![[Contents]](/Buttons/toc.gif){kind=small}
The second digit in physics course numbers is coded as follows.
There are four course topics in the introductory physics sequence. The four topics are Classical Mechanics (PH 1110/PH 1111), Electricity and Magnetism (PH 1120/PH 1121), 20th Century Physics (PH 1130), and Oscillations and Waves (PH 1140). Each course includes a laboratory component.
Students should take either PH 1110 or PH 1111, but not both; similarly, either PH 1120 or PH 1121, but not both. The primary difference between the PH 1110 -PH 1120 option and PH 1111- PH 1121 is that the material in PH 1111- PH 1121 is treated somewhat more formally and rigorously than in PH 1110- PH 1120, thus presuming a better-than-average mathematics background. The recommended mathematics background for each course is indicated in the respective course description and should be considered carefully in each case.
Because the topics covered in the two mechanics and in the two electricity and magnetism courses are the same, it is possible to cross over from one sequence to the other. For example, PH 1120 could be taken after PH 1111, or, upon consulting with the course instructor, PH 1121 could be taken after successful completion of PH 1110. Finally, it should be noted that any combination of the first two introductory courses provides adequate preparation for both of the remaining courses in 20th Century Physics (PH 1130), and Oscillations and Waves (PH 1140).
The courses in classical mechanics and electricity and magnetism are regarded as essential preparation for many fundamental engineering courses as well as for further work in physics. PH 1130 gives a first introduction to 20th century physics and is designed to provide a context for the appreciation of present-day advances in physics and high-technology applications. PH 1140 deals in depth with oscillating systems, a topic area of fundamental importance in physics, and whose engineering applications span the range from electromagnetic oscillations to the mechanical vibrations of machinery and structures.
Cat. I
Introductory course in Newtonian mechanics.
Topics include: kinematics of motion, vectors, Newton's laws,
friction, work-energy, impulse-momentum, for both translational and
rotational motion.
Mathematical level: basic calculus concepts of limit and derivative
will be introduced as needed. Concurrent study of MA 1021 will be
adequate preparation.
Cat. I
An introductory course in Newtonian mechanics that stresses invariance
principles and the associated conservation laws.
Topics include: kinematics of motion, vectors and their application to
physical problems, dynamics of particles and rigid bodies, energy and
momentum conservation, rotational motion.
Mathematical level: concurrent study of MA 1023 (or higher) is
assumed. Students with limited prior college-level calculus
preparations are advised to take PH 1110.
Cat. I
An introduction to the theory of electricity and magnetism.
Topics include: Coulomb's law, electric and magnetic fields,
capacitance, electrical current and resistance, and electromagnetic
induction.
Working knowledge of the material presented in PH 1110 or
PH 1111 is
assumed. Mathematical level: concurrent study of MA 1022 will
constitute adequate mathematical preparation.
Cat. I
An introduction to electricity and magnetism, at a somewhat higher
mathematical level than PH 1120.
Topics include: Coulomb's Law, electric fields and potentials,
capacitance, electric current and resistance, magnetism, and
electromagnetic induction.
A working knowledge of material covered in PH 1111 is
assumed. Mathematical level: concurrent study of MA 1024 (or higher)
is assumed. Students concurrently taking MA 1022 or
MA 1023 are
advised to take PH 1120.
Cat. I
An introduction to the pivotal ideas and developments of
twentieth-century physics.
Topics include: special relativity, photoelectric effect, X-rays,
Compton scattering, blackbody radiation, DeBroglie waves, uncertainty
principle, Bohr theory of the atom, atomic nuclei, radioactivity, and
elementary particles.
Familiarity with material covered in PH 1110 and
PH 1120 (or PH 1111 and
PH 1121) is assumed. Mathematical level: completion of MA 1021 and MA
1022 will provide adequate preparation.
Cat. I
An introduction to oscillating systems and waves.
Topics include: free, clamped forced, and coupled oscillations of
physical systems, traveling waves and wave packets, reflection, and
interference
phenomena.
Working knowledge of the material covered in PH 1110 and
PH 1120
(or PH 1111 and
PH 1121) is assumed. Mathematical level: completion of
MA 1021, MA 1022 and
MA 1023 will provide adequate preparation.
Cat. I (1/6 unit)
This version of the instructional laboratory course is offered for
students who wish to have some laboratory experience but cannot
accommodate the full 1/3 unit of PH 2600. Students perform a reduced
number of subject units; their instruction and practice in
measurement, data processing, presentation, interpretation, and
experiment reporting is the same as in PH 2600.
As in PH 2600,
students are expected to have had the Introductory Physics course
sequence or equivalent, but no prior laboratory background beyond that
experience is required.
Cat. I
This course emphasizes a systematic approach to the mathematical
formulation of mechanics problems and to the physical interpretation
of the mathematical solutions.
Topics covered include: Newton's laws of motion, kinematics and
dynamics of a single particle, vector analysis, motion of particles,
rigid body rotation about an axis.
Completion of the introductory physics sequence (PH 1110,
PH 1120, PH
1130, PH 1140) and the first four calculus courses
(MA 1021,
MA 1022,
MA 1023, MA 1004) is assumed. Concurrent registration in or completion
of MA 2051 is expected.
Cat. I
This course is a continuation of the treatment of
mechanics started in PH 2201. Topics covered include: rigid-body
dynamics, rotating coordinate systems, Newton's law of gravitation,
central-force problem, driven harmonic oscillator, an introduction to
generalized coordinates, and the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian
formulation of mechanics. Concurrent registration in or completion (MA
2001) is expected.
Cat. I
Introduction to the theory and application of electromagnetic fields,
appropriate as a basis for further study in electromagnetism, optics,
and solid-state physics.
Topics: electric field produced by charge distributions, electrostatic
potential, electrostatic energy, magnetic force and field produced by
currents and by magnetic dipoles, introduction to Maxwell's equations
and electromagnetic waves.
Recommended background: introductory electricity and magnetism, vector
algebra, integral theorems of vector calculus as covered in MA
3251.
Cat. I
This course offers experience in experimentation and observation for
students of the sciences and others. In a series of subject units,
students learn or review the physical principles underlying the
phenomena to be observed and the basis for the measurement techniques
employed. Principles and uses of laboratory instruments including the
cathode-ray oscilloscope, meters for frequency, time, electrical and
other quantities are stressed. In addition to systematic measurement
procedures and data recording, strong emphasis is placed on processing
of the data, preparation and interpretation of graphical
presentations, and analysis of precision and accuracy, including
determination and interpretation of best value, measures of error and
uncertainty, linear best fit to data, and identification of systematic
and random errors. Preparation of high-quality experiment reports is
also emphasized. Representative experiment subjects are: mechanical
motions and vibrations; free and driven electrical oscillations;
electric fields and potential; magnetic materials and fields; electron
beam dynamics; optics; diffraction-grating spectroscopy; radioactive
decay and nuclear energy measurements.
Students are expected to have had the Introductory Physics course
sequence or equivalent, but no prior laboratory background beyond that
experience is required.
Cat. I
This course is intended to give students some experience in solving
the kinds of problems that form the daily diet of a working
physicist. Small groups of students will be presented with a series of
problems, which they will solve under the guidance of one or more
faculty members.
Topics will be selected from a wide variety of physical disciplines.
This course is intended for third- and fourth-year physics majors,
after completion of intermediate-level classical mechanics,
electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics.
Cat. I
A continuation of PH 2301, this course deals with more advanced
subjects in electromagnetism, as well as study of basic subjects with
a more advanced level of mathematical analysis. Fundamentals of
electric and magnetic fields, dielectric and magnetic properties of
matter, quasi-static time-dependent phenomena, and generation and
propagation of electromagnetic waves are investigated from the point
of view of the classical Maxwell's equations.
Cat. I
This course includes a study of the basic postulates of quantum
mechanics, its mathematical language and applications to
one-dimensional problems. The course is recommended for physics majors
and other students whose future work will involve the application of
quantum mechanics.
Topics include wave packets, the uncertainty principle, introduction
to operator algebra, application of the Schroedinger equation to the
simple harmonic oscillator, barrier penetration and potential
wells.
Junior standing is expected. Knowledge (or concurrent study) of linear
algebra, Fourier series, and Fourier transforms is helpful. Prior
completion of MA 4451 is recommended. Completion of the introductory
physics sequence, including the introduction to 20th century physics,
is expected.
Cat. I
This course represents a continuation of PH 3401 and includes a study
of three-dimensional systems and the application of quantum mechanics
in selected fields.
Topics include: the hydrogen atom, angular momentum, spin,
perturbation theory and examples of the application of quantum
mechanics in fields such as atomic and molecular physics, solid state
physics, optics, and nuclear physics.
Knowledge of the material of PH 3401 is assumed.
Cat. II
This course is designed to help the student acquire an understanding
of the formalism and concepts of relativity as well as its application
to physical problems.
Topics include the Lorentz transformation, 4-vectors and tensors,
covariance of the equations of physics, transformation of
electromagnetic fields, particle kinematics and dynamics.
Knowledge of mechanics and electrodynamics at the intermediate level
is assumed.
This course will be offered in l996-97 and in alternate years thereafter.
Cat. II
An introduction to solid state physics.
Topics include: crystallography, lattice vibrations, electron
band structure, metals, semiconductors, dielectric and magnetic
properties.
Prior knowledge of quantum mechanics at an intermediate level is
assumed. Knowledge of statistical physics is helpful but not
required.
This course will be offered in 1996-97 and in alternate years thereafter.
Cat. II
This course is intended to acquaint the student with the measurable
properties of nuclei and the principles necessary to perform these
measurements. The major part of the course will be an introduction to
the theory of nuclei.
The principal topics will include binding energy, nuclear
models and nuclear reactions. The deuteron will be discussed in detail
and the nuclear shell model will be treated as well as the nuclear
optical model.
Students are assumed to have had some knowledge of the phenomena of
modern physics at the level of an introductory physics course. A
knowledge of intermediate level quantum mechanics is assumed.
This course will be offered in 1995-96 and in alternate years thereafter.
Cat. II
This course provides an introduction to classical physical optics, in
particular interference, diffraction and polarization, and to the
elementary theory of lenses. The theory covered will be applied in the
analysis of one or more modern optical instruments.
A knowledge of introductory electricity and magnetism and of
differential equations is assumed. A knowledge of intermediate
electromagnetic fields at the level of PH 2301 is advised.
This course will be offered in 1995-96 and in alternate years thereafter.
Cat. I
This course is an advanced-undergraduate experimental laboratory for
students of the sciences. Experiment units include more advanced
subjects in solid-state, electromagnetic, and nuclear physics. In
addition to systematic measurement procedures and data recording,
there is further study of principles of experimentation, including the
processing of the data, preparation and interpretation of graphical
presentations, and analysis of precision and accuracy, including
determination and interpretation of best value, measures of error and
uncertainty, linear best fit to data, and identification of systematic
and random errors. Preparation of high-quality experiment reports is
also emphasized.
Introductory and Intermediate Physics course experience,
including PH 2600 (see above) or equivalent, is expected.
Cat. I
A review of the basic principles and introduction to advanced methods
of mechanics, emphasizing the relationship between dynamical
symmetries and conserved quantities, as well as classical mechanics as
a background to quantum mechanics.
Topics include: Lagrangian mechanics and the variational principle,
central force motion, theory of small oscillations, Hamiltonian
mechanics, canonical transformations, Hamilton-Jacobi Theory, rigid
body motion, and continuous systems.
This course is designed for seniors and beginning graduate students,
and requires classical mechanics preparation at the level of PH
2201/2202.
This is a 14-week course.
Cat. I
An introduction to the basic principles of thermodynamics and
statistical physics.
Topics covered include: basic ideas of probability theory, statistical
description of systems of particles, thermodynamic laws, entropy,
microcanonical and canonical ensembles, ideal and real gases,
ensembles of weakly interacting spin 1/2 systems.
Knowledge of quantum mechanics at the level of PH 3401-3402 and of
thermodynamics at the level of ES 3001 is assumed.
IS/P (RSQ)
An introduction to the use of optics for transmission and processing
of information. The emphasis is on understanding the physical
principles underlying practical optoelectronic devices. Topics include
optical waveguides, fiber optics, light emitting diodes, lasers,
photodetectors, and optical communications systems. A laboratory
section with limited enrollment is available. Undergraduates may take
the course for either 1/3 or 1/6 units, graduate students may enroll
for up to 3 credit hours.
Students having taken PH 1110,
PH 1120,
PH 1130 and
PH 1140 (or their
equivalents) should have adequate preparation. When available, this
IS/P is taught by R. Quimby of the Physics Department. See him for
information regarding the next scheduled offering and registration
procedure.
IS/P (RSQ)
An introduction to the use of optics for transmission and processing
of information. The emphasis is on understanding the physical
principles underlying practical photonic devices. Topics include
lasers, light emitting diodes, optical fiber communications, fiber
lasers and fiber amplifiers, planar optical waveguides, light
modulators and photodetectors. Undergraduates may take the course for
either 1/3 or 1/6 units, graduate students may enroll for 3 credit
hours.
Students having taken PH 1110,
PH 1120,
PH 1130 and
PH 1140 (or their
equivalents) should have adequate preparation. When available, this
IS/P is taught by R. Quimby of the Physics Department. See him for
information regarding the next scheduled offering and registration
procedure.
Graduate Physics Courses of Interest to Undergraduates
Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations. Central force motion. Rigid body dynamics. Theory of small oscillations. Poisson brackets, Hamilton-Jacobi theory. Continuous systems.
Schroedinger wave equation. Harmonic oscillator, hydrogen atom, potential wells, approximation methods.
Perturbation theory. Augular momentum. Spin. Scattering theory. Dinac eqation.
Quantum concepts applied to thermodynamics. Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac statistics.
Classical electrodynamics and radiation theory.