Ph 136: APPLICATIONS OF CLASSICAL PHYSICS


Instructors:

Roger Blandford. 132 Bridge Annex. X4200. Email: rdb@caltech.edu
Dave Stevenson. 172 S. Mudd. X6534. Email: djs@gps.caltech.edu
Kip Thorne. 154 W. Bridge Annex X4598. Email: kip@tapir.caltech.edu

Teaching Assistants:

Xinkai Wu. Office Hours: Tuesdays 8PM to 10PM in 401 East Bridge, weeks 1,3,4,6,7,9,10,12,13,15,16,18. Email: xinkaiwu@its.caltech.edu
Alexander Putilin. 253 Lauritsen. X2615. Office Hours: Tuesdays 3PM to 5PM in his office; weeks 2,5,8,11,14,17. Email: putilin@its.caltech.edu

Exam Problems:

First Term Exam

TEXT

IMPORTANT NOTE: These lectures notes are the current version of a text authored by Blandford and Thorne that is being heavily revised this academic year. They can be freely used by students taking the course and read by all. Duplication by others requires the express consent of the authors. The authors are eager for comments on the content and, in particular, notification of errors.

CONTENTS AND PREFACE Course Description
Chapter 1: Physics in Flat Spacetime: Geometric Viewpoint Homework (due 3 Oct)
I: STATISTICAL PHYSICS
Chapter 2: Kinetic Theory Homework (due 11 Oct)
Chapter 3: Statistical Mechanics Homework (due 18 Oct)
Chapter 4: Statistical ThermodynamicsHomework (due 25 Oct)
Chapter 5: Random ProcessesHomework (due 6 Nov)
II: OPTICS
Chapter 6: Geometric OpticsHomework (due 13 Nov)
Chapter 7: DiffractionHomework (due 22 Nov)
Chapter 8: InterferenceHomework (due 22 Nov)
Chapter 9: Nonlinear OpticsHomework (due 29 Nov)
III: ELASTICITY
Chapter 10: ElastostaticsHomework (due 10 January)
Chapter 11: ElastodynamicsHomework (due 17 January)Homework Solutions
IV: FLUID DYNAMICS
Chapter 12: Foundations of Fluid DynamicsHomework (due 24 January)
Chapter 13: VorticityHomework (due 31 January)
Chapter 14: TurbulenceHomework (due 07 February)
Chapter 15: Waves Homework (due 14 February) Homework Solutions
Chapter 16: Supersonic Flow Homework (due 21 February) Homework Solutions
Chapter 17: Convection Homework (due 28 February)
Chapter 18: Magnetohydrodynamics Homework (due 7 March)
V: PLASMA PHYSICS
Chapter 19: The Particle Kinetics of PlasmasHomework (due 11 April)
Chapter 20: Waves in Cold PlasmasHomework (due 18 April)
Chapter 21: Kinetic Theory of Warm PlasmasHomework (due 25 April) Homework Solutions
Chapter 22: Instability and Nonlinear EffectsHomework (due 2 May) Homework Solutions
VI: GENERAL RELATIVITY
Chapter 23: From Special to General RelativityHomework (due 9 May) GR Tensor Example GR Tensor Example Notebook
Chapter 24: The Field Equations of General RelativityHomework (due 16 May)
Chapter 25: Stars and Black HolesHomework (due 25 May)
Chapter 26: Gravitational Waves and Experimental Tests of General RelativityHomework (due 30 May)
Chapter 27: Cosmology


Maintained by RDB

Last update 25 Oct 2000