Welcome to the tutorials for A3 Quantum Mechanics, and for Mathematical Methods. As was done in the past, these topics will be combined and taught together (following structures that were set up in the past by several tutors, including Martin Kiffner and Stephen Clark – though I will adapt these and tailor them to best support you throughout the year).
Below we give an overview of the tutorial format. Specific tutorial information is grouped by terms on the following pages:
Michaelmas Term 2024Problem sheets are composed of a subset of questions extracted from the major problem sheets for the maths methods and quantum courses. The problem sheets will be available for download from Canvas.
Please submit all written work in a handwritten form, either electronically by e-mail to me, or in paper format to the Keble porters by 7:00pm on the noted due date, which will be specified for each tutorial.
Tutorial sessions will begin with a joint class of approximately 1.5 - 2 hours for all of you. This will be followed by paired tutorials of 30 minutes each, in the same room. The written work will be returned before tutorials.
Self-assessed and Main questions
When examining the problem sheet you will notice that they are separated into two parts - self-assessed and main questions. You should read all of the questions before starting. Write the answers to each section separately in your script. The self-assessed component is made up of questions for you to practise essential mathematical skills and reproduce important bookwork derivations. Work on this section must be handed in, as evidence that you have attempted them, but will not be marked. Instead I will give you an answer sheet in the tutorial for you to mark your own work afterwards. The main questions are those which should be attempted and handed in. These questions are often a little harder and will be marked by me.
Essay Questions
These will be specified for each week. The purpose of essay questions is for you explore your notes and textbooks for material discussing a more fundamental underlying question or issue. You should formulate a written explanation including relevant mathematical content from what you find. As a guide you should not write more than one handwritten page per question, and typically half a page is sufficient if it is clear, direct and succinct. You should think about this, and write the answer in your own words, not copy an “ideal” solution from a textbook or other source. To support this, I will only accept handwritten answers, unless there is a reason this will cause particular problems (in which case, please ask beforehand).
Class Question
Similarly specified for each week, the points referred to under Questions are points that will be discussed in class. I will expect you to have looked for background materials and considered the issues involved beforehand. In particular you should hand in some brief bullet points outlining your ideas and potential contributions to the class discussion. I’m not necessarily looking for correctness or fully formed answers, just evidence of some thought.
I recommend that you make a brief cover sheet for your tutorial work in which you write down a quick bullet list of unresolved problems or issues you had while tackling any part of the work we have done so far. I will attempt to help answer questions you raise here in our tutorial.
For some parts, you might also find the following useful: