Course Syllabus for Fall 2004, PY 506 section 001

Instructor Contact Information:
Name: Thomas Schaefer
Office: Bom 210
Telephone: 513-7199
E-mail address:

Regularly Scheduled Class Meeting Times: MWF 12:25 pm to 1:15 pm

Office Hours: We. 1:30-2:30 and by appointment.

Course Prerequisites:
The prerequisite for PY506 is PY 203 or 407; PY 412. Students not meeting this requirement must either drop the course or present a written request for exemption signed by the appropriate person in the Academic Affairs Office or Dean's Office of their College (COE students go to 120 Page Hall). A procedure for the latter will be given in class. Students not meeting the prerequisites, who do not obtain an approved exemption, may be dropped from the roll.

Student Learning Objectives:
The objective of this class is to be able to apply the methods of quantum mechanics to nuclear few and many body problems, and to have a general understanding of the main areas of modern nuclear physics, i.e. the quark structure of matter, phases of hadronic matter, and nuclear and neutrino astrophysics.

Textbooks:
TitleYearPrice
Introductory Nuclear Physics, by Kenneth Krane (not required) 1987 $99

Click here for information regarding the schedule, organization, and major topics of this course.

Grading Policy:
There will be one midterm exam, but no final. Instead, we will assigns papers/projects and students will make presentations. Your final grade will be determined by weighting the various portions of the course as follows:

Midterm: 20%
Final Project : 50%
Homework: 30%

There will be a 50% deduction from the Homework score in case of repeated unexcused absence.

Late Assignments and Incomplete Grades:
Extensions will be granted on homework deadlines for students with excused absences. Partially completed work will be given partial credit.

Absences and Scheduling Makeup Work:
I expect students to attend the lectures. There will be a 50% deduction from the Homework score in case of repeated unexcused absence.

Statement on Academic Integrity:
The instructor of this course is committed to upholding the University policy on academic integrity, as described in the Code of Student Conduct, which can be found at: http://www.ncsu.edu/policies/student_services/student_discipline/POL11.35.1.php (see especially Section 1 and Sections 7 through 12).

Statement for students with disabilities:
Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with verifiable disabilities. In order to take advantage of available accommodations, students must register with Disability Services for Students at 1900 Student Health Center, Campus Box 7509, 515-7653. http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/offices/affirm_action/dss/ For more information on NC State's policy on working with students with disabilities, please see http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/hat/current/appendix/appen_k.html.

Statement on laboratory safety or risk assumption:
There are no special risks.

Statement on extra expenses:
Beyond the purchase of a textbook there are no significant extra expenses.

Statement on transportation:
All class meetings and exams are conducted on campus. Transportation to an off-campus site is not required.

Other information relevant to the course:
See http://wonka.physics.ncsu.edu/~tmschaef/teaching/