Grading Criteria
     There will be a 6 regular problem sets. The problems will be posted on the cours e website, as will be suggested solutions (after the problems are due). The prob lems will be due on approximately 9 days after they are assigned. They are very much part of the course. There is no formal tutorial but the first part of the l ecture on the lecture before the problems are due will be set aside for discussi on of the problems. The assignment will be marked with a numerical grade to help you recognize your mistakes, but the assignment mark towards your final grade w ill not be based on a simple addition of the individual marks. Instead I will l ook for an honest attempt to solve the problems. Your grade will not penalize you for making a few mistakes on the assignments. You are encouraged to seek help from me, or collaborate with each other, in solving in these problems, although we will not accept assignments that are just copies of each other. There will be 2 midterms and final exam. A review problem set (doesn't need to be handed in) will be posted a week before midterms and final exams.
    MARKING SCHEME:
    Assignements: 20%
    Midterms:10% + 20%
    Final: 50%
    Grading Scale:
    A: 90+
    A-: 85-89
    B+: 80-84
    B+: 75-79
    B-: 70-74
    C : 60-69
    D : 50-59
    F : below 50
    9 Student Responsibilities
    9.1 Time Management
     
    9.2 Understanding the Syllabus Requirements
     
    10 Course Policies
    10.1 Attendance

    As per university policy, students are expected to attend Classes. Students missing more than 15% of class meetings may be failed. Therefore, students who miss more than two class meetings are subject to automatic failure.

    10.2 Course Disclaimer

    Every attempt is made to provide a syllabus that is complete and that provides an accurate overview of the courses. However, circumstances and events may make it necessary for the instructor to modify the syllabus during the semester. This may depend, in part, on the progress, needs, and experiences of the students.

    11 University Policies
    11.1 College Classroom Conduct

    The following standards are intended to define acceptable classroom behavior that preserves academic integrity and ensures that students have optimum environmental conditions for effective learning.
    1. Students must turn off cell phones and pagers during class or have them set to vibrate mode.
    2. Classes are expected to begin on time, and students will respect the time boundaries established by the professor. If classroom doors are locked, students may not knock or seek entrance in other ways.
    3. Students should notify instructors in advance when a class will be missed. In the event of an emergency that causes a class to be missed, instructors must be notified as soon as possible.
    4. Instructors may require that cell phones and other electronic devices be left on their desks during tests or examinations.
    5. Students must not engage in extraneous conversations during classes. Such acts are considered to be violations of the Code of Student Conduct.
    6. Students will activate their Old Dominion e-mail accounts and check them before each class. If the student chooses to have his/her messages forwarded to another account, it is the student's responsibility to take the necessary steps to have them forwarded.
    7. Consumption of food and drink during class is prohibited, except when the professor has specifically approved of such acts.
    8. Offensive language, gestures and the like are disrespectful and disruptive to the teaching-learning process. [http://studentservices.odu.edu/osja/ccc_pamphlet.pdf]

    11.2 Cultural Diversity
     Cultural diversity must be respected in the class as in any civil society
    11.3 Honor Pledge

    I pledge to support the honor system of Old Dominion University. I will refrain from any form of academic dishonesty or deception, such as cheating or plagiarism. I am aware that as a member if the academic community, it is my responsibility to turn in all suspected violators of the honor system. I will report to Honor Council hearings if summoned." By attending Old Dominion University you have accepted the responsibility to abide by this code. This is an institutional policy approved by the Board of Visitors. Refer to Student Honor Council [http://studentservices.odu.edu/hc/]

    11.4 Special Needs

    In compliance with PL94-142 and more recent federal legislation affirming the rights of disabled individuals, provisions will be made for students with special needs on an individual basis. The student must have been identified, as "special needs" by the university and an appropriate letter(s) must be provided to the course instructor. Provision will be made based upon written guidelines from the university "special needs students" resource office. All students are expected to fulfill all course requirements.

    11.5 University Email Policy

    The Old Dominion University e-mail system is the official electronic mail system for distributing course-related Communications, policies, Announcements and other information. In addition, the University email user ID and password are necessary for authentication and access to numerous electronic resources (online courses, faculty web pages, etc.) NOTE: Effective August 23, 2004, all student accounts will utilize MIDAS passwords. [https://midas.odu.edu]
    http://occs.odu.edu/accounts/studemail/index.shtml

    11.6 Withdrawal

    A syllabus constitutes a contract between the student and the course instructor. Participation in this course indicates your acceptance of its teaching focus, requirements, and policies. Please review the syllabus and the course requirements as soon as possible. If you believe that the nature of this course does not meet your interests, needs or expectations, if you are not prepared for the amount of work involved or if you anticipate that the class meetings, assignment deadlines or abiding by the course policies will constitute an unacceptable hardship for you-you should drop the class by the drop/add deadline, which is located in the ODU Schedule of Classes.

    11.7 Student Acknowledgement

    "I, _______________ , have completely read this syllabus and understand and agree to the course requirements".