A brief survey of physics at the introductory level. Topics covered include laws of motion, gravity, energy, light, heat, sound, electricity, magnetism, atomic and nuclear physics, radioactivity, and relativity. Three hours of lecture per week.
A brief survey of the physical universe using the fundamental laws of physics. Topics include the history of astronomy, the solar system, the sun, the evolution of stars, pulsars, black holes, the Milky Way galaxy, galaxies, quasars, and the Big Bang. Three hours of lecture per week.
A lecture/laboratory course designed to provide an introduction to the scientific method and its application to the study of selected topics in physics and chemistry. Two hours of lecture and one 3-hour lab per week. Recommended for Elementary Education majors.
First semester of a two-semester sequence in general physics, primarily for students in pre-medicine, pre-dentistry, technology and other disciplines requiring physics without calculus. This semester covers topics in mechanics, including kinematics, Newton's laws, and the conservation laws of energy, linear momentum, and angular momentum. Also covered are topics in gravity, fluid mechanics, waves, and thermodynamics. Prerequisite: MATH 1060. Class meets five hours per week in lecture/discussion format. One 3-hour lab per week (PHYS 2019).
Co-requisite PHYS PS/SI2010. One 3-hour lab per week. Enrollment limited to transfer students.
Second semester of a two-semester sequence in general physics. This semester covers topics in electricity and magnetism, electromagnetic waves, light and optics, relativity, atomic, and nuclear physics. Prerequisite: PHYS PS/SI2010. Class meets five hours per week in lecture/discussion format. One 3-hour lab per week (PHYS 2029).
Co-requisite PHYS SI2020. One 3-hour lab per week. Enrollment limited to transfer students.
An interdisciplinary course dealing with the chemical and physical concepts of energy and power. Emphasis will be placed on the emerging energy crisis, effects upon the environment and the quality of life.
First semester of a two-semester sequence in calculus-based physics, primarily for students in science, math, computer science, and pre engineering. This semester covers topics in mechanics, including kinematics, Newton's laws, and the conservation laws of energy, linear momentum, and angular momentum. Also covered are topics in gravity, fluid mechanics, waves, and thermodynamics. Co-requisite: MATH SI1210. Class meets five hours per week in lecture/discussion format. One 3-hour lab per week (PHYS 2219).
Co-requisite PHYS PS/SI2210. One 3-hour lab per week. Enrollment limited to transfer students.
Second semester of a two semester sequence in calculus-based physics. This semester covers topics in electricity and magnetism, electromagnetic waves, light and optics, relativity, and quantum, atomic, and nuclear physics. Prerequisite: PHYS PS/SI2210. Co-requisite: MATH SI1220. Class meets five hours per week in lecture/discussion format. One 3-hour lab per week (PHYS 2229).
Co-requisite PHYS SI2220. One 3-hour lab per week. Enrollment limited to transfer students.
An introduction to computer programming and fundamental numerical algorithms as used for problem solving and visualization in the natural sciences. Applications may include nonlinear dynamics, chaos, many-particle systems, and Monte Carlo techniques. Prerequisites: PHYS 2210, MATH 1200, and MATH 1210.
An interdisciplinary, team-taught course that will be an overview of the major chemical, biological and physical safety issues related to science laboratories and field work. Class will meet once per week and will be taught in a lecture/demonstration format.
Relativity, quantum effects, the hydrogen atom, many-electron atoms, molecular and solid-state bonding, quantum effect devices, nuclear structure, nuclear reactions and devices, elementary particles. Prerequisites: PHYS SI2220, MATH 1200, and MATH SI1220.
Time and credit to be arranged. Intended for students working on a directed research project which includes physics at the lower division level for one or more semesters. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Time and credit to be arranged. Intended for students working on a directed reading project which includes physics at the lower division level for one or more semesters. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Open to all students in the Physics Department who meet the minimum Cooperative Work Experience requirements of the department. Provides academic credit for on-the-job experience. Grade and amount of credit will be determined by the department.
Consult the class schedule for the current offering under this number. The specific title and credit authorized will appear on the student transcript.
Selected topics in astrophysics which may include telescopes, celestial mechanics, stellar structure and evolution, stellar pulsation, supernovae, black holes, interstellar medium, galactic structure, active galaxies, quasars, galactic clusters and super clusters, and cosmology. Prerequisite: PHYS SI2220 and MATH 1200.
An introduction to thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. Topics include heat and work; ideal gases; equipartition of energy; entropy; the Boltzmann, Fermi-Dirac, and Bose-Einstein distributions; applications to heat engines, refrigeration, chemical equilibrium, phase transitions, blackbody radiation, and properties of solids. Prerequisite: PHYS SI2220, MATH 1200 and MATH SI1220.
Geometrical and physical optics, lasers, lenses, optical instruments, interference, thin films, interferometry, holography, diffraction, gratings, crystal diffraction, polarization. Prerequisites: PHYS SI2220, MATH 1200 and MATH SI1220. Two lectures and one 3-hour lab a week.
Modern theory of the solid state, with emphasis on crystal structures, energy bands and fermi levels, conduction in metals and semiconductors, Hall effect, photoconductivity, junction diodes and transistors, field effect transistors, integrated circuit structure and fabrication. Co-requisite: PHYS 2710.
This course extends the computational skills developed in PHYS 2300 to address a wider range of problems in modern physics. Students will explore the limits of computational methods and develop techniques suited to high-performance computing. Applications may be chosen from nonlinear dynamics, astrophysics, condensed matter physics, and quantum mechanics. Prerequisites: PHYS 2220 and PHYS 2300.
An introductory course in electronics for students in physics and other sciences. The course includes D.C. and a.c. circuit analysis using complex impedances and covers basic principles of semiconductor operation, transistors, analog and digital integrated circuits, analog-to-digital conversion techniques used in computer interfacing, and noise. Prerequisite: PHYS SI2220. Three lectures and one 3-hour lab a week.
Intermediate-level course in computer interfacing (data acquisition and analysis) for students in physics and all other sciences. Topics may include: data acquisition with industry-standard software packages, computerized test and measurement, analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversion, data acquisition electronics, electronic sensors (thermal sensors, light sensors, etc.), least squares curve fitting, fast Fourier transforms (FFT), Nyquist's theorem, noisy and weak signals. Prerequisite: PHYS SI2020 or SI2220, and MATH 1200. Two lectures and one 3-hour lab a week.
Particle motion, oscillating systems; planetary motion, stability of orbits; collisions; Euler's equations, gyroscopic motion; Lagrange's equations, Hamilton's equations, theory of vibrations. Prerequisites: PHYS SI2220, MATH 1200 and MATH 2280.
Vector analysis; electrostatics; calculating electric potentials; solving Laplace's equation; multipole expansions; electrostatic fields in matter; magnetostatics; charges in motion; electrodynamics; Faraday's law; Maxwell's equations. Prerequisites: PHYS SI2220, MATH 1200, MATH 2210 and MATH 2280.
Periodic motions, free and forced vibrations; resonance; normal modes; dispersion; boundary conditions; electromagnetic waves and light; the Fresnel equations; electromagnetic radiation from accelerating charges. Prerequisites: PHYS 3500, 3510.
A thorough investigation of research in science learning and curricular standards at the state and national levels. Foundations of the philosophy of science and scientific inquiry as applicable to science teaching at the secondary level. This course serves as a foundation to a preservice science teacher’s education coursework.
Advanced experiments in the areas of mechanics, electricity and magnetism, modern physics, and nuclear physics. Introduction to computerized data acquisition and data analysis. Two two-hour labs each week. Prerequisite: PHYS SI2220 and PHYS 3410.
Acquaintance and practice with various teaching and assessment methods. Development of science curricula including lesson and unit plans. It is recommended that this course be completed immediately before student teaching. Prerequisite: Admission to the Teacher Education Program.
Wave-particle duality, Schrodinger equation, wave function, quantization rules, one-dimensional motion, one-electron atoms, spin and orbital angular momentum. Prerequisites: PHYS 2710, MATH 2270. Co-requisites: PHYS 3500; MATH 3710.
Approximation methods, multi-electron atoms, atomic radiation, nuclear models, nuclear decay, fission and fusion, nuclear forces, elementary particles, quark model, strong and electroweak interactions, unified field theories. Prerequisite: PHYS 4610.
Time and credit to be arranged. Open to qualified students for one or more semesters. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Topics which can be studied include (but are not limited to): mechanics, thermodynamics, kinetic theory, statistical mechanics, electronics, electromagnetism, optics, solid-state physics, modern physics, nuclear physics, relativity, cosmology, and astrophysics. These courses may be taken at any time on a personalized basis. Time and credit to be arranged. May be repeated. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
A continuation of PHYS 2890. Open to all students.
Consult the class schedule for the current offering under this number. The specific title and credit authorized will appear on the student transcript.
An individual research program pursued under faculty supervision. It is expected that one or more semesters of research (PHYS 4800) will precede registration for this course. Course evaluation will include an oral and a written report. Prerequisites: senior class standing and consent of departmental committee.
Joint sessions of faculty and students devoted to current topics in physics. Students taking this course for credit will make a presentation based on individual library research of a topic agreed on with the faculty advisor. One credit required for physics majors. May be taken twice for credit. Prerequisite: previous upper division physics course.
Science content course for teachers in the MEd Science Emphasis Program. To register, select another departmental course and develop a contract detailing additional work required for graduate credit. Course may be repeated. Contract must be approved by instructor, department chair, and Director of the Master of Education Program.
Weber State University 2008-2009 Catalog