Active learning and learning assistant training
We promote active learning and engagements from students during lectures and tutorials, so that you as a student will learn the most and have the opportunity to give us feedback on how to improve our teaching. Students are encouraged to learn thermal physics by participating in the tutorial sessions dedicated to problem-solving assignments and discussion forum. In the group tutorials, you have the opportunity to get individual feedback on your performance.
Teaching program
The course consists of self-study, assignments, group tutorials, lectures/seminars, and lab. We have problem solving sessions (regneverksted) when there are mandatory assignments, "obligs", to hand in. We have 2 group sessions where we implement learning assistant training methods. These are closed groups with a maximum of 40 students who will be closely monitored throughout the semester.
Lectures and seminars will focus a lot on the basic concepts in thermal and statistical physics and how the concepts apply in exemplified thermal and statistical systems. Lectures may not cover the entire curriculum - you must make sure that you read the textbook and do assignments.
Textbooks
This year we will use two textbooks that cover the theoretical curriculum:
- Daniel V. Schroeder: "An Introduction to Thermal Physics".
- Chapters 1 to 7.5 (included) are part of the curriculum except sections 4.3, 4.4 and 5.6.
- Anders Malthe-S?renssen:" Statistical and Thermal Physics
Using Matlab/Python" except sections 10.5, 6.10.3, 9.7 and 9.8.
Mandatory activities
The subject includes the following mandatory activities, which must be approved before the final exam: Completion of approved learning activities equivalent to a minimum of 40 points, consisting of:
- Submission of assignment with correction of a fellow student, both of which must be approved (10 points each, 40 possible points)
- Participation in seminars (1 point each, 10 possible points)
- Participation in group teaching (1 point each, 10 possible points)
- Laboratory work with submission of assignment and correction of a fellow student
Laboratory exercises
There are two mandatory laboratory exercises as part of the course curriculum. These will be related to the theoretical part of the curriculum and combined with numerical exercises. In the weeks 39/40 and 42/43 you will have to find a time slot that is free and that hopefully suits you.
Numerical computations
In this course we will use numerical computations to build intuition about physical processes and to find solutions. You must be able to write simple scripts in Python / Matlab or your favorite coding language to be able to follow this part of the course. You will also be obliged to install and run software to do simulations on ensembles of models of atoms and molecules.
On the exam you will not be asked to run Lammps simulations or read the Lammps trajectory files. You will be expected to be able to read ascii data files with a column structure and analyse them using numerical tools.