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Term 2, 2011/12


Geometric Ideas in Physics

Plato
costa

Table of Contents

Announcements and Updates
Instructor
Lectures
Course Description
Grading Scheme
Policy Notes


Announcements and Updates


There will be a 30-minute quiz in class on Monday, March 26th

Assignment #5  (the last one)  is due in class on Thursday, March 29th, 2012

Here is the link to the paper by Dunajski and Gibbons about "Cosmic jerk, snap and beyond" that I mentioned in class:
http://arxiv.org/abs/0807.0207v2


Reading assignment for the tenth and eleventh week (March 11th to March 24th)
 Chapters 23 and 24  from the text book by Hughston & Tod


If you love the "the muse Urania" and want to spend about a year or two learning more about General Relativity, you can read the "heavy black book":  "GRAVITATION"  by Misner, Thorne and Wheeler.

A good book to learn more about differential forms and how they are used in differential geometry and physics is the Dover book by Harley Flanders " Differential forms with applications to the physical sciences"

 Click  here  for an English translation of Einstein's first paper (1905) on Special Relativity

Assignment #4   was due in class on Thursday, March 8th, 2012

There was a  30-minute Quiz during the lecture period on Thursday, March 1st, 2012

Assignment #3   was due in class on Thursday, February 16th, 2012

Assignment #2   was due in class on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

There was a  30-minute Quiz during the lecture period on Thursday, January 26th, 2012

Assignment #1   was due in class on Thursday, January 19th, 2012


Reading assignment for the ninth week (March 4th to March 10th)
Chapters 22 and 23  from the text book by Hughston & Tod

Reading assignment for the eighth week (February 27th to March 3rd)
Chapters 18, 19 and 20  from the text book by Hughston & Tod

Reading assignment for the reading(sic) week (February 20th to 26th)
Chapters 16, 17, 18 and 19  from the text book by Hughston & Tod

Reading assignment for the seventh week (February 13th to 19th)
Chapters 13, 15 and 17  from the text book by Hughston & Tod

Reading assignment for the sixth week (February 6th to 12th)
Chapters 9, 10 and 11  from the text book by Hughston & Tod  and Chapters 14, 15 and 19 from the reference book by Penrose

Reading assignment for the fifth week (January 30th to February 5th)
Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11  from the text book by Hughston & Tod  and Chapters 17, 18 and 19 from the reference book by Penrose

Reading assignment for the fourth week (January 23rd to 29th)
Chapters 4, 5 and 8  from the text book by Hughston & Tod  and Chapters 12 and 14 from the reference book by Penrose

Reading assignment for the third week (January 16th to 22nd)
Chapters 2, 3 and 4  from the text book by Hughston & Tod  and Chapters 10 and 12 from the reference book by Penrose

Reading assignment for the first two weeks (January 4th to 15th)
Chapters 1, 2  from the text book by Hughston & Tod  and Chapters 1 to 7 from the reference book by Penrose.

Another fun book to read: "Flatterland" by Ian Stewart, which is a modern sequel to the classic Victorian book "Flatland" by Edwin Abbott Abbott (no typo!)


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Instructor

Lectures

Course Description

Course Objective:
To learn the basic geometrical ideas developed over the centuries in the quest to understand the physical world that surrounds us.  Students are responsible for reading the relevant material from the textbook and the reference book on their own in preparation for the lectures. The five assignments, which are mainly mathematical in nature form an integral part of the course.


TEXT BOOK:    "An Introduction to General Relativity"  by L.P. Hughston and K.P. Tod,  Cambridge University Press.
Reference Book (fun to read): "The Road to Reality", a  complete guide to the laws of the universe by Sir Roger Penrose, Vintage Books (2005).


Schedule of Topics (tentative)

Course Work:

1. Assignments: There will be five written assignments to be handed in on the due dates that will be announced in class. Late assignments will not be graded.

3. Quizzes: There will be three 30-minute quizzes to be held during the lecture period. The dates will be announced in class and on the course home page
4. Final Examination: There will be a 3-hour final examination scheduled by the Registrar’s office during the exam period in April
 

Grading Scheme



Academic Dishonesty:  

You are expected to exhibit honesty and use ethical behaviour in all aspects of the learning process. Academic credentials you earn are rooted in principles of honesty and academic integrity. Academic dishonesty is to knowingly act or fail to act in a way that results or could result in unearned academic credit or advantage. This behaviour can result in serious consequences, e.g. the grade of zero on an assignment, loss of credit with a notation on the transcript (notation reads: “Grade of F assigned for academic dishonesty”), and/or suspension or expulsion from the university. It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. For information on the various types of academic dishonesty please refer to the Academic Integrity Policy, located at http://www.mcmaster.ca/academicintegrity

The following illustrates only three forms of academic dishonesty:

1.  Plagiarism, e.g. the submission of work that is not one’s own or for which other credit    has been obtained.

2.  Improper collaboration in group work.

3.  Copying or using unauthorized aids in tests and examinations.

Other Policy Notes:


1.  Only the standard McMaster calculator Casio fx 991MS+ can be used for the tests and the final examination.

2.   If you are absent from the university for a minor medical reason, lasting fewer than 5 days, you may report your absence, once per term, without documentation, using the McMaster Student Absence Form
Absences for a longer duration or for other reasons must be reported to your Faculty/Program office, with documentation, and relief from term work may not necessarily be granted. When using the MSAF, you must also report your absence to me (the course instructor M. Min-Oo) immediately (normally within 2 working days) either by email (minoo@mcmaster.ca) or by contacting me in person to learn what relief may be granted for the work you have missed, and relevant details such as revised deadlines, or time and location of a make-up test. Please note that the MSAF may not be used for term work worth 30% or more, nor can it be used for the final examination.

*Important Message*
3.  The instructor and the university reserve the right to modify or revise information contained in this course during the term. The university may change the dates and deadlines for any or all courses in extreme circumstances. If either type of modification or revision becomes necessary, reasonable notice and communication with the students will be given with explanation and the opportunity to comment on changes. It is the responsibility of the student to check their McMaster email and course websites weekly during the term and to note any changes.