PHYS - Physics

This course provides an introduction to physics concepts and applications from areas such as mechanics, heat, sound, electricity, magnetism, light, and/or modern physics. Specific topics and applications covered are at the discretion of the instructor. This is a hands-on, laboratory/activity-based course in which the scientific method will be used to explore physics principles and application in our everyday world. Laboratory fee applies.

This one-semester course gives a general overview of astronomy. It will cover four main areas. There will be an introduction to the sky, the physics principles needed for the course, and a history of astronomy. The solar system and planetary structures and processes will be examined using a comparative planetology approach. The structure and evolution of stars will be discussed beginning with our sun, the only star in our system. Finally, large scale structures - galaxies, clusters, and the universe itself - will be discussed. This course partially fulfills the Science General Education requirement.

This course is a physical science option for students in the humanities, social sciences, or communication arts.  It develops and explains some of the important findings of classical and modern physical science.  Topics will vary.

Energy production and use has shaped many aspects of society and the world in which we live. This course will discuss what energy is, its production and consumption, and ways it impacts society.  The physics and technology of energy generation, transmission/transport, storage, and use, including limitations and issues involved with these, will be covered both qualitatively and quantitatively. Various types of energy sources, including fossil fuels, water, nuclear, solar, and wind, will be considered. Impacts of energy production, consumption, and waste on society, climate, and the environment will be discussed. This course partially fulfills the Science General Education requirement.

Students are introduced to physical principles and their application to students' everyday experience with weather.

This course is designed for students requiring a general science class that integrates physics, chemistry, biology and environmental science.  This is the first semester of a two-semester sequence.  Topics covered include the practice of science, measurement, experimentation, forces and motion, optics, heat, energy, wave motions, atomic structure, chemical reactions, and an introduction to astronomy including the evolution of stars and an understanding of the solar system.  Emphasis is placed on the integration of these concepts across the physical, chemical and biological disciplines. This course plus the associated lab (PHYS 12100) fulfills the Science General Education requirement. 

This course is the laboratory companion to PHYS 12000 Integrated Science 1. Laboratory fee applies.

This course covers units and measurement, vectors, forces and motion, drag and lift, equilibrium of forces during flight, energy, momentum, and gravitation. Selected topics related to aviation and avionics from rotational and oscillatory motion, fluid mechanics and thermodynamics; electricity; electrical energy; magnetism; electromagnetic induction; linear and wave optics; atmospheric optics; and chemical and material properties. This is an integrated lecture/lab course. Laboratory fee applies.

The purpose of this course is to provide secondary education teachers with an introductory overview of the solar system, stars, galaxies, and the universe as a whole. The formation, evolution, and properties of each are discussed.

This course offers a study of the fundamental laws of mechanics, forces and motions, energy, material properties, fluids, and heat. This course partially fulfills the Science General Education requirement.

IAI: P1 900

This laboratory reinforces the concepts discussed in PHYS 20000 and develops experimental skills. Laboratory fee applies.

IAI: P1 900L

This course is a study of waves and sound, electricity, magnetism, light, and topics in modern physics.

This laboratory reinforces the concepts discussed in PHYS 20500 and develops experimental skills. Laboratory fee applies.

This course focuses on the application of specific fundamental principles of physics and chemical physics to contemporary industrial requirements and products.  Information and skills treated in this course will vary according to the needs of the company and/or student.

This course is the first of three introductory calculus-based Physics courses and provides the foundation for the other two.  Translational, rotational, and oscillatory motions of objects and the forces and torques acting on them are covered. Newton's Laws and the laws of conservation of energy, momentum, and angular momentum are emphasized. This course plus the associated lab (PHYS 21100) fulfills the Science General Education requirement.

This is the laboratory component to PHYS 21000.  Experiments reinforcing topics in mechanics are conducted, and measurement techniques and data analysis are emphasized. Laboratory fee applies.

This course is a calculus-based introduction to electricity and magnetism.   Properties and sources of electric and magnetic fields are investigated.  Electric and magnetic forces and torques; induction;  DC and, time permitting, AC circuits; and the physics of various circuit components are covered.  Maxwell's equations are introduced. Courses PHYS 21500 and PHYS 21800 may be taken in any order.

This is the laboratory companion to PHYS 21500.  Experiments reinforcing topics in electricity and magnetism are conducted, and electric circuits are a primary focus of this laboratory.  Measurement techniques and data analysis will be emphasized. Laboratory fee applies.

This course is a calculus-based introduction to waves, light, thermodynamics, and modern physics. Wave properties, electromagnetic radiation, geometric and wave optics, heat and thermodynamics, special relativity, and an introduction to modern physics will be covered. Courses PHYS 21500 and PHYS 21800 may be taken in any order.

This is the laboratory companion to PHYS 21800. The primary focus of this laboratory is on waves and optics though other pertinent experiments may also be conducted.  Students also conduct a multi-week project in this lab.  Measurement techniques and data analysis are emphasized. Laboratory fee applies.

This course explores the central principles underlying the array of structural, thermodynamic, electronic, magnetic, and optical properties found in large collections of atoms (i.e., materials).

This course is intended to give an overview of the research process and focuses strongly on scientific communication.  Topics covered include research ethics, scientific method and the experimental process, literature searches and literature reviews, scientific writing (journals, proposals, abstracts), and presentation skills.

Following an introduction to vector analysis this course develops the Newtonian, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations of mechanics. The power of each of these formulation is examined through their application to the solution of a broad range of problems in particle and rigid body dynamics and oscillation theory.

This course will provide an overview of mathematical concepts and techniques frequently encountered in Physics, Engineering, and Chemical Physics (and Physical Chemistry). Topics are drawn from linear algebra, matrix algebra, complex variables, Fourier analysis, series expansion, and vector calculus.

This course develops Maxwell's Equations through a survey of electrostatics, conductors and dielectrics, magnetostatics, magnetic materials, and induction.  The vector calculus used in this course is also reviewed.  Time permitting, electromagnetic radiation and waves will be introduced.

This course presents the fundamentals of both analog and digital electronic circuits.  Analog electronics topics include DC and AC circuit analysis using circuit elements including diodes, op amps, and transistors. Digital electronics topics include basic digital logic and digital circuits including gates, flip-flops, and counters.  Other topics may include non-linear circuits, converters, data acquisition, filtering, or transducers.  This course includes lecture and laboratory components and meets for 6 hours each week.  Laboratory fee applies.

This course builds on the Physical and Geometrical Optics covered in PHYS 21800 and PHYS 21900. Topics include wave optics and beam propagation, Fourier optics, Gaussian beams, optical properties of atoms and laser gain media, laser design, light detection, and applications of lasers.  Other topics such as nonlinear optics or quantum optics may also be discussed at the instructor’s discretion. This course has lecture and laboratory components and meets for 6 hours each week.  Laboratory fee applies.

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the thermodynamics of the gaseous, liquid and solid states of matter and solutions.

This course builds on PHYS 21800.  It covers special relativity, foundations of quantum mechanics, wave-particle duality, the uncertainty principle, the Schrodinger Equation in 1D, an introduction to the hydrogen atom, and spin.  The Pauli exclusion principle and application to atomic electron shell filling and periodic table properties will also be discussed.

This course will cover atomic structure and properties, spectroscopy, molecular bonding, and the structure and properties of matter.  Applications may include lasers, semiconductor devices, nanostructures, phase transitions, superconductors, and/or Bose-Einstein condensates.

This course covers simple nuclear models and properties of nuclei, radiation types, nuclear reactions, the Standard Model of Physics, fundamental particles, fundamental particle interactions and interaction mediators, and conservation laws.   Other topics that may be introduced include techniques of nuclear and particle physics experiments, medical applications, and physics beyond the Standard Model.

Students explore the physics of the atmosphere, including the thermodynamics of dry and moist air, the equations of motion on a rotating Earth, atmospheric motions under balanced forces, variations in wind and pressure fields and their relation to "weather," numerical modeling of the atmosphere and the application of principles to forecasting.

This lab course emphasizes experimental techniques and data analysis through various experiments from a range of Physics topics. Statistical methods and scientific writing are taught in the lecture portion of this class.  Students will write formal lab reports, reviews of outside lectures and/or scientific literature and other papers on topics such as classic experiments, laboratory techniques, and laboratory apparatus. This course has lecture and lab components and meets for 5 hours each week. Laboratory fee applies.

This course provides the student with concepts, methods, and hands-on experience covering a wide range of topics of current interest in Physics.

This course builds on PHYS 30000. Computational techniques will be used to study various topics in mechanics selected at the discretion of the instructor.  Topics may include Hamiltonian and Lagrangian formulations of mechanics and their applications, coupled oscillators, fluids, non-linear systems, and/or chaos.

This course is a continuation of PHYS 31000.  Maxwell's Equations are used to describe EM radiation, reflection and refraction, polarization, and energy density.  Applications may include radiating charges, antennae, waveguides, transmission lines, and/or relativistic electrodynamics. Computational techniques will be used to study and model these phenomena.

Building on the theory developed in PHYS 34100 Modern Physics, this course will develop operator techniques, Dirac notation, angular momentum, perturbation theory, and scattering theory. Applications of quantum mechanics in solid state, nuclear, and/or particle physics will be introduced.

This course covers the structure and properties of crystals, waves in crystals, specific heat and thermal conduction, electrical conduction in metals and semi-conductors, superconductivity and magnetism.  Other contemporary topics and applications to materials science and optics may also be discussed.

This course builds on the material covered in PHYS 34300.  Topics include nuclear structure models, nuclear decay, Standard Model particles and interactions, conservation laws, angular momentum and isospin, Feynman diagrams, boson and fermion properties, and fundamentals of experimental nuclear and particle physics.  Physics beyond the Standard Model, nuclear and particle astrophysics, or other contemporary topics may be discussed at the instructor’s discretion.

In this course, students carry out a major project or set of topically-linked smaller projects from proposal through data collection and data analysis to dissemination. Capstone projects may be experimental, computational, or pedagogical depending on the students’ interests and emphasis within the major.  Students present their Capstone Project results in a written journal-style article, an oral presentation, and a poster. Laboratory fee applies.

Students work under faculty supervision on a research project in Physics, Chemical Physics, Optics, or a related area chosen in consultation with the faculty member. This course may be repeated multiple times for credit.

This seminar gives students the opportunity to explore contemporary topics in Physics though literature research and class presentations and by attending seminars and colloquia. In this seminar, which has a significant writing component, students prepare a proposal for their Capstone project. The writing is spread throughout the semester with regular instruction, peer review, and revision. Students also prepare a poster on their Capstone proposal and present it. This course fulfills the Advanced Writing General Education requirement for the Physics major.

Students study a specific area of interest in Physics. Topics vary with semester. Course may be repeated for credit if different topics are offered.

Students undertake advanced study in Physics under the supervision of a department faculty member.