Errata for Conquering the Physics GRE, edition 2

March 12, 2017

This document contains corrections to Conquering the Physics GRE, edition 2. It includes
errata that are present in both all printings of edition 2. All errata known at the time of the
most recent printing were corrected for that printing, reflecting most of the changes in this
list. For errata for edition 1 (printings 1.0, 1.1, and 2.0), and the old stand-alone sample
exams, see the other errata file on our website. Note that both page numbers and section
numbers may change slightly between each printing of the book, though section numbers
should be more stable. The page numbers listed here refer to the page of the error in the
latest version in which the error is still present.
Feel free to contact us at [email protected] if any of the information here
is unclear.

1 Version 1.2 Errata

1.1 Special Relativity
• §6.2.1 p. 222: As a matter of terminology, the wave four-vector stated in eq. (6.15)
should be written as k µ = (ω/c, k).

1.2 Exam 1
• Problem 27 solution, p. 370: The perturbing potential should read V (x) = −qE0 x,
although the answer is unchanged by the omission of the q.

2 Version 1.1 Errata

2.1 Classical Mechanics
• §1.4.1 p. 19: the second-to-last sentence of the first paragraph, both instances of the
word “velocity” should read “speed” instead.

1
2.2 Electricity and Magnetism
• §2.7.3 p. 96: eq. (2.80) should read UL instead of UI .

• §2.7.4 p. 97: under “RL circuits,” the first sentence should read “resistor and inductor
in series with a voltage source,” NOT “in parallel.”

2.3 Optics and Waves

• §3.2.2 p. 113: eq. (3.18) should specify that m = 1, 2, ... for the interference minimum
condition to hold. As described in the text, m = 0 corresponds to an interference
maximum, not minimum.

2.4 Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics

• §4.2.6 p. 147: the expression for density is missing a factor of N : ρ = mN/V , where m
is the mass of a single gas particle. Consequently, eq. (4.42) should not have a factor
of N : r
kB T
c= γ .
m

2.5 Quantum Mechanics

• §5.5.4 p. 192: in the last bullet point, all instances of l should read s instead.

• §5.8 p. 213: In the solution to problem 1 in the Approximation Methods section, the
equation in the final sentence has a sign error. It should read ∆E = K(−2−1) = −3K.

2.6 Special Relativity

• §6.2.1, p. 221: the sentence below eq. (6.12) should read “The top 2 × 2 block of the
matrix reproduces (6.1)–(6.2). . . ”

2.7 Laboratory Methods

• §7.2.1 p. 238: the sentence below eq. (7.5) is incorrect as stated, the total variance is
the harmonic mean of the variances divided by the sample size.

• §7.3.1 p. 241: the last equality in the expression for ZLC is missing a minus sign.

2.8 Specialized Topics

• §8.1.1 p. 256: there is a typo in the fourth sentence of the second paragraph. It should
read “the tau [is] about 20 times the mass of the muon,” NOT 1000 times the mass of
the muon.

2
2.9 Special Tips and Tricks for the Physics GRE
• §9.4 p. 279: there is a typo in the sixth sentence of the last paragraph. It should read
1 1
300K ≈ 40 eV, NOT 1K ≈ 40 eV.

2.10 Exam 1
• Problem 62 solution, p. 379: There are some notational errors in this derivation, and
the text is not particularly clear. This solution should be replaced by a cleaner version
such as this:
While this is a good fact to memorize, we can get it quickly by recalling Poisson’s
equation in SI units:
∇2 V = −ρ/0
q 1
Since the potential of a point charge at the origin is q is V = , and its charge
4π0 r
density is ρ = qδ 3 (r), we can read off ∇2 V = −4πδ 3 (r). Even without remembering
this shortcut, it’s not too bad to derive. To do this, consider what happens when we
integrate the Laplacian around a small sphere of radius R about the origin r = 0:
Z   Z   
2 1 3 1
∇ dr = ∇· ∇ d3 r
V r r
Z  
1
= ∇ · dS
S r
Z 2π Z π  
∂ 1
= R2 sin θ dθ dφ
0 0 ∂r r
2
R
= −4π 2 .
r
Now consider what happens when we vary the integration region defined by R. If r > 0
and we take R → 0, we obtain 0. If r = R and we take R → 0, we obtain −4π, even
though we are shrinking the volume of integration arbitrarily small. The one function
for the Laplacian that is consistent with these two limits is the delta function. In other
2 1


words, ∇ r = −4πδ 3 (r).
• Solution 64, p. 380: There are a couple typos in the formulas in the last sentence of
the first paragraph. It should read: “From γ = (1 − v 2 )−1/2 , this corresponds to a
velocity vLab = (1 − m2K /E 2 )1/2 .” The rest of the solution is correct as written.
• Problem 73 and solution, p. 303 and 382: The first equation in the solution is missing
a factor of R in the last equality. It should read F = −kRω = mRω̇. This error
is propagated through the rest of the solution and the answer choices for the prob-
lem, resulting in inconsistent units. To correct this, all factors of e−kRt/m should be
replaced by e−kt/m , including in each of the answer choices in the problem. With this
modification the correct answer choice remains unchanged.

3
 • Solution 83, p. 385: the solution is ambiguous about the roles of the kinetic and poten-
tial energy in the Hamiltonian H. Between the sentences “After a sudden expansion”
and “The expectation value of energy after the expansion,” add the following:
The potential V also stays constant on the interval [0, a], but changes from ∞ to 0 on
~2 d2
the interval [a, 2a]. Since ψ vanishes on [a, 2a], the kinetic energy operator T = − 2m dx2
gives zero when acting on ψ. (If you’re worried about the fact that the derivative of ψ
is discontinuous at x = a, meaning that the second derivative is a delta function, note
that ψ(a) = 0, and zero times a delta function is still zero.)
• Solution 84, p. 385: the solution did not specify how choice C could be eliminated.
The revised solution reads:
D - This looks long and complicated, but it’s really just a matter of limiting cases. A
and B are eliminated by dimensional analysis, since the reflection coefficient must be
dimensionless. To eliminate E, note that as α → 0, the coefficient of reflection must go
to zero because the barrier disappears, and the particle continues to propagate to x > 0
with probability 1. Choice C looks reasonable at first, but the reflection coefficient must
always take a value between 0 and 1, by definition, for all values of parameters in the
problem. If α is chosen sufficiently large, then the reflection coefficient of choice C is
greater than 1, which is unphysical. This leaves only D.

2.11 Exam 2
• Problem 2, p. 312: the directions of the particle velocity and B should be swapped.
The first sentence of the problem should read: “A charged particle moving in the
direction n̂ = √12 (x̂ + ŷ) enters a region of uniform magnetic field B = B0 x̂.” The
solution remains unchanged.

2.12 Exam 3
• Problem 20, p. 343: Answer choice D should have T 3 in the numerator, NOT T 2 . The
solution is correct as written.
• Solution 8, p. 412: The correct answer should be B NOT A. The component of the
centrifugal force perpendicular to the string is obtained by multiplying by cos(45◦ − θ)
NOT cos(45◦ + θ). This change of sign introduces a minus sign into the denominator
of the final answer, causing the correct answer to change from A to B.

3 Version 1.0 Errata

3.1 Classical Mechanics
• §1.2.1 p. 8: first sentence below eq. (1.4) should read “the tangential acceleration is
zero” instead of “the radial acceleration is zero.”

4
 • §1.2.2 p. 10: problem 2 should specify that the satellite’s orbit has the same period as
the Earth’s rotation.

• §1.3.1 p. 12: we should clarify that r̂ is the vector between the two masses, and that
the sign depends on which force (1 on 2, or 2 on 1) is being considered

• §1.3.3 p. 14: third paragraph should reference Section 1.3.2 rather than Section 1.3.1.

• §1.4.5 p. 23: problem 5 should specify that the puck is a point mass and that the
string is massless.

• §1.7.4 p. 43: the last sentence of problem 2 should read “What horizontal distance x
does the ball travel before returning to its height at launch?”

• §1.7.4 p. 45: below eq. (1.52), the sentence should read “pushing up” instead of
“pushing down.”

• §1.9 p. 51: In the solution to problem 2, the italicized text should read “in the sphere”
instead of “on the sphere.”

3.2 Electricity and Magnetism

• §2.1.2 p. 59: the last sentence before section 2.1.3 should read ρ(r) ∝ δ 3 (r) NOT
ρ(r) = δ 3 (r).

• §2.1.3 p. 60: item 2 should specify that the field is either constant and perpendicular
to S or parallel to S, and item 3 should say that |E| is constant whenever E · dS is
nonzero, not that the field itself is constant.
R
• §2.2.2 Rp. 74: the LHS of the first equation below (2.27) should read |B| C dl instead
of |B| C dl.

• §2.3.3 p. 82: the discussion of mutual inductance is garbled and the first paragraph
should read as follows: “When two current loops are positioned close to each other, a
changing current in one produces a time-varying magnetic field that can influence the
other and vice-versa. The flux Φ21 through loop 2 is proportional to the current I1 in
loop 1 via
Φ21 = M12 I1 ,
where M12 is a constant entirely dependent on geometry and known as the mutual
inductance. It turns out that M12 = M21 , so this relationship is symmetric: Φ12 =
M21 I2 = M12 I2 .

• §2.8 p. 100: in the solution to problem electrodynamics to problem 3, the pairs A and
B and C and D are swapped in the last two sentences, which should read “A and B
can be eliminated by dimensional analysis. Its a tough call between C and D. . . ”

5
3.3 Optics and Waves
• §3.2.4 p. 113: in the middle of the last paragraph before section 3.2.5, the sentence
should read “odd or even multiple of π as appropriate,” NOT “odd or even multiple
of 2π.”

• §3.6 p. 127: in the solution to problem 13, the second sentence should read “m < 0”
rather than “m < 1.”

3.4 Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics

• §4.1.4 p. 133: the Hamiltonian we wrote for a diatomic gas is an unholy combination
of Hamiltonian and Lagrangian variables. It should read

p2x p2y p2 L2 L2 p2 1
H= + + z + 1 + 2 + s + ks2 ,
2m 2m 2m 2I1 2I2 m 2
where L1 and L2 are the momenta conjugate to rotations about the two rotational
axes, and ps is the momentum conjugate to s.

• §4.1.4 p. 134: in the second paragraph, all occurrences of “heat capacity” should read
“internal energy.”

• §4.1.4 p. 134: in the third paragraph, the first sentence should read “still applies to
translational and rotational degrees of freedom” (NOT vibrational)

• §4.2.6 p. 145: eqs. (4.41) and (4.42) apply to ALL ideal gases, not just monotonic
ones.

• §4.3 p. 146: the LHS of eqs. (4.45) and (4.46) should read hN i instead of N , because
they represent average particle number.

• §4.5 p. 152: in the solution to problem 11, the equation after “The internal energy
still depends on a” was missing a minus sign and should read U = −∂ ln ZN /∂β =
−N a + · · · . The solution to the problem is unaffected.

• §4.5 p. 152: in the solution to problem 13, the LHS of the last equation on the page
should be hN i instead of N .

3.5 Quantum Mechanics and Atomic Physics

• §5.4.3 p. 180: Due to a copy-and-paste error, equation (5.43) is incorrect and should
read
~2 e2 1
H = − ∇2 −
2µ 4π0 r

6
3.6 Special Relativity
• §6.4.1, p. 225: the right-hand side of the last formula before sec. 6.4.2 should have
femit not νemit on the RHS.

3.7 Laboratory Methods

• §7.4.2, p. 243: in “Pair production”, the first sentence was missing a factor of c2 and
should read Eγ > 2me c2 .

3.8 Specialized Topics

3.9 Special Tips and Tricks for the Physics GRE
3.10 Exam 1
• Problem 74 solution, p. 380-381: The expressions for the moment of inertia and the
mass of the cylinder should include extra factors of z, the length of the cylinder.
These factors cancel in the solution, so the answer remains unchanged. The corrected
calculation of the cylinder moment of inertia should read:
Z
I = r2 dm
Z R
= ρ(r)r2 (2πrz dr)
0
Z R
= 2πz Ar4 dr
0
2πzA 5
= R .
5
And the corrected calculation of the cylinder mass should read:
Z Z R Z R
2πzA 3
M = dm = ρ(r)(2πrz dr) = 2πz Ar2 dr = R ,
0 0 3

3.11 Exam 2
• Problem 22, p. 315: In order to match the revised solution of this problem, the charge
on the outer sphere should be changed from +2Q to +3Q.

• Solution 22, p. 390: As stated the correct answer is E, but the discussion on how to
decide between answers D and E was unclear. With the change of the charge to +3Q,
the correct answer remains D. Replace the second half of the solution that begins “To
decide between D and E...” with the following explanation:

7
 To decide between D and E, we need to do a quick calculation. Depending on the
amount of charge on each shell either D or E could be valid. Call the potential inside
the inner shell V1 (r), the potential in between the two shells V2 (r), and the potential
outside the outer shell V3 (r). Since the electric field is the derivative of the potential,
we can add arbitrary constant offsets C1 and C2 to the standard Coulomb potentials for
the enclosed charge in these regions so that they match on the boundaries according to
the conditions V1 (R) = V2 (R) and V2 (2R) = V3 (2R). When we rewrite the boundary
conditions in terms of the Coulomb potentials with the constant offsets, we get the
following system of equations
q
V1 (R) = V2 (R) ⇐⇒ C1 = − + C2
4π0 R
q 2q
V2 (2R) = V3 (2R) ⇐⇒ − + C2 = + .
8π0 R 8π0 R
The offset C1 is clearly positive, so V1 (r) = C1 > 0 and D is the correct answer.

• Problem 52, p. 322: The wording of answers in this problem is quite confusing. Replace
them with the following choices:

(A) It implies that the entropy of a perfect crystal of a pure substance must approach
zero at absolute zero
(B) It implies that the entropy of an isolated system can sometimes decrease
(C) It is a consequence of the fact that the ground state degeneracy of a system
determines its entropy
(D) It implies that absolute zero can never be reached in experiments
(E) It permits the entropy of a system to be nonzero at absolute zero

• Problem 52 solution, p. 396: The correct answer remains unchanged, but change the
explanation to:
B - Choice B is false because it is forbidden by the second law of thermodynamics. The
third law comes in various forms, but all of them require that the entropy approaches
a constant at absolute zero. A, C, and E are all true by the Boltzmann definition of
entropy S = kB ln Ω, where Ω is the degeneracy of the system. A perfect crystal of a
pure substance has a degenerate ground state, so Ω = 1 and S = 0. But if the ground
state were non-degenerate, then S could conceivably nonzero at absolute zero when the
system is in the ground state. Since a system at absolute zero is in its ground state,
the Boltzmann definition of entropy implies that the entropy of a system approaches
a constant at absolute zero. The fact that D follows from the third law is somewhat
less obvious, but also true and proven in many textbooks.

8
3.12 Exam 3
• Problem 20, p. 341 and Solution 20, p. 414: None of the answer choices are correct as
written. The solution erroneously computes the flux by multiplying the magnetic field
evaluated at the position of the bar by the area. The correct flux is
Z Z vt Z d
1
Φ = B · dA = dx dy (Cx) = Cdv 2 t2 .
0 0 2

C 2 v 4 d2 T 3
The correct final answer should be .
3R
• Solution 62, p. 425: there should be absolute value signs, ∆ω = |ω 0 − ω| instead of
∆ω = ω 0 − ω.

• Solution 69, p. 427: the last two expressions for L should not have an I on the RHS.