Course Syllabus
PHZ6355 - Particle Physics 1 - Fall 2025
Covid-19/influenza Statement:
While we are all tired of dealing with it, COVID-19 remains a concern. Anyone wishing to wear a mask when in class is welcome to do so. If you begin to experience symptoms, please be responsible and self isolate to keep others safe.
Course Description
This course is for the graduate-level elementary particle physics. The course introduces the field of particle physics, including the history, main concepts, experimental techniques, and general overview of the fundamental theories that comprise the Standard Model.
Purpose of the course
The purpose is to provide students with a foundation in the concepts, fundamental principles, and experimental methods used in modern particle physics. Examples include kinematics in special relativity, relativistic collisions, the interaction of particles with matter, particle reactions and decays, principles of operation of modern detectors, and the current state-of-the-art instrumentation for high energy and astroparticle physics.
Instructor
Prof. Yuta Takahashi (Office: NPB, 2037), Phone: (352) 392-6601, y.takahashi@ufl.edu
Office Hours: Monday 10:00 - 12:00, Thursday 10:00 - 12:00
Meeting times and location
MWF, Period 5 (11:45 am -- 12:35 pm), in person in room NPB 1200
Schedule
This web page contains information relevant for the class. There you will find the homework assignments, exam schedule and the class diary. Please, check for updates regularly, especially if you miss a class.
Required and Recommended Textbooks
We won't follow one particular textbook. However, handout notes/materials to be used in the class will be mostly based on either one of the following texts.
- Particle Physics, B.R. Martin & G.Shaw, 4th edition, John Wiley &Sons
- The Experimental Foundation of Particle Physics, R. Cahn and G. Goldhaber, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press
- Modern Particle Physics, M. Thomson, Cambridge University Press
- Introduction to Elementary Particles, D. Griffiths, 2nd edition, Wiley- VCH
Note: time constraints limit the material that may be covered in each week's lecture. Material not covered in the lecture may be included on the quizzes.
Homework
There will be graded homework (HW) assignments during the semester (one HW every 2-3 weeks). Homework assignments and due dates, subject to change, will be available in the schedule spreadsheet linked above. Homework will be collected in the Canvas before the due date. Students will need to upload their homework as a single file in pdf format to the corresponding HW assignment. Late HWs will be accepted outside of the Canvas and graded at -50% of the score. Homework that are overdue by more than one week will not be graded. Make your solutions neat, concise, and intelligible. It is not sufficient just to state the answer. Points may be deducted, if it is difficult to find and/or understand the solutions. There will be no makeup homework. Instead, the lowest homework score will be dropped at the end of the
semester. The graded HWs will be worth 40% of the total grade (see the grading policy below).
Exams
There will be two exams: one in the middle of the semester and one in the end. The exams will contribute 25% each toward the final grade.
Quizzes
There will be quick class quizzes throughout the semester. The quizzes will not be announced in advance. Each quiz will last no more than 10 min and will be administered at the beginning or the end of the lecture. There will be no make-up quizzes, but one lowest quiz score will be dropped. The lowest score is 0 for missed quizzes and 1-4 for taken quizzes. The quizzes will contribute a total of 10% toward the final grade.
Grading procedure
All assignments will be graded within a few days after the due date, exams are graded the next day. The graded assignments will be uploaded to Canvas and grading scores entered to Canvas for student’s review. All questions regarding graded work should be sent to y.takahashi@ufl.edu or asked in person during the office hours.
Grading policy: Each graded assignment (quiz, homework or exam) has a maximum score - the total sum of scores of all examinable problems in the assignment. In addition to the examinable problems, assignments may have bonus questions, which do not contribute to the maximum score, but are accounted for in the total score gained by a student. Because of the bonus questions it is possible that the total score could be greater than the maximum score. The ratios of these two scores from all assignments are used to calculate the final percentage score. Your final grades will be based on the total sum of the percentage scores for quizzes, homeworks and exams, and defined by the following grading table:
| Grade | A | A- | B+ | B | B- | C+ | C | C- | D+ | D | D- | E |
| Score | 90% | 85% | 80% | 75% | 65% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 35% | 35% | 35% | 30% |
The corresponding grades are assigned at or above the score threshold shown in the table. These thresholds may be lowered, depending upon numerous factors, but will not be raised. For additional details regarding grading policies, please, see the university website: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx
Support for technologies used in class
To follow virtual classes and participate in the class activities students need a computer, tablet or phone with installed Zoom application. Headphones are recommended particularly if you are in the noisy location. Students will need a video player application to watch our class sessions that may be audio-visually recorded for students in the class to refer back and for enrolled students who are unable to attend live. Students who participate with their camera engaged or utilize a profile image are agreeing to have their video or image recorded. If you are
unwilling to consent to have your profile or video image recorded, be sure to keep your camera off and do not use a profile image. Likewise, students who un-mute during class and participate orally are agreeing to have their voice recorded. If you are not willing to consent to have your voice recorded during class, you will need to keep your mute button activated and communicate exclusively using the "chat" feature, which allows students to type questions and comments live. The chat will not be recorded or shared. As in all courses, unauthorized recording and unauthorized sharing of recorded materials by students or any other party is prohibited. All assignments work should be converted to pdf format with a suitable application of your choice or scanner. To do homework and quizzes, it is recommended to use one of the note-taking applications, like GoodNotes 5, which have an export-to-pdf function. Please, follow the UF netiquette guide for online courses: link. For access to UF network follow instructions for how to set up the network VPN Connections. Contact UF computing desk for help with Canvas, Zoom and Honorlock:
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Phone: (352) 392-HELP (4357), Email: helpdesk@ufl.edu, Web: https://helpdesk.ufl.edu/
Requirements for class attendance and make-up
Exams, assignments and other work in this course are consistent with the university policies that can be found at: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx
Students with disabilities
requesting accommodations should first register with the Disability Resource Center (352-392-8565, www.dso.ufl.edu/drc) by providing
appropriate documentation. Once registered, students will receive an accommodation letter which must be presented to the instructor when requesting accommodation. Students with disabilities should follow this procedure as early as possible in the semester.
Feedbacks
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/students/. 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/ufl/. Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/public-results/
UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge
which states “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. The Honor Code can be found here: https://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/process/student-conduct-honor-code/
Office of Academic Support
offers free one-on-one and small group tutoring sessions to all UF students interested. The tutors are proficient in a broad range of topics,
including economics, mathematics, statistics, writing, accounting, Spanish and the physical and biological sciences. OAS tutors go through a rigorous selection process and receive training so that they are prepared to answer questions. Remember these tutoring services are offered at no additional cost to all UF students. Contact information: https://oas.aa.ufl.edu/services/
Student Life Success Services
Enhancing student success through learning and engagement - check out this web page: https://www.ufl.edu/student-life/success-services/
and contact their academic advisors: http://www.ufadvising.ufl.edu/college-remote-advising-contacts/
Counseling and Wellness Center
Contact information for the Counseling and Wellness Center: http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/cwc/Default.aspx (392-1575), and the UF Police
Department: 392-1111 or 911 for emergencies.
Physics is practiced and advanced by a scientific community
of individuals with diverse backgrounds and identities and is open and welcoming to everyone. The instructional team recognizes the value in diversity, equity and inclusion in all aspects of this course. This includes, but is not limited to differences in race, ethnicity, gender identity, gender
expression, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, religion and disability. Students may have opportunities to work together in this course. We expect respectful student collaborations such as attentive listening and responding to the contributions of all teammates. Physics, like all human endeavors, is something that is learned. Our aim is to foster an atmosphere of learning that is based on inclusion, transparency and respect for all participants. We acknowledge the different needs and perspectives we bring to our common learning space and strive to provide everyone with equal access. All students meeting the course prerequisites belong here and are well positioned for success.
Academic policies and resources
https://go.ufl.edu/syllabuspolicies