Department of Physics

PHY 101, 102. General Physics I, II
A general course in the fundamental phenomena of mechanics, heat, sound, light, electricity and magnetism, and modern physics, using calculus.  Three lectures and two hours of laboratory per week.  Prerequisites: Trigonometry.  Corequisites: MTH 231, 232 or 221, 222.  Special fee required.
8 credits (4 credits per semester). FS

PHY 223. Atomic Physics and Structure of Matter
An intermediate course in modern physics designed to introduce the student to atomic and nuclear structure in terms of the modern theory of matter.
Prerequisite: PHY 102.
3 credits. AYF

PHY 300. Mathematical Mechanics I
A course in theoretical mechanics with emphasis on mathematical model building using the calculus.  Introductory applications of vector analysis and ordinary differential equations in Newtonian mechanics will be studied to develop physical intuition and mathematical ability simultaneously.  Three lectures per week.  Same course as MTH 300.  Prerequisites: Introductory calculus and PHY 101, or permission of department chair.
3 credits. FS

PHY 301. Mathematical Mechanics II
A theoretical course in mechanics treating central forces; accelerated reference systems; generalized coordinates; Lagrange's Equation; Hamilton's Equations; small oscillations; normal coordinates; wave equation; rigid body motion in three dimensions; Euler's Equations.  Three lectures per week.  Prerequisite: PHY 300 (MTH 300).
3 credits. S

PHY 311. Optics
An intermediate level treatment of geometrical, physical and quantum optics; lenses and instruments; wave properties of light, interference, diffraction, dispersion, polarization; electromagnetic nature of light; quantum properties; lasers.  Three lectures and two hours of laboratory per week.  Prerequisites: PHY 101, 102.  Special fee required.
4 credits. N

PHY 315 . Electricity and Magnetism I
A study of electrostatics employing vector formalism; Gauss' Law; Laplace's Equation; dielectrics and polarization; direct current circuit analysis and measurements.  Three lectures and two hours of laboratory per week.  Prerequisites: PHY 101, 102, MTH 302.  Special fee required.
4 credits. AYS

PHY 316. Electricity and Magnetism II
A study of charged particles and conductors in magnetic fields; magnetism and magnetic materials; alternating current circuits, Maxwell's Equations and electromagnetic waves.  Three lectures and two hours of laboratory per week.  Prerequisite: PHY 315.  Special fee required.
4 credits. AYS

PHY 323, 324. Modern Physics I, II
A treatment of atomic and nuclear physics in terms of the Schrodinger Theory.  Topics include; relativity, thermal radiation and the origin of quantum theory; Bohr Theory, particles and waves; Schroedinger Equation and Solutions; one-electron atoms; x-rays; composition of nuclei, nuclear models, alpha, beta, gamma radiation, nuclear reactions, nuclear forces, and elementary particles.  Prerequisites: PHY 102, MTH 302.
6 credits (3 credits per course). AYF

PHY 423. Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
A consideration of the concepts of equilibrium thermodynamics, such as thermodynamic functions, equations of state, and the laws of thermodynamics.  Attention is given to the statistical principles necessary to deal with physical systems containing large aggregates of particles: Maxwell-Boltzman; Bose-Einstein and fermi-Dirac statistics.  Three hours of lecture per week.  Prerequisites: PHY 300, 323.
3 credits. AYS

PHY 424. Quantum Mechanics
A treatment of the formal theory which embodies the present day physicist's understanding of atomic and sub-atomic systems.  The course deals mainly with the Schroedinger representation and emphasizes applications to atomic phenomena.  The nature of Hilbert space, the role of operators in the theory of eigenvalue equations, and time-dependent perturbation theory are among the topics treated.  Three hours of lecture per week.  Prerequisites: PHY 323.
3 credits. AY

PHY 430. Internship in Physics
Student participation in an off-campus, supervised work experience related to physics with regular reporting to an assigned faculty member.  A written report relating this work experience to the student's course of studies will normally be expected.  Prerequisite: Permission of department chair.
3 credits. N

PHY 441. Research I
A course in which the student carries out a research project under the supervision of a faculty member.  Open only to a limited number of selected students.  Prerequisite: Permission of department chair.
2 credits. N

PHY 442. Research II
A course in which the student carries out a research project under the supervision of a faculty member.  Open only to a limited number of selected students.  Prerequisite: Permission of department chair.
2 credits. N

PHY 450. Seminar
A survey of selected topics designated to integrate the major coursework and to illustrate the use of current literature in research.  Presentations by individual students.  Required of all physics majors in senior year.  One period per week.  Prerequisite:  Senior Standing.
1 credit. N

PHY 451. Seminar in Science, Technology and Society
A seminar experience for senior science majors which explores the interplay of science, technology and society.  Students will present and discuss perspectives based on the humanities and social sciences in the context of selected science case studies and they will compose new case studies which illustrate human dimensions of the scientific endeavor.  Required of all majors in senior year .  This course and the 450 seminar course together satisfy the capstone graduation requirement.  Same course as BIO, CHM, CES 451.  Two hours per week.
2 credits. S

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