The University of Virginia Physics PHd Qualifying Exam[]
All UVa physics PHd candidates must pass the UVa physics qualifier (qual) in order to continue on to receive a PHd. The qualifier covers four basic areas of physics;
- Classical Mechanics
- Thermodynamics & Statistical Mechanics
- Electricity & Magnetism
- Quantum Mechanics.
The last two sections are the major sections and are given twice as much weight as the first two.
Schedule[]
Traditionally, the qual has been offered at the beginning of the fourth semester (January) after having completed the required course work and again near the end of the fourth semester(April) for those students that did not pass the first time. For 2007 and later the qualifier has been restructured. It is intended that the qualifier will now be administered after the second semester (May) and again before the start of the third semester (August) as a last chance. As part of the transition, the exam will be offered three times during 2007; January, May, and August. The test is split over two days with one day covering Classical and E&M, the other covering Stat. Mech. and Quantum. Each testing day consists of six questions (two from the minor section and four from the major section) and four hours are given to solve the questions.
Problems and Solutions[]
Classical Mechanics[]
- assstupid
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- Cubic pendulum
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- Space station orbit
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- Rotating tube
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Statistical Mechanics[]
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- Entropy, work, and Helmholtz free energy
- Grand Canonical Partition function
- Ferromagnet
- Bose-Einstein Condensation temperature
- Landau quantization
- Stirling cycle
- Spin 1/2 particles in magnetic field
- Ideal gas of massless Bosons
- Phase equilibrium and Clausius-Clapeyron equation
- Adiabatic expansion, Carnot Cycle
- Ensemble of spins in B-field
- P-V curve
- Compression of ideal gas
- Heat Capacity of ideal gas
- Blackbody radiation
- Gas leaking through a small hole
- Neutron star
- Free energies for mass on elastic thread
- Centrifuge
- Ionized gas
- Entropy of mixing
- Joule-Thompson effect
- Isothermal compression
- Equipartition of energy
- Max work from cooling
- Two connected systems
- Relation between Cp and Cv
- Blackbody radiation
- Two gases mixing
- Joule-Kelvin (Thompson) coefficient
- Adiabatic expansion, isothermal compression
- Gibbs free energy and entropy of monatomic gas
- Enthalpy from equation of state and heat capacity
- Expansion of saturated vapor
- System of 2-state particles
- Internal energy, constant number of particles
- Partition function and distribution function
- Adiabatic and isothermal nonsense
- Crazy heat engine
- Two gases in separate containers
Electricity and Magnetism[]
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- Meissner effect in super conducting sphere
- Atomic spectral line
- Cylindrical capacitor in liquid dielectric
- Circular polarized light incident o bound electron
- Rectangular waveguide
- Two rotating charged spheres
- Potential inside a box
- Index of refraction of the ionosphere
- Cerenkov radiation
- Charge subjected to a wave described by vector potential
- Rectangular current loop
- Cylinder carrying current I
- Radiating particle in two inertial frames
- B-field and E-field in lab frame from moving frame
- Energy flux conservation in resistor
- Potential of dielectric sphere
- Skin depth
- Spherical cavity in a conductor
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Quantum Mechanics[]
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- Stark effect for hydrogen atom
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- Two electrons confined to a circle
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