The Physics GRE

Please find below a compilation of useful study material for the Physics GRE subject test. If you find any of the links to be invalid, or if you have additional material that will be useful for future students please e-mail the department at Chmphy@troy.edu. The contents of this page have been built by physics majors for physics majors.

GRE Physics Test Practice Book (columbia.edu)

GRE Physics Test Practice Book (hmc.edu)

Physics Formulae Flashcards (thanks to Case Western Reserve University) can be found here: https://physics.case.edu/flashcards/

More Information for the Physics GRE including a link to Conquering the Physics GRE can be found here: https://lavinia.as.arizona.edu/~timestep/approaching-the-physics-gre.pdf

Videos for the Course

Survey of Physics 1

1. Centre of mass of a hemisphere: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBGsorVYqfo

2. Archimedes’ principle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qgl_l0H7Qgc

3. Conical Pendulum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C2gUcmFANA

Survey of Physics 2

1. Drift Velocity and current density: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KM5bq0O48o

2. Biot Savart law: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rBz3yUVrwE

3. Hall Effect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMsuv9PadpY

4. Capacitance with two different dielectrics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZJqS6G9pVM

Modern Physics

1. Blackbody radiation and Ultraviolet catastrophe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BXvc9W97iU

2. The Bohr model: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXxsT1ut35Q

3. Rydberg constant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kOdbqoycmY

4. Quantum Numbers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP35NuspGlk

5. Spectroscopic notation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aehyxwC0KC8

6. Finite well, delta and step function: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqQen1_OwUc

Quantum Mechanics

1. Dirac Delta potential: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcuY46RwoV0

2. Fine structure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlZf4aOkNMQ

3. Hyperfine Structure: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hyperfine+structure

4. Entanglement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3HSP3qMgKI

5. Paramagnetism and dimagnetism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7vvUaqu5As

Electrodynamics and Electronics

1. Vector Identities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9ARKLyX77I

2. Method of Images: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoQ3KP2oSMo

3. Field in Materials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z4jfhYFK08

4. Magnetic hysteresis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYZBmNxV9N4

5. Semiconductors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ethnHSgVbHs

6. Diodes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g54vURe47gM

7. Operational Amplifier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJDjWZqhpVc

8. Logic Gates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gI-qXk7XojA

Classical Mechanics

1. Lagarangian example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD2nn10oY0U

2. Hamiltonian example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VXDbFELld8

3. Coupled oscillators: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_ZkKPtgTeA

4. Orbital mechanics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=000zDI2nmq8

5. Kepler’s law: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCsbSq9wlyI

Statistical mechanics and Thermodynamics

1. T-ds Diagrams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttWEuPhgSio

2. Otto cycle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3zvudVMM7U

3. Partition function for a quantum harmonic oscillator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAZF66MqK6E

Special Relativity

1. Lorentz transformation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIQ5hnm61LQ

2. Length contraction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPzGAksFCbs

3. Time dilation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LeaJdT70zQ

4. Relativistic lifetime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf12mD3ca6o

5. Velocity Addition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9BW57exRn8

6. Total energy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K8GOYhAX5k

Optics

1. Multiple Lenses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Im-NQeqjYg

2. Polarization and Malus law: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1sZY826Qys

3. Single slit diffraction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hCrhllI0ck

4. Double slit experiment : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaAthgG0o8o

5. Thin film interference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2uETbwBQ_Q

Solid State Physics

1. Unit Cells: Wigner Seitz Unit Cell

2. Einstein’s model: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnZvNgpNOSo

3. Debye’s model: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93gcZEtmL7s

4. Drude Theory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUgznl03Ffo

Particle physics

1. The standard model: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYcw8nV_GTs

2. Fundamental particles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7orJnDFrClI

3. Conservation Laws: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkFr3BGO8Dg

Special topics

1. Radioactive Decay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWAsz59F8gA

2. Half-life problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTQvfvoOF3g

3. Geiger Counter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXwIzOalFo8

4. Poisson Distribution: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmqZG6roVqU

5. Propagation of Error: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0ZRvvHfF0E

6. Semi log and Log-log plot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCmMAfxctdI

7. Bose Einstein Condensation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksdqxVxpjmA=

8. Superfluidity in Helium: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJblFBwqjPo

9. Cerenkov Radiation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjx0BSXa0Ks

10. LASERS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JOchLyNOw

Remedial Section: This section is supposed to help you make up for the topics that may show up on the test from the classes that you have not taken already.

If you have not taken Quantum mechanics

1. Introduction to Dirac notation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2NMWEsNcTs

2. Representation of Spin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWM0RXg-uvI

3. Calculating Probabilities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wV0bqEO5Lo

4. Calculating expectation value: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQKV-hpsurs

5. Postulates of Quantum Mechanics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVgQBmu-fRQ

6. Angular momentum operator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoCHe0mtxu0

7. Calculating commutators: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omOlRFTfwGk

8. Diagonalizing the Hamiltonian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g45VQMyF78

9. Quantum Harmonic oscillator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzhFA3BIqp8

10. Raising and lowering operators: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izu6ymMd6IQ

If you have not taken Electrodynamics