Course Announcements

• 6/5  The Final exam solution is posted here.
  
• 6/2  All HW solutions are now posted.  The final exam is 8:30 Monday morning in A118.  It will be similar to the midterms, but with 3 problems and 4 definitions instead of 2 and 3.  The TA's exams are Monday and Wednesday, so we won't finish grading until later in the week.
  
• 5/30  A larger version with a correct link to the cryogenics background information is now posted via the Notes page.
  
• 5/15  The solutions to the midterm are posted through the Exam Info page.
  
• 5/10  The midterm next MONDAY will cover through chapter 9.  You may bring a page of notes and a calculator.  Tracy Lovejoy will proctor the exam while Prof. Olmstead is at an NSF meeting.
  
• 5/10  The topics for the last week of class are currently about evenly split between phase transitions and cryogenics.  Only about half the class has voted, though, so don't forget to voice your opinion.
  
• 4/28  Please vote by May 18 via this WebQ on what topics should be covered the last week of class (Chapters 14, 15, 16 or supplemental material).
  
• 4/28  Statistical results from the 1st midterm are now posted through the Exam Info page.
  
• 4/21  The solutions to the midterm are posted through the Exam Info page.
  
• 4/05  The first HW solutions are now posted -- available both through Class Notes and Homework.
  
• 4/03  Having heard no objections, the 2nd Midterm will be moved to MAY 15.   Other web pages will be updated shortly.
  
• 3/28  The class notes files are passworded with the login and password given out in Monday's lecture.  If you have difficulty accessing them, email Prof. Olmstead and she will send you the login information.
  
• 3/21 Welcome to Physics 328, Statistical Mechanics.  To help me prepare the course at the proper level, please fill out this Start of Quarter Survey by March 28.
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  Older announcements.

Office Hours and Contact Information

• You may send Course Related Email to: ph122mo@u.washington.edu either directly or by anonymous email.
• Prof. Marjorie Olmstead olmstd@u.washington.edu    Office: B433    685-3031
• Office Hours:  B433 (may spill over into adjacent lounge by B439).
• After class, 11:20-12:00 MWF or by appointment.
• Teaching Assistant Wei Chen  chenwei@u.washington.edu
  

Course Links

• Homework
• Web Communications
• Start of Quarter Survey
• Anonymous email to Prof. Olmstead
• Reference
• Exam Info
• Syllabus
• General Course Information
• Results of Enrollment Survey.

General Information

• Text
• The required text is Statistical and Thermal Physics, by Michael D. Sturge (A. K. Peters, 2003).
• Required Work
• There will be 9 regular homework assignments (see Homework page)
• There will be 2 midterm examinations (see Exam Info page)
• There will be 1 cumulative final examination (see Exam Info page)
• Grade Calculations
• Your best 8 homeworks will count 25% of your grade.
• The best 3 of (midterm 1, midterm 2, half final, half final) will count 25% each.  In other words, if you do better on the final than on one of your midterms, the final will count 50% of your grade and your best midterm will count 25%.  If you do worse on your final than on the midterms, the final will count the same as each midterm -- each worth 25%.
• Timing
• Homework assignments must be turned in by 5 pm the day on which they are due to either Prof. Olmstead or the TA.  Homework turned in between noon and 5 pm should be brought directly to the TA or placed in his mailbox in the main office.  There will typically be a folder there for the homeworks.
  
• If you have special circumstances beyond your control (getting very sick, family emergency, job interview, grad school visits, etc.) that prevent you from timely homework or from being at a midterm, you must contact Prof. Olmstead BEFOREHAND to discuss whether or not accommodations are appropriate.   Circumstances which you should have been able to control (e.g. bad time management), or late notification of Prof. Olmstead (e.g., when you get back from the interview and not before you leave), results in that assignment or midterm being the one which is dropped.

Links to Physics Career/Major Information

• Information on Majoring in Physics at UW.
• UW Women in Science and Engineering
Provides networking, mentoring, tutoring, Study Center (for Credit!)
• UW Chapter of the Society of Physics Students
• Information on Physics Graduate Schools
  
• UW Libraries Reference page on Jobs and Careers.
• American Physical Society Statistical Reports on Physics Education and Employment, including
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• 2004 Salary Summary Report(pdf file)

• Women in Physics and Astronomy, 2005 (pdf file)
  
  Data on current and historic trends in the representation of women in physics and astronomy, including comparative data on women in related fields. Discusses the academic "pipeline" and the point at which women are leaving physics. Data on US minority women and on women in physics in other countries are also presented. Supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
  
• Physics Bachelors with Master's Degrees (pdf file)
This report describes physics bachelors who earned their degrees from 1991 through 1993, subsequently earned master's degrees in a variety of fields, and were working in 1999.   Master's degree fields, reasons for attending graduate school, and preparedness for graduate school are all discussed. Also documented are employment fields, salaries, knowledge and skills used on the job, and evaluation of undergraduate physics education.
• The Early Careers of Physics Bachelors (pdf file)
An examination of the employment patterns of people with no degrees other than physics bachelor's degrees, five to eight years after graduation. The report includes common job activities and skills used on the job. It also describes these physics bachelors' evaluations of how well physics education prepared them for careers.
• Initial Employment Report of 2001 and 2002 Physics and Astronomy Degree Recipients (pdf file)

• Physics and Astronomy Senior Report: Class of 2001 (pdf file)
• A window onto the backgrounds, experiences, and future plans of physics and astronomy majors at the point of graduation.

• 2002 Academic Workforce Report (pdf file)

• State-by-State listing of Companies Hiring Physics Bachelors (html) in 1999-2001
  

Old Announcements