Physics 152 Winter 1999
Thank you for handing in your papers. You can access any paper in PDF form by clicking on the title below. Please e-mail me your evaluation and question on the 3 papers you pick as soon as possible (by 3/9 at the latest), so the author has time to answer the questions before the end of next week.
There are many interesting topics in condensed matter physics that we will not be able to cover. This project gives you the opportunity to choose one and study it in some detail.
The end result should be a paper ~5-8 pages long that explains the topic from scratch up to the point where it gets really interesting to somebody with your level of knowledge (e.g. your class mates), covering both theoretical and experimental aspects. It should start at about a Scientific American level and then get more specific, trying to make contact with topics in the course as much as possible. Don't try to cover everything about the topic, rather concentrate on what you find most interesting and make sure you understand what you say and make it understandable to the reader.
In addition to writing your own paper, you will be required to read 3 other papers of your choice written by your fellow students. For each of these , you should then write a short evaluation of it , as well as formulate one (sensible) question about the topic that was not covered in the paper, to be answered by the person that wrote that paper, if possible.
Credit for this project will be up to 20 points for your paper and up to 5 points for your evaluation and questions on other people's papers as well as answers to questions asked about your paper, up to a maximum of 25 points (25% of course grade ) .
Use the reference given below, material you find in the course books on reserve, and at least two other references. List all references at the end of the paper and refer to them in the paper as needed. You should not use other people's words but your own in writing your paper; any full sentence or sentence part that is substantially identical to that found in any other place will make your paper not acceptable.
Possible topics and a reference are given below . If you need more help with references consult me in office hours. You may also choose a topic not on this list with my consent .
Individual work is expected. Please send me an e-mail with your chosen topic as soon as possible. Since I would like to have a variety of topics I will ask you to pick another one if several people pick the same topic. After you have started and looked at some references you should consult with me to make sure you are on the right track.