TEACHING

“I am sorry. After many, many years of trying to teach and trying many types of different methods, I do not know how to do it yet."

Richard P. Feynman

Dali Condensed Matter Physics could be defined as the subject which tries to explain the properties of the dense forms of matter (liquids and solids) on the bases of their atomic constitution and the interactions between the constituting particles. The comprehension of the properties of condenses phases of matter from the microscopic level to the macroscopic one is among the most important hits of Physics within the 20th century. In addition, according to A. F. Jojlov, by 1995 one half of the physicists in the world were performing research in any of the domains of Condensed Matter Physics. It suffices to remember the way in which Electronics is present in our daily life to recognize that Jojlov is right.

This web is devoted to teaching some aspects of Condensed Matter Physics. In particular these are Physics of Materials, which essentially studies the structure of solids and some characterization techniques, and Solid State Physics, which studies the behavior of crystalline solids from their structures and the interactions between their constituents at atomistic scale. Both subjects are among which the graduates in Physics for the University of Extremadura must pass. In addition, some pieces of information about the subject entitled Physics I, corresponding to the first course of the Degree in Biology since the year 2009-2010, are included.

The Feynman citation is plenty of sense here. The teaching activity, seriously and rigorously considered, is a matter in front of which even the great names of Physics recognize their limitations. Under this assumption, this web does not absolutely try to constitute a daily tool for either students or professors. The contents shown here are essentially informative in nature: schedules of the contents are given, together with the evaluation criteria, bibliography, etc. The LINKS section contains some sites with additional material for the study of each subject (particularly, Java Applets for the visualization of some technical aspects). The detailed contents (including teacher's notes and classroom slides), the comprehension and evaluation activities and the scores are at the disposal of the students at the UEx Virtual Campus site; this must be considered a useful tool for daily study.