GRE Physics Test

===1. Classical mechanics (20%)=== • kinematics • Newton's laws • work and energy • oscillatory motion • rotational motion about a fixed axis • dynamics of systems of particles • central forces and celestial mechanics • three-dimensional particle dynamics • Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalism • non-inertial reference frames • elementary topics in fluid dynamics ===2. Electromagnetism (18%)=== • electrostatics • currents and DC circuits • magnetic fields in free space • Lorentz force • induction • Maxwell's equations and their applications • electromagnetic waves • AC circuits • magnetic and electric fields in matter ===3. Optics and wave phenomena (8%)=== • wave properties • superposition • interference • diffraction • geometrical optics • polarization • Doppler effect ===4. Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics (10%)=== • laws of thermodynamics • thermodynamic processes • equations of state • ideal gases • kinetic theory • ensembles • statistical concepts and calculation of thermodynamic quantities • thermal expansion and heat transfer ===5. Quantum mechanics (13%)=== • fundamental concepts • solutions of the Schrödinger equation • square wells • harmonic oscillators • hydrogenic atoms • spin • angular momentum • wave function symmetry • elementary perturbation theory ===6. Atomic physics (10%)=== • properties of electrons • Bohr model • energy quantization • atomic structure • atomic spectra • selection rules • black-body radiation • x-rays • atoms in electric and magnetic fields ===7. Special relativity (6%)=== • introductory concepts • time dilation • length contraction • simultaneity • energy and momentum • four-vectors and Lorentz transformation • velocity addition ===8. Laboratory methods (6%)=== • data and error analysis • electronics • instrumentation • radiation detection • counting statistics • interaction of charged particles with matter • lasers and optical interferometers • dimensional analysis • fundamental applications of probability and statistics 9. Specialized topics (9%) • Nuclear and particle physics • nuclear properties • radioactive decay • fission and fusion • reactions • fundamental properties of elementary particles • Condensed matter • crystal structure • x-ray diffraction • thermal properties • electron theory of metals • semiconductors • superconductors • miscellaneous • astrophysics • mathematical methods • single and multivariate calculus • coordinate systems (rectangular, cylindrical, spherical) • vector algebra and vector differential operators • Fourier series • partial differential equations • boundary value problems • matrices and determinants • functions of complex variables • computer applications ==See also==