PHYS 225 Spring 2025
PHYS 225 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Schedule
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Please note: readings are to be done prior to lecture on the day they are assigned!
| Week | Date | Lecture | Discussion | Homework and Readings |
Exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Monday
1/20/2025 |
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Tuesday
1/21/2025 |
Week 1, Lecture 1: Welcome and Introduction to Special Relativity |
Morin: 1.1-1.2 (1.1.2 optional), Appendix F 6.6.1-6.6.3 |
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Wednesday
1/22/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
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Thursday
1/23/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
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HW 1 assigned (HW 1 solutions) |
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Friday
1/24/2025 |
Discussion 1 (solutions) |
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| 2 |
Monday
1/27/2025 |
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Tuesday
1/28/2025 |
Week 2, Lecture 2: The Three Fundamental Effects of Relativity |
Morin: 1.3-1.4 | |||
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Wednesday
1/29/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
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Thursday
1/30/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
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HW 1 due HW 2 assigned (HW 2 solutions) |
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Friday
1/31/2025 |
Discussion 2 (solutions) |
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| 3 |
Monday
2/3/2025 |
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Tuesday
2/4/2025 |
Week 3, Lecture 3: Vectors, Matrices, and Index Notation |
(Shankar: 8.1) | |||
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Wednesday
2/5/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
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Thursday
2/6/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
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HW 2 due |
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Friday
2/7/2025 |
Discussion 3 (solutions) |
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| 4 |
Monday
2/10/2025 |
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Tuesday
2/11/2025 |
Week 4, Lecture 4: Derivation of Lorentz Transformations |
Morin: 2.1.3, Appendix D |
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Wednesday
2/12/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
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Thursday
2/13/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
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HW 3 due HW 4 assigned (HW 4 solutions) |
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Friday
2/14/2025 |
Discussion 4 (solutions) |
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| 5 |
Monday
2/17/2025 |
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Tuesday
2/18/2025 |
Week 5, Lecture 5: Matrix Multiplication and Taylor Series |
Morin: 2.2, Appendix G, (2.7) |
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Wednesday
2/19/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
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Thursday
2/20/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
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HW 4 due |
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Friday
2/21/2025 |
Discussion 5 (solutions) |
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| 6 |
Monday
2/24/2025 |
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Tuesday
2/25/2025 |
Week 6, Lecture 6: Symmetries and Group Theory |
(Shankar: 8.2 - 8.4) Notes on dual bases |
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Wednesday
2/26/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
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Thursday
2/27/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
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HW 5 due HW 6 assigned (HW 6 solutions) |
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Friday
2/28/2025 |
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| 7 |
Monday
3/3/2025 |
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Tuesday
3/4/2025 |
Week 7, Lecture 7: Invariant Interval and Spacetime Metric |
Morin: 2.3-2.4 | |||
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Wednesday
3/5/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
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Thursday
3/6/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
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HW 6 due HW 7 assigned (HW 7 solutions) |
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Friday
3/7/2025 |
Discussion 7 (solutions) |
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| 8 |
Monday
3/10/2025 |
Midterm Study Session at 4-5:30 pm in Loomis 151
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HW 7 due (note Monday due date!) |
Midterm Exam |
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Tuesday
3/11/2025 |
Midterm Exam 4-5 pm
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Practice midterm (solutions) Midterm Formula Sheet |
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Wednesday
3/12/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
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Thursday
3/13/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
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Friday
3/14/2025 |
No discussion this week | ||||
| 9 |
Monday
3/17/2025 |
Spring break, no class | |||
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Tuesday
3/18/2025 |
Spring break, no class | ||||
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Wednesday
3/19/2025 |
Spring break, no class | ||||
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Thursday
3/20/2025 |
Spring break, no class | ||||
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Friday
3/21/2025 |
Spring break, no class | ||||
| 10 |
Monday
3/24/2025 |
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Tuesday
3/25/2025 |
Week 10, Lecture 8: Relativistic Energy, Momentum, and Force; Separation of Variables in 1D |
Morin: 3.1, 3.5.1 (Shankar: 10.3) |
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Wednesday
3/26/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
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Thursday
3/27/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
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HW 8 assigned (HW 8 solutions) Bonus assignment (due on day of final) |
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Friday
3/28/2025 |
Discussion 8 (solutions) |
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| 11 |
Monday
3/31/2025 |
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| Tuesday 4/1/2025 |
Week 11, Lecture 9: Vector Fields, Curvilinear Coordinates, and Vector Differential Operators |
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Morin 3.5.2 (Shankar: 7.1-7.3, 7.5-7.8) |
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Wednesday
4/2/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
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Thursday
4/3/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
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HW 8 due HW 9 assigned (HW 9 solutions) |
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Friday
4/4/2025 |
Discussion 9 (solutions) |
Nabla in general coordinates | |||
| 12 |
Monday
4/7/2025 |
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Tuesday
4/8/2025 |
Week 12, Lecture 10: |
Morin: 4.1-4.3, 2.5 | |||
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Wednesday
4/9/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
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Thursday
4/10/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
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HW 9 due HW 10 assigned (HW 10 solutions) |
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Friday
4/11/2025 |
Discussion 10 (solutions) |
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| 13 |
Monday
4/14/2025 |
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Tuesday
4/15/2025 |
Week 13, Lecture 11: Relativistic Kinematics and Natural Units |
Morin: 3.3-3.4, 4.4 | |||
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Wednesday
4/16/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
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Thursday
4/17/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
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HW 10 due HW 11 assigned (HW 11 solutions) |
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Friday
4/18/2025 |
Discussion 11 (solutions) |
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| 14 |
Monday
4/21/2025 |
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Tuesday
4/22/2025 |
Week 14, Lecture 12: Line and Surface Integrals, Stokes' Theorem, Differential Forms of Maxwell's Equations |
(Shankar: 7.4, 7.9,
7.11) |
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Wednesday
4/23/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
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Thursday
4/24/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
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HW 11 due |
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Friday
4/25/2025 |
Discussion 12 (solutions) |
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| 15 |
Monday
4/28/2025 |
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Tuesday
4/29/2025 |
Week 15, Lecture 13: Complex Numbers and Fourier Transforms |
(Shankar: Ch. 5) | |||
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Wednesday
4/30/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
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Thursday
5/1/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
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HW 12 due HW 13 assigned (HW 13 solutions) |
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Friday
5/2/2025 |
Discussion 13 (solutions) |
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| 16 |
Monday
5/5/2025 |
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Tuesday
5/6/2025 |
Week 16, Lecture 14: Wave Equation from Maxwell's Equations |
(Shankar: 7.11, Einstein 1905 paper) |
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Wednesday
5/7/2025 |
Office Hours 2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
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HW 13 due (note Wednesday due date!) |
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Thursday
5/8/2025 |
Reading Day |
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Friday
5/9/2025 |
No discussions this week -- study sessions
will be held at usual discussion times
in Loomis 222
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| 17 |
Monday
5/12/2025 |
Final Exam |
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Tuesday
5/13/2025 |
Final Exam
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM 141 Loomis Laboratory |
Bonus assignment due Final formula sheet Final practice problems |
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Wednesday
5/14/2025 |
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Thursday
5/15/2025 |
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Friday
5/16/2025 |
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