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
       
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
 
Wednesday
1/22/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
Thursday
1/23/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
  HW 1 assigned
(HW 1 solutions)
 
Friday
1/24/2025
  Discussion 1
(solutions)
   
2
Monday
1/27/2025
       
Tuesday
1/28/2025

Week 2, Lecture 2:
The Three Fundamental Effects of Relativity

Slides with notes

  Morin: 1.3-1.4  
Wednesday
1/29/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144 
Thursday
1/30/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
  HW 1 due
HW 2 assigned
(HW 2 solutions)
 
Friday
1/31/2025
  Discussion 2
(solutions)
   
3
Monday
2/3/2025
       
Tuesday
2/4/2025

Week 3, Lecture 3:  
Vectors, Matrices, and Index Notation

Slides with notes

  (Shankar: 8.1)  
Wednesday
2/5/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
Thursday
2/6/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
 

HW 2 due
HW 3 assigned
(HW 3 solutions)

 
Friday
2/7/2025
  Discussion 3
(solutions)
   
4
Monday
2/10/2025
       
Tuesday
2/11/2025

Week 4, Lecture 4:  
Derivation of Lorentz Transformations

Slides with notes

  Morin: 2.1.3, 
Appendix D
 
Wednesday
2/12/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
Thursday
2/13/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
  HW 3 due
HW 4 assigned
(HW 4 solutions)
 
Friday
2/14/2025
  Discussion 4
(solutions)
   
5
Monday
2/17/2025
       
Tuesday
2/18/2025

Week 5, Lecture 5:  
Matrix Multiplication and Taylor Series

Slides with notes

  Morin: 2.2,
Appendix G,
(2.7)
 
Wednesday
2/19/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
Thursday
2/20/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
 

HW 4 due
HW 5 assigned
(HW 5 solutions)

 
Friday
2/21/2025
  Discussion 5
(solutions)
   
6
Monday
2/24/2025
       
Tuesday
2/25/2025

Week 6, Lecture 6:
Symmetries and Group Theory

Slides with notes

  (Shankar: 8.2 - 8.4)
Notes on dual bases
 
Wednesday
2/26/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
Thursday
2/27/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
  HW 5 due
HW 6 assigned
(HW 6 solutions)
 
Friday
2/28/2025
 

Discussion 6
(solutions)

   
7
Monday
3/3/2025
       
Tuesday
3/4/2025

Week 7, Lecture 7: 
Invariant Interval and Spacetime Metric

Slides with notes

  Morin: 2.3-2.4  
Wednesday
3/5/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
Thursday
3/6/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
  HW 6 due
HW 7 assigned
(HW 7 solutions)
 
Friday
3/7/2025
  Discussion 7
(solutions)
   
8
Monday
3/10/2025
 
Midterm Study Session at 4-5:30 pm in Loomis 151
  HW 7 due
(note Monday
 due date!)
Midterm Exam
 
Tuesday
3/11/2025
Midterm Exam 4-5 pm
  Practice midterm
(solutions)
Midterm Formula Sheet
Wednesday
3/12/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
Thursday
3/13/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
   
Friday
3/14/2025
No discussion this week    
9
Monday
3/17/2025
Spring break, no class      
Tuesday
3/18/2025
Spring break, no class      
Wednesday
3/19/2025
Spring break, no class      
Thursday
3/20/2025
Spring break, no class      
Friday
3/21/2025
Spring break, no class      
10
Monday
3/24/2025
       
Tuesday
3/25/2025

Week 10, Lecture 8:  
Relativistic Energy, Momentum, and Force;
Separation of Variables in 1D

Slides with notes

  Morin: 3.1, 3.5.1
(Shankar: 10.3)
 
Wednesday
3/26/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
Thursday
3/27/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
  HW 8 assigned
(HW 8 solutions)
Bonus assignment
(due on day of final)
 
Friday
3/28/2025
  Discussion 8
(solutions)
   
11
Monday
3/31/2025
       
Tuesday
4/1/2025

Week 11, Lecture 9:  
Vector Fields,
Curvilinear Coordinates, and 
Vector Differential Operators

Slides with notes

 
 
Morin 3.5.2
(Shankar: 7.1-7.3,
7.5-7.8)
 
Wednesday
4/2/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
Thursday
4/3/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
  HW 8 due
HW 9 assigned
(HW 9 solutions)
 
Friday
4/4/2025
  Discussion 9
(solutions)
Nabla in general coordinates  
12
Monday
4/7/2025
       
Tuesday
4/8/2025

Week 12, Lecture 10:
Relativistic Force in 2D; 4-vector Manipulation, 
Doppler Effect

Slides with notes

  Morin: 4.1-4.3, 2.5  
Wednesday
4/9/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
Thursday
4/10/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
  HW 9 due
HW 10 assigned
(HW 10 solutions)
 
Friday
4/11/2025
  Discussion 10
(solutions)
   
13
Monday
4/14/2025
       
Tuesday
4/15/2025

Week 13, Lecture 11:  
Relativistic Kinematics and Natural Units

Slides with notes

  Morin: 3.3-3.4, 4.4  
Wednesday
4/16/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
Thursday
4/17/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
  HW 10 due
HW 11 assigned
(HW 11 solutions)
 
Friday
4/18/2025
  Discussion 11
(solutions)
   
14
Monday
4/21/2025
       
Tuesday
4/22/2025

Week 14, Lecture 12:
Line and Surface Integrals, Stokes' Theorem,
Differential Forms of Maxwell's Equations

Slides with notes

 
(Shankar: 7.4, 7.9,
7.11)
 
Wednesday
4/23/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
Thursday
4/24/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
 

HW 11 due
HW 12 assigned
(HW 12 solutions)

 
Friday
4/25/2025
  Discussion 12
(solutions)
   
15
Monday
4/28/2025
       
Tuesday
4/29/2025

Week 15, Lecture 13:  
Complex Numbers and Fourier Transforms

Slides with notes

  (Shankar: Ch. 5)  
Wednesday
4/30/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
Thursday
5/1/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 4:00 pm, MSEB 305
  HW 12 due
HW 13 assigned
(HW 13 solutions)
 
Friday
5/2/2025
  Discussion 13
(solutions)
   
16
Monday
5/5/2025
       
Tuesday
5/6/2025

Week 16, Lecture 14:  
Wave Equation from Maxwell's Equations

Slides with notes

  (Shankar: 7.11,
Einstein 1905 paper)
 
Wednesday
5/7/2025
 Office Hours  2:00 - 5:00 pm, Loomis 144
HW 13 due
(note Wednesday
 due date!)
 
Thursday
5/8/2025
Reading Day
 
Friday
5/9/2025
No discussions this week -- study sessions
will be held at usual discussion times
in Loomis 222
     
17
Monday
5/12/2025
     

Final Exam

Tuesday
5/13/2025
 
Final Exam 
1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

141 Loomis Laboratory

  Bonus assignment due
Final formula sheet
Final practice problems
Wednesday
5/14/2025
     
Thursday
5/15/2025
     
Friday
5/16/2025