The following courses are lectures unless otherwise indicated.
The Universe: Its Nature and History
PHYS-UA 7 Offered every year. 4 points.
Qualitative introduction to our understanding of the nature and evolution of the universe. Topics include the creation of the cosmos; its explosive evolution, present structure, and ultimate fate; the nature of stars and galaxies; the structure and evolution of our Milky Way; the birth, life, and eventual death of the solar system; our place and role in the universe; and the relationship of modern astronomical ideas to other cultural disciplines.
Origins of Astronomy
PHYS-UA 8 Identical to MEDI-UA 8. Not open to students who completed MAP-UA 206. Offered every other year. 4 points.
Introduction to the historical development of astronomy, from earliest times through the Copernican revolution. Traces the changes in our perception of the heavens and the influences that led to those changes, from astrology to the discoveries of Galileo and the physics of Newton. Includes descriptive astronomy of the solar system and a trip to the Hayden Planetarium.
Sound and Music
PHYS-UA 10 Assumes high school-level mathematics background. Offered every year. 4 points.
Explores the production of musical sound and how it is perceived by us, dealing mainly with the physical basis of sound. Covers sound waves, resonance, how musical instruments produce sound, the concepts of scales and harmony, physical acoustics, physiological factors of perception, acoustics of auditoria, and sound recording and reproduction. Develops the necessary physics for the course, as needed.
General Physics I
PHYS-UA 11 Prerequisite: MATH-UA 121 or permission of the instructor. Lecture, laboratory, and recitation. Not open to students who have completed PHYS-UA 91 with a grade of C- or better. Offered in the fall. 5 points.
Begins a two-semester introduction to physics intended primarily for preprofessional students and for those majoring in a science other than physics, although well-prepared students may wish to take the physics majors sequence PHYS-UA 91 through PHYS-UA 96 instead. Topics include kinematics and dynamics of particles; momentum, work, and energy; gravitation; circular, angular, and harmonic motion; mechanical and thermal properties of solids, liquids, and gases.
General Physics II
PHYS-UA 12 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 11 with a grade of C- or better or permission of the department. Lecture, laboratory, and recitation. Offered in the spring. 5 points.
Continuation of PHYS-UA 11. Topics include electric charge, field, and potential; magnetic forces and fields; resistive, capacitive, and inductive circuits; electromagnetic induction; wave motion; electromagnetic waves; geometrical optics; interference, diffraction, and polarization of light; relativity; atomic and nuclear structure; elementary particle physics.
Observational Astronomy
PHYS-UA 13 Prerequisite: MAP-UA 202 or above, PHYS-UA 7 or above, or permission of the instructor for nonscience majors and minors; no prerequisite for science majors and minors or those who have satisfied Natural Science I requirements. Lecture and laboratory. Offered every year. 4 points.
Introduction to the theory and practice of technical amateur astronomy. The approach is hands-on, with weekly evening laboratory/observing sessions. Topics include astronomical coordinate systems, optics, how to use a telescope, and the phenomena that can be seen in the urban night sky. Observing sessions involve the use of eight-inch telescopes.
20th-Century Concepts of Space, Time, and Matter
PHYS-UA 20 Assumes high school-level geometry and intermediate algebra background. Not open to students who have completed MAP-UA 204. Offered every year. 4 points.
The 20th century has been witness to two major revolutions in man’s concepts of space, time, and matter. Einstein’s special and general theories of relativity: implications of the special theory, for our understanding of the unity of space and time, and the general theory, for our understanding of the nature of gravity. Quantum mechanics: a new picture of the basic structure and interactions of atoms, molecules, and nuclei. Topics include the uncertainty principle, wave-particle duality, and the continuing search for the fundamental constituents of matter.
Introductory Experimental Physics I
PHYS-UA 71 Typically taken with PHYS-UA 91. 2 points.
To be offered in fall 2011 and every fall semester thereafter. The first of two introductory-level laboratory courses. The objectives of these courses are to introduce essential experimental techniques including set-up and operation of basic laboratory equipment, elementary experimental design, statistics and inference, and computational data analysis. Experimental techniques are introduced in the context of classic physics experiments.
Introductory Experimental Physics II
PHYS-UA 72 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 71. Typically taken with PHYS-UA 93. To be offered in spring 2012 and every spring semester thereafter. 2 points.
The second of two introductory-level laboratory courses. The objectives of these courses are to introduce essential experimental techniques including set-up and operation of basic laboratory equipment, elementary experimental design, statistics and inference, and computational data analysis. Experimental techniques are introduced in the context of classic physics experiments.
Intermediate Experimental Physics I
PHYS-UA 73 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 71. Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 72. Typically taken with PHYS-UA 95. To be offered in fall 2011 and every fall semester thereafter. 2 points.
The first of two intermediate-level laboratory courses. The objectives of these courses are to develop further the experimental techniques introduced in PHYS-UA 71 and PHYS-UA 72, and all in the context of more advanced experiments.
Intermediate Experimental Physics II
PHYS-UA 74 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 73. Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 72. Typically taken with PHYS-UA 105. To be offered in spring 2012 and every fall semester thereafter. 2 points.
The second of two intermediate-level laboratory courses. The objectives of these courses are to develop further the experimental techniques introduced in PHYS-UA 71 and PHYS-UA 72, and all in the context of more advanced experiments.
Physics I
PHYS-UA 91 Corequisite: MATH-UA 121 or MATH-UA 221. Physics
majors must also register for PHYS-UA 71. Lecture and recitation.
Offered in the fall. 3 points.
With PHYS-UA 93 and PHYS-UA 95, forms a three-semester sequence that
must be taken in order, starting in the fall semester. Begins a
three-semester introduction to physics intended for physics majors and
other interested science and mathematics majors. Topics include
kinematics and dynamics of particles; energy and momentum; rotational
kinematics and dynamics; harmonic oscillators; gravitational fields and
potentials; special relativity.
Physics I Laboratory*
PHYS-UA 92 Corequisite: PHYS-UA 91. Laboratory. Offered in the fall. 2 points.
Experiments are based on subjects covered in PHYS-UA 91
*no longer being offered as of fall 2011
Physics II
PHYS-UA 93 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 91 with a grade of C or better, or permission of the department. Corequisite: MATH-UA 122 or MATH-UA 222. Physics majors must also register for PHYS-UA 94. Lecture and recitation. Offered in the spring. 3 points.
Continuation of PHYS-UA 91. Topics include electrostatics; dielectrics; currents and circuits; the magnetic field and magnetic materials; induction; AC circuits; Maxwell’s equations.
PHYS-UA 94 Corequisite: PHYS-UA 93. Laboratory. Offered in the spring. 2 points.
Experiments are based on subjects covered in PHYS-UA 91 and PHYS-UA 93.
*no longer being offered as of fall 2011
Physics III
PHYS-UA 95 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 93 with a grade of C or better, or permission of the department. Corequisite: MATH-UA 123 or MATH-UA 222. Physics majors must also register for PHYS-UA 96. Lecture and recitation. Offered in the fall. 3 points.
Physics majors must also register for PHYS-UA 96. Continuation of PHYS-UA 93. Topics include wave motion; Fourier series; sound; the reflection, refraction, interference, and diffraction of light; polarization; thermodynamics; kinetic theory and statistical physics.
PHYS-UA 96 Corequisite: PHYS-UA 95. Laboratory. Offered in the fall. 2 points.
Experiments are based on subjects covered in PHYS-UA 93 and PHYS-UA 95
*will no longer be offered as of fall 2012
Classical and Quantum Waves
PHYS-UA 105 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 95. Physics majors must also register for PHYS-UA 107. Lecture and recitation. Offered in the spring. 3 points.
Introduction to the physics of classical and quantum waves for students who have had at least one year of college physics and three semesters of calculus or intensive calculus. Topics include linear and nonlinear oscillators, resonance, coupled oscillators, normal modes, mechanical waves, light, matter waves, Fourier analysis, Fourier optics (diffraction), and an introduction to numerical (computer) methods for solving differential equations.
Mathematical Physics
PHYS-UA 106 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 95. Lecture and recitation. Offered in the spring. 3 points.
Mathematical preparation for the junior and senior courses in physics. Vector analysis, Fourier series and integrals, ordinary differential equations, matrices, partial differential equations, and boundary-value problems.
PHYS-UA 107 Corequisite: PHYS-UA 105. Laboratory. Offered in the spring. 2 points.
The course introduces students to experiments pertaining to the subjects of the associated lecture course and to experimental methods used in contemporary physics research.
*will no longer be offered as of fall 2012
Electronics for Scientists
PHYS-UA 110 Identical to BIOL-UA 110, CHEM-UA 671. Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 12 or PHYS-UA 93 or permission of the instructor. Lecture and laboratory. Offered in the fall. 5 points.
Introduction to basic analog and digital electronics used in modern experiments and computers, for students from any science discipline. Basic concepts and devices presented in lecture are studied in the laboratory. Topics include filters, power supplies, transistors, operational amplifiers, digital logic gates, and both combinatorial and sequential digital circuits. Students learn the functions of modern electronic instrumentation and measurement.
Advanced Experimental Physics
PHYS-UA 112 Prerequisites: PHYS-UA 96, PHYS-UA 107 and PHYS-UA 123, or permission of the instructor. Laboratory. Offered every year. 3 points.
Introduces the experiments and techniques of modern physics. Students have as their option a variety of open-ended experiments they can pursue, including the use of microcomputers for data analysis. Experimental areas include optical spectroscopy, the Mössbauer effect, cosmic rays, magnetic resonance, condensed matter, and relativistic mass.
Dynamics
PHYS-UA 120 Prerequisites: PHYS-UA 95 and PHYS-UA 106. Offered every year. 3 points.
Intermediate-level course on the principles and applications of dynamics. Emphasis on the formulation of problems and their numerical solution. Topics include conservation laws, central force motion, Lagrange’s and Hamilton’s equations, normal modes and small oscillations, and accelerated reference frames.
Quantum Mechanics I
PHYS-UA 123 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 105. Offered every year. 3 points.
Introduction to the experimental basis and the formal mathematical structure of quantum mechanics. Topics include foundational experiments, wave-participle duality, wave functions, the uncertainty principle, the time independent Schrödinger equation and its applications to one-dimensional problems and the hydrogen atom, angular momentum, and spin; Hilbert Space, operators, and observables; time independent perturbation theory; atomic spectra.
Quantum Mechanics II
PHYS-UA 124 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 123. Offered every year. 3 points.
Continuation of PHYS-UA 123. Topics include the time dependent Schrödinger equation, the Schrödinger and Heisenberg description of quantum systems, time dependent perturbation theory, scattering theory, quantum statistics, and applications to atomic, molecular, nuclear, and elementary particle physics.
Electricity and Magnetism I
PHYS-UA 131 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 105 and PHYS-UA 106. Offered every year. 3 points.
Introduction to electrodynamics with applications to physical problems. Topics include electrostatics, magnetostatics, Maxwell’s equations, electromagnetic forces, electromagnetic waves, radiation from accelerating charges and currents, and special relativity.
Electricity and Magnetism II
PHYS-UA 132 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 131. Offered every year. 3 points.
Continuation of PHYS-UA 131, with greater depth and emphasis on more complex phenomena and applications. Topics include solutions to the Laplace and Poisson equations, dielectrics and magnetic materials, gauge invariance, plasmas, Fresnel equations, transmission lines, wave guides, and antennas.
Optics
PHYS-UA 133 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 105 or permission of the instructor. 3 points.
Introduction to physical and geometrical optics. Wave phenomena including diffraction, interference, first-order and higher-order coherence. Holography, phase contrast and atomic force microscopy, and limits of resolution are some of the subjects included. Topics include atomic energy levels and radiative transitions, detectors from photon counting to bolometers in the infrared.
Condensed Matter Physics
PHYS-UA 135 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 105 or permission of the instructor. Offered every other year. 3 points.
Designed as an introduction to condensed matter physics for students with knowledge of elementary quantum mechanics. Topics include crystal structure, lattice vibrations, and the energy band theory of metals and semiconductors; the electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of solids; and some modern research topics such as the physics of nano-structures, soft condensed matter physics, and superconductivity.
Readings in Particle Physics
PHYS-UA 136 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 105. Offered every other year. 3 points.
Particle physics is the study of the very fundamental constituents of matter and of the forces between them. By its nature it is microscopic, but it also connects with astrophysics and cosmology on the largest scales. This course introduces the most important advances in elementary particle physics. It centers on journal articles in which these advances were first published, with overview lectures, original reading, discussion, and student presentations. Topics include the discovery of elementary particles in cosmic rays, antimatter, symmetries found in nature, and the invention of the Quark model of elementary particles and its experimental verification.
Thermal and Statistical Physics
PHYS-UA 140 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 105 and PHYS-UA 106. Offered every year. 3 points.
Topics include relation of entropy to probability and energy to temperature; the laws of thermodynamics; Maxwell-Boltzmann, Bose-Einstein, and Fermi-Dirac statistics; equations of state for simple gases and chemical and magnetic systems; and elementary theory of phase transitions.
Astrophysics
PHYS-UA 150 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 95 or permission of the instructor. Offered every other year. 4 points.
Introduction to modern astrophysical problems with an emphasis on the physical concepts involved: radio, optical, and X-ray astronomy; stellar structure and evolution; white dwarfs, pulsars, and black holes; and galaxies, quasars, and cosmology.
Physics of Biology
PHYS-UA 160 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 95. Offered every other year. 3 points.
Using basic physical concepts such as energy, entropy and force, explores biology from a different perspective. Presents a survey of basic biological processes at all levels of organization (molecular, cellular, organismal, and population) in the light of simple ideas from physics. To illustrate this approach, examines a few contemporary research topics, including self-assembly, molecular motors, low Reynolds fluid dynamics, optical imaging, and single-molecule manipulation. Attempts to construct links between fundamental concepts of biology and physics and to expose enormous open questions in the life sciences from the point of view of a physicist. Geared toward students with a background in mathematics and the physical sciences.
General Relativity
PHYS-UA 170 Prerequisite: PHYS-UA 120 or permission of the instructor. Offered in the spring. 3 points.
This course provides an introduction to general relativity, stressing physical phenomena and their connection to experiments and observations. Topics include special relativity, gravity as geometry, black holes, gravitational waves, cosmology, Einstein equations.
Computational Physics
PHYS-UA 210 Prerequisites: PHYS-UA 106 or permission of the instructor, and knowledge of a scientific programming language (such as C, C++, Fortran, or Python). Offered every year. 4 points.
Introduction to computational physics, with an emphasis on fields of current research interest where numerical techniques provide unique physical insight. Topics are chosen from various branches of physics, including numerical solution of ordinary and partial differential equations, eigenvalue problems, Monte Carlo methods in statistical mechanics, field theory, dynamical systems, and chaos.
Special Topics in Physics
PHYS-UA 800 Prerequisites vary with the topic. Offered occasionally. 3 points.
Covers advanced topics or recent developments in physics. Detailed course descriptions are made available when topics are announced.
Independent Study
PHYS-UA 997 (Fall), PHYS-UA 998 (Spring) Prerequisite: permission of the director of undergraduate studies. 2 to 4 points per term.
