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Course Criteria
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3.00 Credits
Olsen, Tufte Content: For nonmajors. Present knowledge of the sun, the planets, and other objects in the solar system; of stars, star systems, galaxies, and the universe as a whole. Focus on conceptual understanding rather than on a catalog of objects. Basic laws of physics, including Newton's laws of motion and gravitation, laws governing energy and its transformations, theories of matter and radiation. How the distance, size, mass, brightness, and composition of remote objects are determined. General theory of stellar evolution including nuclear synthesis, origins of life on earth, and origin and fate of the solar system. Regular evening observations at the Karle Observatory atop the Olin Center for Physics and Chemistry. Prerequisite: Mathematics 055 or equivalent. Mathematics proficiency should be sufficient for entry into precalculus. Taught: Each semester, 4 semester credits.
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3.00 Credits
Olsen Content: For nonmajors. The roles of chance, determinism, and complexity in science. Observation of physical systems that are best understood in terms of these concepts. Mathematical models used to further explore the utility of these concepts. Readings exploring the aptness of invocations of these concepts outside of science: LaPlace, Popper, Prigogine, Polkinghorne. Prerequisite: Mathematics 055 or equivalent. Taught: Annually, contingent on student interest and faculty availability, 4 semester credits.
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3.00 Credits
Broide, Scalettar Content: For nonmajors. Essential concepts used to describe and understand the physical universe. Conservation of energy, second law of thermodynamics, entropy, theory of relativity, wave-particle duality of matter. Prerequisite: Mathematics 055 or equivalent. Taught: Annually, 4 semester credits.
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3.00 Credits
Scalettar Content: First semester of a rigorous one-year introductory physics course aimed at life science and chemistry majors. Kinematics, vectors, force, statics, work, energy, linear and angular momentum, oscillations, fluids. Students may not earn credit for both Physics 141 and 151. Prerequisites: Mathematics 131 (may be taken concurrently). Coregistration in Physics 171 Laboratory. Taught: Annually, 5 semester credits.
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3.00 Credits
Tufte, Staff Content: Second semester of a rigorous one-year introductory physics course aimed at life science and chemistry majors. Electrostatics, magnetism, induced currents and fields, electrical circuits, wave motion and sound, light, optics, wave properties of matter, atomic physics, nuclear physics. Students may not earn credit for both Physics 142 and 152. Prerequisites: Physics 141 or 151. Mathematics 131. Coregistration in Physics 172 Laboratory. Taught: Annually, 5 semester credits.
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3.00 Credits
Broide Content: The concepts and techniques required to measure, describe, and predict the motion of objects. Kinematics; description of motion in one, two, and three dimensions. Dynamics; causes of motion, including Newton's laws of motion. Momentum, work, energy, equilibrium, gravity, rotational motion. Special relativity. Students may not earn credit for both Physics 141 and 151. Prerequisites: Mathematics 131 (may be taken concurrently). Coregistration in Physics 171 Laboratory. Taught: Annually, 5 semester credits.
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3.00 Credits
Scalettar, Snodgrass Content: Oscillating phenomena in nature and the building blocks of matter. Masses on springs, pendula, waves on strings, sound waves, light waves. Optics including the action of lenses, examples of diffraction, interference. Waveparticle duality of light and the electron. Quantum mechanics, behavior of electrons in atoms, atoms in molecules, protons and neutrons in nuclei, quarks in protons and neutrons. Students may not earn credit for both Physics 142 and 152. Prerequisites: Physics 141 or 151. Mathematics 132 (may be taken concurrently). Coregistration in Physics 172 Laboratory. Taught: Annually, 5 semester credits.
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3.00 Credits
Olsen, Scalettar, Snodgrass, Tufte Content: Laboratory study of topics including kinematics, dynamics, waves, optics, modern physics. Physics 171 to be taken with Physics 141 or 151. Physics 172 to be taken with Physics 142 or 152.
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3.00 Credits
Tufte Content: Experimental methods and instrumentation in the physical sciences. Design experiments, construct instrumentation, make measurements, and analyze and interpret data in order to reach meaningful conclusions. Discussion and use of modern experimental techniques, including analog and digital electronics, many types of sensors, computerized data acquisition, and spectroscopy (atomic, fluorescence, and infrared). Final student-designed project provides opportunities for interdisciplinary investigations. This course is taught in conjunction with Chemistry 355. Credit may not be earned for both Chemistry 355 and Physics 201. Prerequisite: Physics 141 or 151 or consent of instructor. Corequisite: Physics 142 or 152 or consent of instructor. Taught: Annually, 4 semester credits.
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3.00 Credits
Snodgrass Content: Introduction to and development of mathematical tools needed for upper-level physics courses. Vector spaces and introduction to Dirac notation: concepts of linear dependence, normalization, orthogonality, and dimension Three-dimensional vectors and vector calculus, study of partial derivatives, vector valued functions, coordinate transformations, and curvilinear coordinate systems. The Dirac delta function. Abstract vectors and vector-space analysis of function theory, including an introduction to complex variables and Hilbert Spaces. Eigenvectors, eigenvalues, orthogonal polynomials, orthogonal functions, and Fourier analysis. Methods for solutions of the partial differential equations of elementary field theories. Prerequisites: Physics 152. Mathematics 132. Taught: Annually, 4 semester credits.
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