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PHYS501 Symmetry, Spectroscopy and Quantum Mechanics

Updated: 21 December 2009
Credit Points 6
Offering
Responsible Campus Teaching Period Mode of Study Online Level
Armidale Semester 1 Off Campus B - Internet access required
Armidale Semester 1 On Campus B - Internet access required
Intensive School(s)
Start Finish Attendance Notes
20 April 2010 23 April 2010 Mandatory on-campus students to attend intensive school
Supervised Exam There is a UNE Supervised Examination held at the end of the teaching period in which you are enrolled.
Pre-requisites candidature in a postgraduate award
Co-requisites None
Restrictions PHYS301 or PHYS301A
Notes None
Combined Units PHYS301 - Symmetry, Spectroscopy and Quantum Mechanics
Coordinator(s) Chris Fellows (cfellows@une.edu.au)
Unit Description

The unit provides the basis for a solid understanding of the principles important to both chemists and physicists that determine fundamental atomic and molecular properties. Topics covered will be tailored for students considering either physics or chemistry and will be selected from the following: Symmetry and structure of molecules and crystals; Spectroscopy of atoms and molecules, including electronic, rotational and vibrational spectra, fluorescence and phosphorescence; the theory of quantum mechanics and its application to model systems including the simple harmonic oscillator and the hydrogenic atom, spin, identical particles and quantum statistics, and approximation methods. PHYS501 is based on the undergraduate unit with additional assessment and requires a greater level of understanding of the unit material.
Materials No text required
Disclaimer Unit information may be subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.
Assessment
Title Exam Length Weight Mode No. Words
Assignment 30%
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1, 2, 3 GA: 1, 2, 4, 6
Practical 30%
Assessment Notes
Practicals
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1, 2, 3, 4 GA: 1, 2, 4, 6
Final Examination 2 hrs 40%
Relates to Learning Outcomes (LO) and Graduate Attributes (GA)
LO: 1, 2, 3 GA: 1, 2, 6

Learning Outcomes (LO) Upon completion of this unit, students will be able to:
  1. demonstrate an understanding of the physical basis for the properties of atoms and molecules on a level suitable as a basis for further study in the physical sciences at Honours or Postgraduate level;
  2. apply this understanding to solve simple numerical problems in symmetry, spectroscopy and quantum mechanics; and
  3. apply this understanding to carry out and interpret simple experiments in symmetry, spectroscopy and quantum mechanics;
  4. demonstrate outcomes 1 to 3 and explain the significance and interrelationships between and within the topics covered and will be able to develop meaningful experiments in symmetry, spectroscopy and quantum mechanics.

Graduate Attributes (GA)
Attribute Taught Assessed Practised
1 Knowledge of a Discipline
This unit is designed to teach students experimentally verifiable facts about the natural world and how they can be structured into an organised body of knowledge. We teach them things, they apply them in practice, and we assess them on what they know. 		True True True
2 Communication Skills
In order for them to tell us what they know, they need to be able to communicate to us in writing and speech. We teach them the language of the discipline, they use it, and understanding what they say or write is a formative part of their assessment. 		True True True
4 Information Literacy
They need to look things up to find out more about the subject material of this unit. We teach them how to do this with respect to the resources specific for this unit, they use this knowledge, and finding out valid information is a formative part of their assessment. 		True True True
6 Problem Solving
We expect them to solve problems relating to the subject matter of this unit; we do example problems for them, they practice doing problems, and they are assessed on how well they do these problems in assignments and an exam. 		True True True
   

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