Physics Qualifying Examination Problems and Solutions

Designed for use in tandem with the 'Handbook of Physics', this volume is nonetheless self-contained and can be used on its own. The chapters are based on lectures delivered annually by Professor Poole in a course to prepare students for their PhD qualifying examination in the physics department at the University of South Carolina. The book contains 120 selected problems (and answers) that appeared in these examinations, and each one refers to the chapter in the Handbook that discusses the background for it. Professor Farach has kept a record of all the qualifying examinations in the department since 1981. It covers all relevant physics subjects, which are otherwise scattered in different preparation publications or university scripts, including: * Atomic physics * Classical mechanics * Condensed matter * Electromagnetic theory * Nuclear and elementary particle physics * Optics * Quantum mechanics * Relativity * Thermodynamics and statistical physics. An excellent self-study approach to prepare physics PhD candidates for their qualifying examinations.

Horacio A. Farach received his Ph.D. degree in physics from the University of Buenos Aires in 1956. He moved to the University of South Carolina in 1966, where he spent 40 years working in collaboration with Professor Charles Poole. Together they have published 13 books and more than 150 research papers. Professor Farach is a member of the Academy of Sciences of Argentina and has received numerous awards - University, National, and International - in both research and teaching. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. Charles P. Poole, Jr. is distinguished professor emeritus in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of South Carolina. He is the author or coauthor of two dozen books, including five on Superconductivity, two on Nanotechnology and ten on Magnetic Resonance. He had taught qualifying examination preparation courses for more than two decades. John L. Safko, Sr. received his Ph.D. degree in physics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1965. From 1964 to 2001, he consecutively held positions as assistant, associate, and full professor at the University of South Carolina, from 2001 to 2002 that of a distinguished professor, after which he took retirement. Professor Safko is a Fellow of several societies, among them the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has published numerous books and papers.