Tarleton State University

Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences

Chem 3244 Spring 1999 Physical Chemistry

Objectives

This course is a continuation of the first semester Physical Chemistry course. In this course, an overview of the concepts of Quantum Mechanics and its application to spectroscopic techniques, as well as an overview of Statistical Mechanics will be presented.

Course Procedure

Class is scheduled on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:50 a.m.-12:05 p.m. You are expected to attend all classes and perform all required homework and lab work. There will be problem sets assigned roughly on a weekly basis. Each problem set will have its due date written on it. Problem sets will be officially due at the end of class of the due date if the due date falls on a class day. If the due date falls on a day on which we have no class, the time at which the problem set is due will be noted on the problem set. In the case of a due date that does not fall on a class day, problem sets must be handed in to me personally in my office or the departmental secretary if I am not in my office. Class assignments handed in to my mailbox will count as being handed in at the time that I take it out of the mailbox. No late problem sets will be accepted. Problem sets will be graded on a 100 point scale. Problem sets not handed in will count as a "0" grade. There will be four in-class exams given during the semester. The dates of the exams are Tuesday, Feb. 2; Thursday, Feb. 25; Thursday, Apr. 1; and Thursday, Apr. 29. The final exam will be on Wednesday, May 12 from 8-10:30 a.m.

Grading

Your grade depends on your performance in the lecture, lab, and the final exam. The lecture portion of the course counts 50% of your total grade and consists of the average of your four exam grades and two times your problem set average. The lab and the final exam grades count 25% each towards your total grade. In order to pass this course, you must pass the lecture and lab portions of this course separately.

Textbooks and other required material

The textbook for this course is: Physical Chemistry by Peter Atkins, Fifth Edition. You do need to have this textbook and you have to read it. Questions may appear on tests and problem sets that covers material from the textbook that may not necessarily be covered in lecture. For lab, you must buy a Laboratory Research Notebook with recycled carbonless paper available in the bookstore. There is no alternatives to using this notebook for lab.

Tentative Course Schedule