PHYS 515 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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Welcome to PHYS 515 General Relativity I !
This is the main website for the UIUC Physics Department graduate course PHYS/ASTR 515 on General Relativity. This one-semester course covers the basics of Einstein's theory, developing the mathematical tools and underlying physical concepts that lead to black holes, neutron stars, gravitational waves, and cosmology. The course description and syllabus provide a detailed course description and an explanation of the target audience for this class.
Midterm exam
The midterm exam will take place during class on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 from 13:00-14:20pm Central US in 222 Loomis Lab in person. Please see the exam page for details.
The final exam will be an individual take-home exam on December 13 - 16, 2024. It will become available online at 9 a.m. Central US on Friday, December 13, 2024. The completed exam must be submitted online via my physics exam by 23:55pm Central US on Monday, December 16, 2024. Please see the exam page for details.
News:
Announcements will be posted here as necessary.
This first week (August 27 and 29, 2024), both classes will be held virtually via Zoom at 1 p.m. US Central. All other lectures will be in person.
Office hours start with Prof. Noronha on Friday, September 6, 2024, from 12-1 pm CDT in 437B Loomis.
Time and location
This course will be in person unless instructed otherwise. Zoom recordings of the lectures will be posted here.
| Time: | Tuesday at 13:00 - 14:20 Central US Thursday at 13:00 - 14:20 Central US |
| Location: | 222 Loomis Laboratory |
Homework
Homework sets will become available online on Tuesday after class, starting in week 2. Homework sets are due on the following Tuesday at 11:55pm Central US and they have to be submitted as one PDF file via my.physics.
In general, you are allowed to use computer algebra software, like Maple, Mathematica, or Python unless stated otherwise. If you do use computer algebra software, you must provide a well-formatted print of your code and attach it as part of your PDF solution. Under no circumstances are you allowed to use a computer algebra package, such as grTensor or xTensor (and similar such packages), to calculate tensorial quantities.
1-hour paper review
Reading and reviewing scientific papers quickly is an essential skill for a researcher. In this course, you will practice this skill by reviewing four scientific papers throughout the semester. The review should take you no more than 60 minutes. The review criteria are listed here.
You can find further details and suggestions for papers here.
Exams
We will have one midterm exam and one final exam
The midterm exam is an in-person exam that will take place during class hours on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, from 13:00 to 14:20pm Central US, in 222 Loomis Lab.
The final exam is a take-home exam taking place on December 13-16, 2024. The completed exam has to be submitted until 23:55pm Central US on Monday, December 16, 2024 online via my.physics.
Please see the exam page for more details.
Textbooks
We will mainly use "Spacetime and Geometry" by Sean Carroll. This and additional references for further reading are listed under Textbooks.
Feedback
Please let me know if you have any suggestions or comments about the class or if I mistakenly assume you are familiar with some basic material. Your feedback is essential for this course, so please get in touch with me. There is no point in waiting until the end of the semester (or when you fill in a course evaluation!) because by then it is too late for me to consider acting on your feedback.
Disability access (DRES)
The Department of Physics is committed to being an open and welcoming environment for all of our students. We are committed to helping all of our students to succeed in our courses.
To obtain disability-related academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids, students must contact the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) and the course instructor as soon as possible. To contact DRES, you may visit 1207 S. Oak St., Champaign, call 333-4603, e-mail disability@illinois.edu, or go to the DRES website.
If you are concerned you have a disability-related condition that is impacting your academic progress, there are academic screening appointments available on campus that can help diagnosis a previously undiagnosed disability by visiting the DRES website and selecting "Sign-Up for an Academic Screening" at the bottom of the page.
Assistance for Academically Related and Personal Problems
Most college offices and academic deans provide academic skills support and assistance for academically related and personal problems. Links to the appropriate contact can be found on this website.
| Counseling Center | 206 Fred H. Turner Student Services Building Monday - Friday, 7:50 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Phone: 333-3704 Website |
| McKinley Mental Health | 313 McKinley Health Center Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Phone: 333-2705 Website |
McKinley Health Education offers individual consultations for students interested in learning relaxation and other stress/time management skills, call 333-2714.
Academic integrity
All activities in this course are subject to the Academic Integrity rules as described in Article 1, Part 4, Academic Integrity, of the Student Code.