The Many Modern Faces of Entropy (Honours)

Course manual 2023/2024

Course content

Entropy is one of the most remarkable concepts in modern physics.  We will briefly review the origin of entropy in thermodynamics and statistical physics and then proceed to newer examples in dynamical systems, information and quantum theory.  While the exact selection of topics is tentative, an important goal is to present entropy as a fundamental and unifying concept in physics.

Study materials

Literature

• Written and other source material will be provided throughout the course.

Objectives

• Understanding entropy as a unifying, widely-applicable concept in physics

Teaching methods

• Seminar
• Presentation/symposium
• Self-study

As an honors course, we employ active seminars (I don't just lecture at you, we also discus together), self-study through suggested exercises, readings and other content, and a collaborative project and presentation. Ultimately, we seek a deeper understanding of physics by exploring the similarities and differences  in the multi-faceted concept of entropy.

Learning activities

Attendance

Programme's requirements concerning attendance (TER-B):

• Each student is expected to participate actively in each component of the programme that he/she signed up for. A student that does not attend the first two seminars of a course, will be administratively removed from the seminar group. A request for reregistration for the seminars can be applied to the programme coordinator.
• If a student cannot attend an obligatory component of a programme's component due to circumstances beyond his control, he must report in writing to the relevant teacher as soon as possible. The teacher, if necessary after consulting the study adviser, may decide to issue the student a replacing assignment.
• It is not allowed to miss obligatory commponents of the programme if there is no case of circumstances beyond one's control.
• In case of participating qualitatively or quantitatively insufficiently, the examiner can expel a student from further participation in the programme's component or a part of that component. Conditions for sufficient participation are set down in advance in the course manual.
• In addition to the above mentioned rules, in the first semester of the first year a student should be present in at least 80% of the seminars. Moreover, participation to midterm tests and obligatory homework is required. If the student does not comply with these obligations, the student is expelled from the resit of this course. Students in the double Bachelor's degree programme Mathematics and Physics are exempted from this requirement. In case of personal circumstances, as described in OER-A Article A-6.4, a different study plan will be made in consultation with the study advisor.

Assessment

Inspection of assessed work

All partial grades will be announced on Canvas

Assignments

Assignments include both individual and group work and are described in detail on Canvas

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Contact information

Coordinator

• Greg Stephens