Graduate Students In Physics Research Articles

Orientation for the new teaching assistant—A laboratory based program

A traditional part of the “education” of a physics graduate student is facing his first class as a teaching assistant. Unfortunately, the most the new teaching assistant learns from this encounter is how little he knows about teaching. The laboratory instructors orientation program at Kansas State University offers the instructors an opportunity to see some of the problems he will face and some methods for handling them before he begins teaching. The program, which includes introductions to Transactional Analysis and Piaget's theory of intellectual development, is based on laboratory experiences undertaken by the new instructor before classes begin.

Modern Biology for Physics Graduate Students

The problem of introducing modern biology to physics graduate students is discussed briefly. An outline is given of a physics-in-biology course at the University of Colorado, together with comments on the literature used in the course.

Formulations of Classical and Quantum Dynamical Theory

G Rosen London: Academic Press 1970 pp xii + 151 price £4 9s Professor Rosen's monograph, valuable to senior undergraduate and graduate students in physics and mathematics, presents a clear and fundamental review of the mathematical structure and logical relationships between classical dynamics and quantum dynamics for nondissipative closed physical systems. The monograph is based upon the notes from a course of lectures given to seniors and graduate students.

Draft Affects 12.6% of Physics Graduate Students

Draft Affects 12.6% of Physics Graduate Students

A History of Vector Analysis

Introduction Permit me to begin by telling you a little about the history of the book1 on which this talk2 is based. It will help you understand why I am so delighted to be presenting this talk. On the very day thirty-five years ago when my History of Vector Analysis was published, a good friend with the very best intentions helped me put the book in perspective by innocently asking: “Who was Vector?” That question might well have been translated into another: “Why would any sane person be interested in writing such a book?” Moreover, a few months later, one of my students recounted that while standing in the corridor of the Notre Dame Library, he overheard a person expressing utter astonishment and was staring at the title of a book on display in one of the cases. The person was pointing at my book, and asking with amazement: “Who would write a book about that?” It is interesting that the person who asked “Who was Vector?” was trained in the humanities, whereas the person in the library was a graduate student in physics. My student talked to the person in the library, informing him he knew the author and that I appeared to be reasonably sane. These two events may suggest why my next book was a book on the history of ideas of extraterrestrial intelligent life. My History of Vector Analysis did not fare very well with the two people just mentioned, nor did it until now lead to any invitations to speak. The humanities departments at Notre Dame assumed that my subject was too technical, the science and math departments must have assumed that it was not technical enough. In any case, never in the thirty-five intervening years did I ever have occasion to talk on my topic. My response when recently asked to talk about the subject was partly delight—I had always wanted to do this—but also some hesitation—this was a topic I researched nearly forty years ago! But it has turned out to be fun. Publishing the book has also proved interesting. Although it is not for everyone, the hardbound printing of about 1200 copies gradually nearly sold out, based partly on a number of very favorable reviews. It is rare that academic books sell that many copies. As it was about to go out of print, I hit on the idea of asking Dover whether they would want to take it over. This resulted in its re-publication in 1985 with a new preface updating the bibliography; by that time, there had appeared a few dozen papers and books shedding new light on various aspects of the subject. In the early 1990s, a curious development occurred. Nearly twenty-five years after the book had been published, a research center in Paris (La Maison des Sciences de l’Homme) announced a prize competition for a study on the history of complex and hypercomplex numbers). As you can imagine, I was quite pleased to submit my book. Some months later I was notified that I was being awarded a Jean Scott Prize, which included a check for $4000. At this point, Dover decided to do a new printing of the book, which includes an announcement of the prize. In any case, the book has now been continuously in print for 35 years and has led to all sorts of interesting letters and exchanges.

Medical Radiation Physics.

According to the preface, this is intended as a textbook for a variety of readers, including resident physicians and beginning graduate students in medical physics. The number of chapters devoted to the different topics covered will give some indication of the relative importance the author assigns to each subject. The first three chapters are concerned with the structure of matter, radioactive decay, and interactions of particulate radiations, while the next four deal with the production of x rays, x-ray circuits and generators, and the fundamental interactions of x and gamma rays with matter. Dosimetry, radiation quality, interaction of radiations with body tissues, radiation fields, and other aspects of the physics of radiotherapy are discussed in Chapters 8-16. The following four chapters cover the physics of nuclear medicine, including radiation detectors, data analysis and handling, gamma-ray spectrometry, measurement of internal radioactivity, and clinical use of radioactive nuclides. Chapters 21 through 24 deal with the physics of diagnostic radiology, including intensifying screens, conventional and television fluoroscopy, cinefluorography, stereoscopic and subtraction radiography, microradiography, computers in diagnostic radiol-

Reviews

Is the preface the author says, “The reader toward whom this book is specifically directed is the space scientist or engineer who is not a specialist in solar physics, but whose work requires a fairly detailed knowledge of the corona. It is my hope, however, that the material will also prove useful to most graduate students in astrophysics, and that my colleagues in solar physics may also find some topics of interest and value to them.” After reading through the book it is this reviewer's opinion that the author's appraisal is accurate. The volume is a concise text on the history, the observational instruments, methods, and conclusions (including observations of the solar X rays, ultraviolet, wind, and the energetic solar particles from balloons and space vehicles) and the theoretical conclusions that have been reached concerning the nature, the origin, and the effects of the solar corona. The book can be read and understood is its entirety by a first‐year graduate student in physics and, with the possible exception of some sections on electromagnetic radiation and quantum mechanics, by an undergraduate. The explanations are generally complete and do not assume prior specialized knowledge.

Graduate Student Stipends

The situation of graduate students in physics is profoundly influenced by federal support, which has been applied with mixed, and occasionally contradictory, purpose. There are five important goals in the provision of graduate student stipends: (i) maintenance of "distinction for excellence"; (ii) rational distribution over scientific fields and subfields; (iii) constructive involvement of graduate students in undergraduate teaching; (iv) rational geographic and institutional distribution; and (v) administrative simplicity. These goals may be approached by making several adjustments of the present system. 1) The preeminence of individual predoctoral fellowships should be restored. They should be awarded sparingly to at most five percent of the graduate student population. 2) The great majority of stipends should take the form of traineeships. They should be assigned to departments according to rational criteria. 3) Research assistantships should be continued at a reduced level. Their maintenance will protect research activities of specific public interest when necessary. 4) Teaching should be incorporated into the normal responsibilities of fellows, trainees, and research assistants. Teaching assistance should be regarded as a budgeting category and not as an identifying characteristic of a particular group of students.

Infra-red Physics

First Page

Laminar Boundary Layers

This book presents a focused, readable account of the principal physical and mathematical ideas at the heart of fluid dynamics. Graduate students in engineering, applied math and physics taking their first graduate course in fluids will find this book invaluable in providing the background in physics and mathematics necessary to pursue advanced study. The exposition follows an arc through the subject building towards a detailed derivation of the Navier–Stokes and energy equations followed by many examples of their use in studying the dynamics of fluid flows. Modern tensor analysis is used to simplify the mathematical derivations thus allowing a clearer view of the physics. The motivation behind many fundamental concepts such as Bernoulli's equation and the stream function are included. Many exercises are designed with a view toward using MATLAB® or equivalent to simplify and extend the analysis of fluid motion including developing flow simulations based on techniques described in the book.

Survey of graduate students in physics

The President of the United States referred in his press conference of January 15, 1962, to manpower studies published by the National Science Foundation, and stated: “This has been a matter of some concern to me for some time because one of the most critical problems facing this nation is the inadequacy of scientific and technical manpower to satisfy the expanding requirements of this country's research and development efforts in the near future.”

Indiana Dedicates Physics Annex

A new wing has recently been added to Swain Hall, the home of the Physics Department at Indiana University. On November 21 and 22, 1961, the University celebrated the formal opening of the structure with a dedicatory conference attended by sixty physicists from various parts of the country. All had at one time or another received advanced degrees from the Indiana University Physics Department. One of the invited speakers at the conference was Atomic Energy Commissioner Leland J. Haworth, who received his BA in 1925, his AM in 1926, and an honorary DSc in 1961. Another was Paul W. McDaniel, director of the AEC's Division of Research, who received his PhD from the University in 1941. Nineteen of the University's former graduate students in physics presented contributed papers on topics associated with their current interests in physics.

Graduate Study

Princeton University has inaugurated a program of graduate study in the solid‐state and materials sciences leading to the PhD for graduate students in physics, chemistry, and engineering. The interdepartmental program has been organized in Princeton's School of Engineering and is under the leadership of a specialist in solid‐state physics, Roman Smoluchowski, who left the faculty of Carnegie Institute of Technology last year to accept a professorship at Princeton. Facilities are available for studies at low and at high temperatures and for research involving x‐ray diffraction, paramagnetic and nuclear resonance, color centers, conductivity and other phenomena in dielectric materials, surface properties and reactions, etc. Those taking part in the program also have access to accelerators and nuclear reactors for irradiation studies and to electronic computers for numerical calculations. The University has indicated that a number of fellowships and assistantships are available. Solidstate research activities carried out at Princeton are supported by the University and by government agencies.

Elementary Course in Solid State Physics

Engineering educators are becoming very interested in solid state physics. A course is described which is designed for seniors and beginning graduate students in both physics and engineering. Some of the difficulties in the choice of textbook and subject matter are pointed out, difficulties due in large part to the lack of background of the students. A selected bibliography, with comments, is given in the appendix.

The future supply of American physicists

Physicists-in-training have been declining in number since 1950. This decrease has been relatively sharp for undergraduate physics majors. The numbers of graduate students in physics have decreased only slightly, but this reduction seems likely to continue until about 1958. The production of doctorates in physics reached a peak in the academic year 1952–53 just closed. It is to be expected that physics PhD's will continue to be graduated in slowly diminishing numbers until about 1962, after which there should be substantial increases.

Enrollments and Degrees Awarded to Physics Majors

Data are presented showing the enrollments of undergraduate and graduate students in physics in approximately 500 colleges and universities in the United States. In the academic year 1949–50, 12,670 undergraduate and 5,560 graduate physics majors were enrolled. These numbers are about twice those of four years previous. During 1948–49 the number of degrees in physics granted were: bachelors, 3,495; masters, 920; doctors, 274. For 1949–50 the number of degrees to be granted was estimated as: bachelors, 4050; masters, 1,000; doctors, 340. The production of doctorates in physics has now reached a “normal” output, based on previous trends which indicated a rapid increase. A tabulation is presented of the bachelors, masters, and doctors degrees granted in 1948–49 by each of the 500 colleges and universities in the United States.

DIPLACUSIS AND ACUITY OF HEARING

WHILE a graduate student and National Research Fellow in Physics, from 1920 to 1923, at the University of Chicago, I had the opportunity to cooperate with Dr. J. Gordon Wilson of Northwestern University Medical School in studying various types of deafness. Many of our studies were presented to physicians and physical therapeutists. I have maintained my interest in diseases of the ear and their effects on hearing during the intervening years. The subject of diplacusis is one rarely met with and little discussed. Dr. Wilson and I reported on 1 case. 1 It is felt that the following discussion involving my case of diplacusis may prove of interest to the otologist and add to our early statement of 1923. Dr. R. S. Yancey of Dallas has been interested in the case and has made the medical treatments involved. REPORT OF A CASE History .—On Dec. 5, 1944, I was visiting one of

LIGHTING CONDITIONS AND OTHER FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE USE OF THE CLASON ACUITY METER

Associate Professor of Psychology Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa *The writer is indebted to Mr. Louie Lewis, graduate student in physics, for aid in making series I and II of these experiments. Submitted for publication January 26, 1933.