CEM 991: Quantum
Chemistry and Statistical Thermodynamics I, Fall 2021
CEM
991 has required lecture attendance and includes deadlines for completion of homework
assignments. It also includes testing in the form of midterm and final exams,
as posted on the course website and communicated to the students via email.
Students enrolled
in CEM 991 and the CEM 991 instructor must follow the MSU COVID guidelines, summarized
at the end of this document and based on the information provided to all course
instructors in the Department of Chemistry by the Department Chair, Professor Timothy Warren, and the Associate
Dean for Undergraduate Studies at the College of Natural Science, Professor Lynmarie Posey.
Lectures:
MWF 3:00 pm – 3:50 pm, Room 111, Biochemistry
Bldg.
Lectures begin on Wednesday, September
1, 2021, and end on Friday, December 10, 2021.
After consulting with the students, additional lecture time or review sessions, at the level of an extra hour in some weeks, may be scheduled as the need arises.
Instructor:
Professor Piotr Piecuch, Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University, Chemistry Bldg., Room 17 (inside Theory Suite, Room 19).
Office telephone: 517-353-1151.
Email (preferred): piecuch at chemistry dot msu dot edu.
Websites: https://www.chemistry.msu.edu/faculty-research/faculty-members/piotr-piecuch/ (department) and https://www2.chemistry.msu.edu/faculty/piecuch/ (group)
Course web site:
https://www2.chemistry.msu.edu/courses/cem991/FS21/syllabus-CEM991-FS21.htm (this page).
Course contents:
The contents of the
course, with references to the relevant chapters in the principal
textbook (a PDF file), can be downloaded from here.
Office hours:
Mondays, 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm, Room 17, in Theory Suite (enter through Room 19), Chemistry Bldg. For additional in-person or virtual appointments, contact the instructor by email.
Principal textbook (recommended,
but not required), lecture notes, and handouts:
Eugen Merzbacher, Quantum Mechanics, 3rd edition (Wiley, New York, 1998). This book (particularly, Chapters 1-6, 8-12, and 14-19) provides a general framework for the course. Other books and sources of information will be used to discuss specific topics (see, for example, books on reserve).
All homework assignments and exams will be based on the material presented by the instructor during lectures. Thus, attendance at the scheduled lectures is required and taking notes during the lectures is strongly recommended to facilitate learning. For the students who must miss a class due to illness or other similarly serious circumstances, appropriate accommodations will be provided by the instructor. The lecture notes created by the instructor on an iPad during the Fall 2020 Semester can be found on the course website in the homework section (see the Homework Assignments section for further information). Additional handouts may be provided by the instructor to the students by email or as hard copies.
Related books:
A number of related books on quantum and classical mechanics, quantum chemistry, mathematical methods of physics and chemistry, and physical chemistry that may be used for various aspects of the course material have been placed on reserve in the Main Library. Please use the link https://lib.msu.edu/resources/reserves/?ref=ql and search for CEM991 or the instructor’s name (last, first) for further information.
Homework assignments:
There will be eight assignments, which will be successively added to the course web site during the semester as PDF files. They will contain information about the relevant due dates. Students, who have registered for CEM 991, will be able to access them by clicking here and using their MSU NetID information. It is expected that students email their homework assignments as PDF files by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on the respective due dates. Late homeworks will not be accepted. Homework assignment solutions will be made available as PDF files and posted after the successive due dates. All homework assignments can contribute up to 200 points (20 %) to the final grade (assuming 25 points per assignment).
Some useful items
from lectures and other information:
The course web site provides some useful items from lectures and additional information related to the material taught in the course. Please click here to access this additional information.
Midterm exams:
There will be two midterm exams, each contributing up to 250 points (25 %) to the final grade. Students must bring their MSU ID’s to every examination. The dates of midterm exams will be announced later.
Final exam:
The final exam, originally scheduled
on Monday, December 13, 2021, from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, has been rescheduled to
Tuesday, December 14, 2021. To conduct the final exam, Room 111 in the
Biochemistry Bldg. has been reserved from 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. The final exam will
contribute up to 300 points (30 %) to your final grade. Students must bring
their MSU ID’s to the final examination.
Grading scheme:
|
Assignments |
200 points |
20 % of the final grade |
|
Midterm exam I |
250 points |
25 % of the final grade |
|
Midterm exam II |
250 points |
25 % of the final grade |
|
Final exam |
300 points |
30 % of the final grade |
|
Total |
1000 points |
100 % |
Final grades will be assigned according to the
following table:
|
85.0 – 100.0 % (850 – 1000 points) |
4.0 |
|
75.0 – 84.9 % (750 – 849 points) |
3.5 |
|
65.0 – 74.9 % (650 – 749 points) |
3.0 |
|
60.0 – 64.9 % (600 – 649 points) |
2.5 |
|
55.0 – 59.9 % (550 – 599 points) |
2.0 |
|
50.0 – 54.9 % (500 – 549 points) |
1.5 |
|
45.0 – 49.9 % (450 – 499 points) |
1.0 |
|
0.0 – 44.9 % (0 – 449 points) |
0.0 |
Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities:
Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services, and activities. Requests for accommodations by persons with disabilities may be made by contacting the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at 517-884-7273 or on the web at https://www.rcpd.msu.edu/. Once your eligibility for an accommodation has been determined, you will be issued a Verified Individual Services Accommodation (“VISA”) form. Please present this form to the instructor at the start of the semester and/or at least two weeks prior to the accommodation date (test, final exam, homework, etc.). Requests received after this date will be honored whenever possible.
(provided to the instructor
by the Chair of the Department of Chemistry, Professor Timothy Warren, and the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies at the College of
Natural Science, Professor Lynmarie
Posey)
Italicized
text below was excerpted from the Together We Will website on
8/13/21. Visit the COVID directives website and FAQs for the most up-to-date information.
Individuals
with COVID-19 are highly infectious for up to two days before the onset of
symptoms. Thus, face coverings are a crucial public health measure and help
protect others by reducing exposure to droplets if someone is unknowingly
infected with COVID-19. Wearing a face covering, whether [or not] you feel
ill or have been diagnosed with COVID-19, is critical to maintaining everyone’s
health and safety.
[F]ace
coverings must be worn by everyone indoors (including
all faculty, staff, students, vendors and visitors)
while you are on property owned or governed by MSU or while participating in
MSU-related or MSU-sponsored activities. If you have a medical condition that
may prevent you from safely wearing a face covering, you should contact MSU’s Resource Center for
Persons with Disabilities to begin the accommodation process. From
the APUE (8/20), individuals “must receive documents attesting to their
exemption from the mask mandate before entering an MSU building without a mask.”
Students
should “refrain from eating or drinking during class to avoid having to remove
their masks. If they do consume food or drinks
inside, they should remove the mask only to take a sip of beverage or
a bite to eat, and they must replace the mask properly
between each bite and sip.” (from the
APUE (8/20/21)
Face
coverings should:
1.
be non-medical grade to maintain supplies for health
care use,
2.
fit snugly against the side of your face,
3.
cover your nose and mouth,
4.
be secured with ties or ear loops, and
5.
allow for breathing without restriction.
Cloth
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hand washed or laundered with soap/detergent before subsequent use. Face
coverings may vary (for example, disposable non-medical masks are acceptable).
If
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requirement [causing] disruption in the classroom will result in the
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Symptoms
may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Using whichever tools and
processes are made available by the university, pay attention for the
appearance of possible flu-like symptoms, including:
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Fever or chills
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Cough
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Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
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Fatigue
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Muscle or body aches
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Headache
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New loss of taste or smell
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Sore throat
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Congestion or runny nose
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This
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the CDC, will continue to update the list as they learn more about COVID-19. If
you begin exhibiting symptoms, stay home and contact the Olin Health Center’s
24-hour nurse line at (517) 353-5557 or your personal health care provider.
Do not come to
class if experiencing COVID symptoms!
The
best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus. If you
believe you have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should self-quarantine
and monitor your symptoms. If feeling ill, students should contact MSU's
COVID-19 hotline at 855-958-2678 or contact their health care provider.
MSU
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“Anyone diagnosed with
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appear and for 24 hours after fever has subsided without the
use of fever-reducing medications and other related symptoms
are improving. If you tested positive for COVID-19
but showed no symptoms, you should isolate for 10 days after your
positive COVID-19 test.” (from the APUE, 8/20/21)
For
the protection of the entire community, MSU expects all faculty, staff, and
students to follow all applicable state and public health guidance and cooperate
with public health authorities, including, but not limited to, participating in
contact tracing efforts.
To
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