PHY2202 MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS II

This is a second course in Mathematical Physics. The course provides students with adequate mathematical skills required in higher courses in Physics. The course covers orthogonal curvilinear coordinates, Fourier series, generalized functions and special functions, like Legendre polynomials and Bessel functions, the Laplace and the Fourier transforms

Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students should be able to

• Use cylindrical and spherical coordinates in solving Physics problems
• Determine the Fourier series of any periodic function
• Use the Dirac-delta function and the unit step function
• Use the Legendre polynomials and Bessel functions
• Solve differential equations using the Laplace transform
• Use the Fourier transform tables to determine the spectrum of a given signal

Expected outcomes
On completion, successful students will be able to

• Convert from Cartesian to cylindrical or spherical coordinates, and vice-versa
• Determine the Fourier coefficients of the Fourier series of a function
• Expand a given function in Legendre polynomials
• Use tables of Laplace transforms to find inverse Laplace transforms
• Solve differential equations with given initial conditions using the Laplace transform