Course Syllabus
Introductory Quantum Mechanics 1
Spring 2025
Instructor: Wei Xue
office: NPB 2059
email: weixue@ufl.edu
This course is a synchronous class. It carries 3 credits.
Class Meetings: MWF Period 5 (11:45 - 12:35 AM) NPB 1101
Office Hours: Monday 3:30 - 4:20 PM,
Friday 3:30 - 4:20 PM.
Grader: Eyrup Unlu
office: NPB 2064
email: eyup.unlu@ufl.edu
Grader office hours: Thurday 11:45am-12:35pm
Prerequisites: PHY 3101 Introduction to Modern Physics or PHY 3063 Enriched Modern Physics
MAP 2302 Elementary Differential Equations
Required Text: Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, David J. Griffiths and Darrell F. Schroeter (3rd ed., Cambridge University Press, 2018)
Note: the first chapter ( Sec. 0) is the historical introduction [ ref Weinberg, Lectures on Quantum Mechanics ]
There are many other good textbooks on quantum mechanics. Here is a selection of what I prefer:
Shankar, Principles of Quantum Mechanics
Weinberg, Lectures on Quantum Mechanics
Shankar is expansive; Weinberg is advanced and deep.
Also, David Tong's online lecture notes
Lectures on Quantum Mechanics
( http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/tong/quantum.html )
Course Description and Goals: PHY 4604 is the first course of the two-semester introductory quantum mechanics sequence for advanced undergraduates. It will teach you the basic concepts and formalism of quantum mechanics and provide canonical examples. The materials covered should be central to your research in modern physics, other sciences, and engineering.
Homework: Solving problems is the best approach to understanding physics in depth. There will be ~10 homework assignments. If at all possible, do the homework entirely on your own. Only if you are hopelessly stuck, is it alright to seek help from the instructor or other students. Any help must be explicitly acknowledged at the end of the corresponding problem. In that case, you will not be penalized for having received help.
Homework should be submitted online
Homework assignments turned in late will be subject to a significant scoring penalty. The score will be reduced by 25% for work submitted after the due deadline but no later than the start of the first class after the due date. After that, a 50% deduction will apply. No credit will be awarded for homework submitted after the solution has been posted in Canvas (usually one class after the due deadline, Monday afternoon).
Exams: There will be three exams—two mid-terms and a final.
Exam 1 will be on Monday, Feb 17, 7:00 - 8:30 pm in NPB 2165 and 2205
(No class on March 12 for exchange)
Exam 2 will be on Monday, Mar 24, 7 - 8:30 pm in NPB 2165 and 2205.
(No class on March 14 for exchange)
Final will be held on Tue, Apr 29, 3 pm -5 pm in NPB 1101
Grading: the final grade will be based on
| homework | 20% |
| Exam 1 | 25% |
| Exam 2 | 25% |
| Final exam | 30% |
You may refer to the Physics Department policy on incomplete grades. For additional details regarding grading policies, see the university website: catalog.ufl.edu/UGRD/academic-regulations/grades-grading-policies
Tentative grading scheme (subject to change):
These thresholds may be lowered if appropriate, but they will not be raised.
Material
Sec 0. Historical Introduction
Photons (Sec 0.1)
Atomic Spectra (Sec 0.2)
Wave Mechanics (Sec 0.3)
Sec 1.
The Schrödinger equation (Sec. 1.1).
Statistical interpretation and Superposition (Sec. 1.2)
Probability (Sec. 1.3)
Probability current and the momentum operator (Secs. 1.4, 1.5)
Sec 2
Stationary states (Sec. 2.1)
The infinite square well (Sec. 2.2)
The harmonic oscillator (Sec. 2.3)
The free particle (Sec. 2.4)
The Delta-function potentials (Sec. 2.5)
The finite square well (Sec. 2.6)
Sec 3
Vector spaces (Secs. 3.1, A.1)
Inner products (Secs. 3.1, 3.6, A.2)
Operators (Secs. 3.6, A.3)
Eigenstates (Secs. 3.3, A.5, A.6)
The postulates of quantum mechanics (Sec. 3.4)
Sec 4
Quantum mechanics in three dimensions (Sec. 4.1).
Spherically symmetric potentials (Sec. 4.1)
The hydrogen atom (Sec. 4.2)
Angular momentum (Sec. 4.3)
Spin (Sec. 4.4)
Addition of angular momentum (Sec. 4.4.3)
Sec 5 (if having time)
Two-particle systems (Sec. 5.1)
Two identical particles (Sec. 5.1)
decoherence
Catch-up/Review
Attendance: Requirements for class attendance and make-up exams, assignments, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies that can be found at: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx (Links to an external site.).
Disclaimer: This syllabus represents the instructor's current plans and objectives. As we go through the semester, those plans may need to change. Such changes, communicated clearly, are not unusual and should be expected.
University Policies
Accommodating Students With Disabilities
Students with disabilities who experience learning barriers and would like to request academic accommodations should connect with the Disability Resource CenterLinks to an external site.. It is important for students to share their accommodation letter with the course instructor and discuss their access needs as early as possible in the semester because accommodations are not retroactive.
In-Class Recording
Students are allowed to record video or audio of class lectures. However, the purposes for which these recordings may be used are strictly controlled. The only allowable purposes are (1) for personal educational use, (2) in connection with a complaint to the university, or (3) as evidence in, or in preparation for, a criminal or civil proceeding. All other purposes are prohibited. Specifically, students may not publish recorded lectures without the written consent of the instructor.
A "class lecture" is an educational presentation intended to inform or teach enrolled students about a particular subject, including any instructor-led discussions that form part of the presentation, and delivered by any instructor hired or appointed by the University, or by a guest instructor, as part of a University of Florida course. A class lecture does not include lab sessions, student presentations, clinical presentations such as patient history, academic exercises involving solely student participation, assessments (quizzes, tests, exams), field trips, private conversations between students in the class or between a student and the faculty or lecturer during a class session.
Publication without permission of the instructor is prohibited. To "publish" means to share, transmit, circulate, distribute, or provide access to a recording, regardless of format or medium, to another person (or persons), including but not limited to another student within the same class section. Additionally, a recording, or transcript of a recording, is considered published if it is posted on or uploaded to, in whole or in part, any media platform, including but not limited to social media, book, magazine, newspaper, leaflet, or third party note/tutoring services. A student who publishes a recording without written consent may be subject to a civil cause of action instituted by a person injured by the publication and/or discipline under UF Regulation 4.040 Student Honor Code and Student Conduct Code.
Honor Code
UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge: "We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honor and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: The Student Conduct CodeLinks to an external site. specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of this code and the possible sanctions. Furthermore, you are obligated to report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel. If you have any questions or concerns, please consult with the course instructor.
Evaluation
Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. Guidance on how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/studentsLinks to an external site.. Students will be notified when the evaluation period opens, and can complete evaluations through the email they receive from GatorEvals, in their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals, or via https://ufl.bluera.com/uflLinks to an external site.. Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/public-results/Links to an external site..
Advising and Counseling
Due to the nature of the environment at the university, it is not uncommon for students to experience stressful situations, and “study harder” sometimes does not seem to work. If you find yourself in this situation, you are encouraged to seek confidential counseling, see: http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/cwcLinks to an external site..
Course Summary:
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