Difference between revisions of "Self-diagnostic test"
From Physics Grad Wiki
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Coming in to Stony Brook's graduate coursework can be a bit disorienting. The core courses are rather difficult for people who have not taken similar difficulty courses in the past, and so former students have compiled a set of characteristic questions from undergraduate textbooks that they believe give a taste of what you should expect. | Coming in to Stony Brook's graduate coursework can be a bit disorienting. The core courses are rather difficult for people who have not taken similar difficulty courses in the past, and so former students have compiled a set of characteristic questions from undergraduate textbooks that they believe give a taste of what you should expect. | ||
| − | The idea, to some extent, is that if you have significant difficulty understanding or solving these problems then taking more preparation in advance and care with the core courses would be a good idea. Some people who are already comfortable with the core course materials are able to take 3 or 4 courses at once in the first semester, but this is often not very fun or healthy or academically advisable - so if these questions are | + | The idea, to some extent, is that if you have significant difficulty understanding or solving these problems then taking more preparation in advance and care with the core courses would be a good idea. Some people who are already comfortable with the core course materials are able to take 3 or 4 courses at once in the first semester, but this is often not very fun or healthy or academically advisable - '''so if more than half of these questions are new ideas or highly non-trivial for you then please avoid doing too much in your first semesters.''' |
==Self-diagnostic test to identify strengths and weaknesses before beginning PhD or Masters coursework== | ==Self-diagnostic test to identify strengths and weaknesses before beginning PhD or Masters coursework== | ||
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* Griffiths Quantum Mechanics (Second Edition) | * Griffiths Quantum Mechanics (Second Edition) | ||
** Problem 7.1 - Variational Method | ** Problem 7.1 - Variational Method | ||
| − | ** 2.14 - Simple Harmonic Oscillator Calculations | + | ** Problem 2.14 - Simple Harmonic Oscillator Calculations |
* Sakurai Modern Quantum Mechanics (Second Edition) | * Sakurai Modern Quantum Mechanics (Second Edition) | ||
** Chapter 1 Mathematical Problems 1, 4, 10, 29 | ** Chapter 1 Mathematical Problems 1, 4, 10, 29 | ||
| Line 17: | Line 17: | ||
* Jackson Electrodynamics (Third Edition) | * Jackson Electrodynamics (Third Edition) | ||
** Problem 1.1 - Basics | ** Problem 1.1 - Basics | ||
| − | ** 2.1 - Method of Images | + | ** Problem 2.1 - Method of Images |
** Problem 5.33 - Mutual Inductance | ** Problem 5.33 - Mutual Inductance | ||
* Griffiths Introduction to Electrodynamics (Fourth Edition) | * Griffiths Introduction to Electrodynamics (Fourth Edition) | ||
| Line 38: | Line 38: | ||
** Problem 5.12 - Maxwell Relations | ** Problem 5.12 - Maxwell Relations | ||
** Problem 3.10 - Entropy and Heat | ** Problem 3.10 - Entropy and Heat | ||
| + | ** Problem 6.45 - Derive everything from the Partition Function | ||
** Problem 7.28 - Fermi Gas and Density of States | ** Problem 7.28 - Fermi Gas and Density of States | ||
** Problem 7.72 - Bose Einstein Condensation | ** Problem 7.72 - Bose Einstein Condensation | ||
Revision as of 17:22, 12 June 2018
Coming in to Stony Brook's graduate coursework can be a bit disorienting. The core courses are rather difficult for people who have not taken similar difficulty courses in the past, and so former students have compiled a set of characteristic questions from undergraduate textbooks that they believe give a taste of what you should expect.
The idea, to some extent, is that if you have significant difficulty understanding or solving these problems then taking more preparation in advance and care with the core courses would be a good idea. Some people who are already comfortable with the core course materials are able to take 3 or 4 courses at once in the first semester, but this is often not very fun or healthy or academically advisable - so if more than half of these questions are new ideas or highly non-trivial for you then please avoid doing too much in your first semesters.
Contents
Self-diagnostic test to identify strengths and weaknesses before beginning PhD or Masters coursework
PDF with all the questions listed provided here
Quantum Mechanics
- Griffiths Quantum Mechanics (Second Edition)
- Problem 7.1 - Variational Method
- Problem 2.14 - Simple Harmonic Oscillator Calculations
- Sakurai Modern Quantum Mechanics (Second Edition)
- Chapter 1 Mathematical Problems 1, 4, 10, 29
- Zettili Quantum Mechanics (Second Edition)
- Problem 5.5 - Spin Eigenstates
Electromagnetism
- Jackson Electrodynamics (Third Edition)
- Problem 1.1 - Basics
- Problem 2.1 - Method of Images
- Problem 5.33 - Mutual Inductance
- Griffiths Introduction to Electrodynamics (Fourth Edition)
- Problem 5.26 - Magnetic Vector Potentials
- Problem 7.37 - Maxwell's Equations
Classical Mechanics
- Landau and Lifshitz Classical Mechanics (Third Edition)
- Problem 1.1 - Double Pendulum
- Last question of chapter 2 section 7, page 16 - Conservation of Momentum
- Taylor Classical Mechanics (First Edition)
- Problem 5.40 - Resonance in Damped and Driven Oscillators
- Problem 11.4 - Normal Modes of Coupled Systems
- Goldstein Classical Mechanics (Third Edition)
- Problem 8.15 - Hamiltonian's and Lagrangians
- Problem 3.19 - Orbital Motion, Forces and Potentials
Statistical Mechanics
- Schroeder Introduction to Thermal Physics (Seventh Edition)
- Problem 5.12 - Maxwell Relations
- Problem 3.10 - Entropy and Heat
- Problem 6.45 - Derive everything from the Partition Function
- Problem 7.28 - Fermi Gas and Density of States
- Problem 7.72 - Bose Einstein Condensation
