Here's the inside scoop...Here's the inside scoop...
There are lockers available in the SPS lounge for members. Bring your own lock. Sign up with one of the officers.
Need Caffeine? SPS Coffee Club provides Coffee as you need it, but please leave a reasonable donation in the can to buy more coffee when it empties. Bring your own mug and store it in the lounge kitchen.
A complete calendar of SPS events is on the home page.
There is a Colloquium every Wednesday in RLM 4.102. This is your big chance to be informed as to what's going on in the world of physics. Some of the colloquia will be over your head, but those that aren't are really cool.
Save $: bring your lunch and keep it cold in SPS refrigerator.
Lunch in the SPS lounge: hot or cold. Try the mini kitchen complete with sink, stove, fridge, and microwave RLM 5.222.
SPS members have the honor of lighting the bonfire at the Hex A&M Rally the night before Thanksgiving. Be a part of it, JOIN SPS! (In other words, outside of SPS, there are stupid UT students too.)
Only $13 to join SPS for a year! JOIN NOW! Applications are in the lounge, leave completed application and dues in an envelope in the SPS mailbox (on the bottom right) across the hallway from the lounge.
Free PHYSICS TODAY magazine for SPS members, delivered to your residence! Join Now!
Need a Phone? Don't pay for phone calls! To make an on-campus call from the lounge, dial the last five digits of the number. To make an off-campus call from the lounge, dial 9 first, then the local number. Campus Directory Information: 471-3434.
A Course Schedule details registration procedures, which you may do by telephone or on the web. It also includes a school calendar and a University map. To clear advising bars, go to the Math, Physics, and Astronomy Advising Center RLM 4.101 (471-0900) during bank hours every semester and get their signature. They will tell you about degree requirements, and can change your vital stats. Clear Financial bars in Main bldg. room 4, M-F 7:30-5:30.
Take Tests for class credit! Sample tests at the Measurement and Evaluation Center (MEC), 2616 Wichita Street, 471-3032. CLEP tests are less expensive and easier than AP tests, and you get the same credit. You can take either the credit or the grade, or nothing at all, for you have to petition in the Dean's Office Hogg 109 to add it to your transcript. Unfortunately, there are no longer any fee waivers for placement tests.
Grades are proportional to attendance. If you've missed the desired grade by a couple of points, Profs may bump you up a grade if you've turned in all of your homework.
The core sequence includes Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism, Wave Motion and Optics, Modern Physics (Quantum Mechanics) I - IV, Classical Dynamics, Electrodynamics, Thermo, Fluid, and Senior Lab. And obviously, we have lab. Some of the Math requirements include Calculus classes: M408C, M408D, M427K, M427L.
It is necessary to know some Calculus in order to pass the tests on Mechanics (PHY 301 & lab 101L) and Electricity and Magnetism (PHY 316 & lab 116L); don't take PHY 301 until you've completed M408 C.
The relations between the required prerequisites and what you really should know are fuzzy at best. In most cases, you should know more than just the prerequisites. Hence the saying "A physics major can never take too much math." It is suggested that you do as follows:
| Fall 1 | M 408C (1D calculus) | None, except perhaps Phy 110C (intro seminar) or Phy 306 (high school physics all over again if you haven't had it). |
| Spring 1 | M 408D (multidimensional calculus) | Phy 301/101 (Newtonian Mechanics/lab) |
| Fall 2 | M 427K (Differential Equations) M 340 (Linear Algebra) |
Phy 316/116 (Electricity and Magnetism/lab) |
| Spring 2 | M 427L (Vector Calculus) | Phy 315/115 (Waves/lab) |
There are several notes about the above table. There are three-hour equivalents to the M 408 C&D, don't take them. They're just as much work without a problem session to help you. Besides, its best to encounter Math TA accents early so you aren't surprised in the 427 courses. The only reason to take Linear Algebra before Waves is to cover eigenvectors. Unfortunately some M 427L and some M 340L courses cover this material, but neither of them do all of the time. Your best bet is to find out who's teaching the sections (if they've been assigned) and ask them if they intend to cover eigenvectors & eigenvalues. M 311 is equivalent to M 340L, but is aimed at math majors, and therefore covers many proofs and little ground. Stay away from it.
Waves is by far the most important of the above listed courses. Pay close attention, this material will appear again (and again and again...). Dr. Oakes (our advisor and patron) teaches this course quite often, and is the generally considered the best prof for this course. Its hard to delay 315 a semester, though, so the only thing you can really do is pray.
Phy 316 won't make much sense mathematically until the end of vector calculus. If your class doesn't cover them, the applicable theorems are named after Gauss (our hero) and Green (a miller who did math as a hobby). Be patient (or take it first if you can) and it will make sense in the end. In the mean time, just memorize the equations and apply them.
One final note on the math courses. At most colleges, M 427K, 427L, and 340L are rolled into two semesters. This means that they aren't very intense. In all honesty, they should each be easier than M 408D. If your relatively gung-ho, taking all three with Phy 316 in a semester probably won't kill you, though it will be hard. On the other hand, it will put you far enough ahead in your math work to give you some breathing room later.
Phy 115L, the lab to waves, is different in that there is no homework. You're supposed to do everything and turn in a written notebook by the time the 3 hour time slot is over. It forces you to work quickly, but once you walk out, you're done.
Quantum I (Phy 453) is primarily a lab course. The lectures (depending on the prof., of course) are usually pretty conceptual as opposed to rigorously mathematical, but the lab is very time consuming and takes some lab skill, which you should have by then from the previous lab courses. The reports, though, take about 20 hours each to write, it is, after all, a writing component course. The department is still trying to decrease the workload in this course, but its hard to say how successful they've been. Things will probably not improve until Chuck, the evil Quantum I TA, leaves.
Before taking classical dynamics (336K), you'll need M 427L. Before classical electrodynamics (Phy 352), you'll need both 427K&L.
Before Quantum II (Phy 373), you'll need all three plus Complex Analysis (M 361). Its probably a good idea to have probability (M 362K) before Quantum II, also, but its not nearly as necessary as the others. Many linear algebra courses don't cover complex matricies and their operations. If your M 340L didn't, the important concepts should still be in your linear algebra text. Read that chapter before Quantum II.
The best resource for physics majors outside of the department is Dr. Guy, who is in the Math department. He often teaches honors Vector Calculus. These sections are not completely closed to mundane students, so try everything you can to get into them. In addition, Dr. Guy is always teaching two courses, Tensors & Vectors, and Laplace & Fourier Transforms. These are both real-world (at least for physics, chemistry, engineering, etc.) math courses who you will find handy in the future. He teaches the first semester of both in the Fall and the second semesters in the Spring each year. Dr. Guy is a morning person, though, so be prepared to make that sacrifice. It is well worth it, though. Don't let his age fool you, he's very sharp still, and an added plus is that he's a native Texan, so he speaks the language. In addition, his teaching style makes Math majors squirm for some unfathomable reason, so when they tell you they hate him, you can thumb your nose.
One last thing, save your electives and other ancillary courses for your later years, get your Math in first. If you find yourself running out of time, there are always summers.
Recommended Reading for Physics Majors: The Feynman Lectures on Physics...and of course there is a copy in the SPS lounge.
Also, there is a M 408D offered in the fall that is for people who AP'd out of 408C. Try taking this section if you can't get into an honors section. Good profs fight over this section because of the unusually low hassle factor.
It is highly recommended that you keep the required text for your calculus course. (Do you remember integration by partial fractions?) We recommend Calculus 4th ed., by Larson, Hostetler & Edwards, since it is an excellent, easily understood REFERENCE for ALL of the CORE Calculus classes, though your calculus text should work.
Pay attention in M 427K. A good understanding of differential equations is necessary because they are used in all applications of Physics.
You can do well in all Physics and Math courses if you complete all of the homework, and use the returned homework to study for the exams. (Except for any of Dr. Guy's classes, because your homework falls into the bottomless pit known as his office.)
The best preparation for tomorrow is to do today's work superbly well. (Sir William Osler)
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence...the slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. (Calvin Coolidge)
It would be too difficult to print everyone's opinion on the profs, plus we're afraid we'd be hunted down, chained to our desks, and never allowed to graduate. So here's where to find information:
Course Survey information is available through the UTCAT+ system under UTACCESS. Every library has UTCAT terminals, or you can access the system from anywhere on the net by using Telnet 3270 to connect to <utxdp.utexas.edu>.
Methinks a better source of information would be asking fellow Physics majors. You can find them in RLM 5.222 (the SPS lounge).
Concerning more advice, you could always consult the veritable butcher paper mounted on tables surrounding the UGL at the end of each semester, where thousands of students make the pilgrimage to inscribe their accumulated wisdom and share of prior class experiences.
Take anything you can from Hazeltine. He is articulate and just plain sharp.
The way to study for any of Coker's Physics classes is to write your own book - ask him: it's true! Also, don't be late, and don't sneeze in class. People are very polar on Coker. His teaching is actually very good, but his tests are very hard. There is a fairly reliable rumor that, because he failed an entire Quantum III class for reasons unknown to the author, he has been barred from teaching upper-division courses (by the previous chairman of the department). On the other hand, he has not been sent to the dungeon of Engineering Physics.
Due to multiple requests, we suggest avoiding taking from Niu. He supposedly doesn't prepare well for class and teaches right out of the book. He's a really nice guy, but you reportedly don't learn much in his classes. He commonly teaches Phy 336 (Newtonian Dynamics)
Good teaching is the art of getting average people to do superior work. Take anything you can from Oakes and Schwitters. They are very helpful and approachable.
You can test out of CH 301. Contact the MEC 471-3032. You can also test out of any course. Its even possible to test out of labs, the MEC has details.
If you test out of CH 301 and CH 302, then you don't have to take CH 204, which is a lab section where people are herded like cattle and where jumping through hoops instead of lab skills determines grades.
Most P.E. classes are easy A's because they are attendance based. Take one hour each semester to stay fit, relieve stress, and add to your cumulative GPA. A locker or basket is reserved for you for most classes.
German, Russian, Japanese, French, Spanish are useful languages for Physics majors. You might consider taking these at ACC during the summer and transferring. The language instruction is more than adequate at ACC, and the curves on the scores aren't nearly as nasty. Don't be in a rush to take these courses early in your college career, unless your following up on your high school language. They require good study skills right off the bat.
During the week, there are several Physics graduate students at the RLM 5th floor coaching tables to help with questions on class work. Unfortunately, those tables are often overcrowded with Engineering students getting help on their homework, so we would recommend...
SPS study lounge RLM 5.222: There's usually someone in here who loves to talk about Physics. This is Physics major hangout.
The Learning Skills Center (LSC) in Jester can hook you up with a tutor (although a lot of these tutors hang out in the SPS lounge already!). Donít wait until the last minute, it takes at least 2 days to set up a tutoring session. Your chances for finding a tutor for just one session are slim. It costs $7.40/hr. If youíre on UT student financial aid, you may qualify for two hr./week of free tutoring. Talk to an LSC counselor to sign up. Counseling is on a walk-in basis M-F 10a-3p.
Use self-instructional materials or work with a peer advisor. LSC Math/Science Lab: M-Th. 9a-5p, F 9a-3p Reading/Writing/Study Skills Lab: M-F 10a-5p
SAVE $: The bulletin boards of RLM advertise books for sale.
Surf the Net! Cruise the information superhighway! Physics majors, set up a UNIX account free of charge! Contact the physics computer group (RLM 7.126) and ask to set up a UNIX account. Complete the form and take it to the chairman and ask him to scribble his name. Then return the form where you got it and within 24 hours you can begin using e-mail, etc.
Access the Physics microcomputer lab (RLM 7.306)! Use both Wintel and Macintosh computers, along with laser printing without the wait of UGL Microcomputer Facility.
UGL Computer lab hours are extensive, but lines are often in excess of 1 hour for the more than 200 computers that are there. The University seems to have realized that this is a mistake and has established several departmental labs. Being a Physics major, the one in 7.306 is yours.
Consulting assistance 471-3241. Laser printer copies are $.08 per copy. You may listen to CD's while you work if you bring headphones with a 1/8 inch jack.
You can get computer account validations in COM 27. If you forget your if account user number, go to the basement of W. C. Hogg, or the UGL. You can also get dial up for $.12; per day. If you do that, go the SMF in UGL or COM 11 and get the UT Connect package for your computer. You'll be able then to surf the net from home.
If you live in a dorm and have a computer, buy and ethernet card and you're set. Most dorms have ethernet (10 Base T) connections. Talk to your RA for details. The ethernet cards they sell are a bit pricey, though. If you can, you can get the same piece of hardware for ~$50 from All-Tex computing on Metric.
Pick up the following brochures at the Computation Center:
'Getting Started at the Student Microcomputer Facility; on the second floor of the Flawn Academic Center (UGL)'
'Computation Center Consulting Services'
'Using e-mail on UNIX Systems'
Boring mandatory TASP test must be taken BEFORE 9 semester hours have been completed, otherwise they get real nasty and won't let you register for classes anywhere in Texas. (Unless, of course, your SAT, ACT, or TEAMS score exempts you.) Contact the TASP Office in Flawn Academic Center (another name for just below the UGL) M-F 8-5, or call 471-TASP, unless, of course, your SAT or ACT is high enough to be exempt. Look at your RIS sheet or talk to the counseling center if you're unsure.
For co-op positions and summer internships contact the Career Resource Center WC Hogg 2.308 (just east of the tower) 471-6700. They also have a job board and send e-mail messages. There are books on writing a resumé, and companies addresses.
You can pay your tuition in installments: pay half of your tuition up front, then two more payments of one-quarter of your tuition at intervals of approximately one month apart. There is an $7.00 fee tacked on to your tuition bill should you choose this plan.
Need a tuition loan? Call TEX (512) 475-9950 code 33 from a touch tone phone. You will be told if you qualify for a full or partial tuition loan. If you are approved, you will need to sign a document saying you'll pay it back within three months at the Cashiers (in the Clock Tower). The interest on this loan is 4%. A word of caution: If you can not pay it back within three months, don't do it because if you're late, the interest goes up to 33.3%!
Need emergency cash? To get approval by phone, call TEX 475-9950 for loans up to $150 to be paid back within one month. If you need emergency cash of more than $150, go the Office of Student of Financial Services
Other Loans: CORRECTLY COMPLETE a Financial Aid Form (FAF) found in the OSFS. Any mistakes will delay the process another 4-10 weeks. You will receive in the mail a student aid report (SAR) summarizing what you have told them. They will also tell you if you qualified for any federal grants or scholarships. Call 475-6282 to schedule an appointment with a counselor.
The OSFS will assume you are dependent of your parents until you are 25, regardless of what you claim on your tax return. So they also assume that your parents are contributing to your education. If you are receiving no money from your parents, tell your counselor why (bankruptcy, etc.). Be honest and open with your FA counselor, they want to help.
There are no deadlines for applying for financial aid, however, the recommended mailing dates are April 1 for aid in the fall, and Oct. 1, for aid in the spring. Most aid is need-based. You must take 12 hours each semester to be eligible for financial aid.
Annually complete a scholarship application in the OSFS, and be sure and fill out a Freshman scholarship application. The Physics Scholarships are primarily need based. If you need help, ask Dr. Oakes (RLM 12.226) for advice. Applications are in the Undergraduate Affairs Office (RLM 5.216).
There are many books in the PCL Reference Section to the right as you enter the library on grants and scholarships. College Work Study jobs are given to those who need them the most. Apply at the Work Study Office in OSFS in the Student Services Building, commonly offering jobs for 12-15 hr./wk.
If YOU are looking for a laboratory job, have a 3.0 or better, or are a starting Freshman w/o any GPA yet, and your are a US citizen, call the personel office 835-3206 at Applied Research Laboratories. You will need to apply in person at 10000 Burnet Road next to Pickle Research center. Your application may sit there for several months, but you'll probably get a call eventually.
There are need-based part-time jobs offered in the Texas Union Student Employment/Referral Service in room 2.222 of the Texas Union. Or you can check the undergraduate job board across from Olga Voorlou's office RLM 5.214. Or call TEX jobline at 475-6293.
News of the Weird:
George Gibbs, 23, suffered second and third degree burns on his head in
Columbus, Ohio, in January of '94. He had diagnosed his cars problem as a frozen fuel line, which he thought he could correct by running warm gasoline through it. He then tried to heat a two-gallon can of gasoline on a gas stove.
Feeling ill? the Student Health Center is open M-F 7am-8pm, except holidays have special hours. There's no optometrist, no dentists, but there is a dermatologist, call 471-3138 for an appointment M-F 8-4. If you would like to speak to a nurse, call 471-2166, there is Health education on the 4th floor Health Center 471-6252, 471-4955 ext. 152 for laboratory results. You can reach Counseling/Mental Health Center at 471-3515.
STRESSED OUT? You can call TEX 495-9950 (then press 2 for TEXTALK) and use following codes:
10037 Relaxation exercises
10038 Coping with Stress
Use the gym! Pick up a copy of hours and activities at any of the gymnasia and ... run baby, RUN! There are many events. If you'd like more information, contact the Intramural Sports Office GRE 28, or 471-3116.
If you would like to enter a team of Physics majors, both undergraduate and graduate Physicists, just let us know. If you want to get involved in a student organization, there is a full listing in the Campus activities Office in the Texas Union 4.304 (471-3065), and OF COURSE SPS is on that list!
The length of a sleeping cat measures how hot the day is. Be cool to Coker's Cats who guard RLM. (Actually, Coker is just kind enough to feed them.)
|
Deduce a great deal from practically nothing!
One recent idea postulated that all fundamental particles were composed of photons. In an attempt to prove this, a meal was synthesized from gamma rays. Unfortunately, the food immediately propagated at 299,798 kilometers per second, leaving critics of the light lunch unsatisfied.
WOOZY THEORY: Illumination after a blow on the head unifies 3 separate realms of observation: General Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, and Scrabble. If one merely assumes that Scrabble must exist, the rest of nature follows. Gravity, for example, is necessary to keep the pieces on the board. Electromagnetism provides light to see the letters with, however, consider the problem of magnetized pieces.
Most exciting of all, Woozy Theory provides the first coherent explanation for the Universe as a whole. If Scrabble is necessary, then so are players, and a universe to play in. This also suggests that if aliens exist they may well play Scrabble!
Rival theories include unifying QFT and GR with Chess or Checkers, or even Tic-tac-toe. But those games are extremely difficult to unify with Quantum Mechanics since they lack an element of chance. And Tic-tac-toe, being a drawn game, doesn't even have pieces, so gravity is pretty shaky as well. Who'd want to live in a universe that boring, anyway? And recall an early game of Quantum Chess: after about thirty moves, black was both mated and not mated. It made for terrible arguments.
Are these, or similar theories the answer to the riddle of the universe? Most observers doubt it. But, what the heck, it keeps us off the streets.
Coming Soon: Scrabble in Curved Space-Time
So, are you curious about SPS? Be a part of it! Attend the meetings!
The Society of Physics-UT Austin Chapter
Physics Department, RLM 5.208
Austin, TX 78712
Campus Mail Code: C1600
Back to the SPS home page.
Last Modified: April 18, 2002