PHYSICS (PHYS)
PHYS 1301 General Physics I. Three semester hours.
A non-calculus-based treatment of the fundamentals of classical mechanics, sound, fluid mechanics and heat. Topics include one and two dimensional motion, forces and Newtons Laws, momentum conservation, energy conservation, rotational dynamics, angular momentum, waves, simple harmonic motion, kinetic theory, calorimetry and thermodynamics. Designed to fulfill laboratory science core curriculum requirements. Prerequisite: MATH 1310 or equivalent. Must be taken concurrently with PHYS 1101. Carries no credit toward a major or minor in physics.
PHYS 1101 General Physics I Laboratory. One semester hour.
Laboratory course to accompany PHYS 1301. Laboratory exercises reinforce PHYS 1301 lecture material and place importance on scientific communication & collaboration as well as measurement methods, uncertainty and basic error analysis. Must be taken concurrently with PHYS 1301. Carries no credit towards a major or minor in physics. Laboratory fee: $15.00.
PHYS 1302 General Physics II. Three semester hours.
Continuation of PHYS 1301. A non-calculus-based treatment of the fundamentals of electricity & magnetism, sound, light and modern physics. Topics include electrostatics, magnetostatics & magnetic materials, electromagnetic waves, geometric optics, physical optics, quantum mechanics, nuclear physics and relativity theory. Designed to fulfill laboratory science core curriculum requirements. Must be taken concurrently with PHYS PHYS 1102. Prerequisites: PHYS 1301 /PHYS 1101. Carries no credit toward a major or minor in physics.
PHYS 1102 General Physics II Laboratory. One semester hour.
Laboratory course to accompany PHYS 1302. Laboratory exercises reinforce PHYS 1302 lecture material and place importance on scientific communication & collaboration as well as measurement methods, uncertainty and basic error analysis. Must be taken concurrently with PHYS 1302. Prerequisites: PHYS 1301/PHYS 1101. Carries no credit toward a major or minor in physics. Laboratory fee: $15.00.
PHYS 1370 Survey of Physical Science. Three semester hours.
An introductory survey of physical science. Topics include physics (motion, forces, waves & thermodynamics), chemistry (periodic table, reactions), earth science (geology, weather, biosphere & environment) and astronomy (astronomical history, planetary astronomy, stellar astronomy and cosmology). Designed to fulfill laboratory science core curriculum requirements. Must be taken concurrently with PHYS 1170. Carries no credit towards a major or minor in physics.
PHYS 1170 Survey of Physical Science Laboratory. One semester hour.
Laboratory course to accompany PHYS 1370. Laboratory exercises reinforce PHYS 1370 lecture material and place importance on scientific communication & collaboration as well as measurement methods. Some mention is made of uncertainty and basic error analysis. Must be taken concurrently with PHYS 1370. Carries no credit towards a major or minor in physics. Laboratory fee: $15.00.
PHYS 1375 University Physics I. Three semester hours.
A calculus-based treatment of the fundamentals of classical mechanics, sound, fluid mechanics and heat. Topics include one and two dimensional motion, forces and Newtons Laws, momentum conservation, energy conservation, rotational dynamics, angular momentum, waves, simple harmonic motion, kinetic theory, calorimetry and thermodynamics. Prerequisite: MATH 1415 or MATH 2405 or equivalent, or concurrent registration therein. Must be taken concurrently with PHYS 1175.
PHYS 1175 University Physics I Laboratory. One semester hour.
Laboratory course to accompany PHYS 1375. Laboratory exercises reinforce PHYS 1375 lecture material and place importance on scientific communication & collaboration as well as measurement methods, uncertainty and basic error analysis. Must be taken concurrently with PHYS 1375. Laboratory fee: $15.00.
PHYS 1376 University Physics II. Three semester hours.
Continuation of PHYS 1375. A calculus-based treatment of the fundamentals of electricity & magnetism, sound, light and modern physics. Topics include electrostatics, magnetostatics & magnetic materials, electromagnetic waves, geometric optics, physical optics, quantum mechanics, nuclear physics and relativity theory. Must be taken concurrently with PHYS 1176. Prerequisites: PHYS 1375/PHYS 1175.
PHYS 1176 University Physics II Laboratory. One semester hour.
Laboratory course to accompany PHYS 1376. Laboratory exercises reinforce PHYS 1376 lecture material and place importance on scientific communication & collaboration as well as measurement methods, uncertainty and basic error analysis. Must be taken concurrently with PHYS 1376. Laboratory fee: $15.00.
PHYS 2170 Laboratory Techniques I. One semester hours.
Fundamental aspects of laboratory techniques applied to projects more detailed and extended than introductory labs. Emphasis placed on teamwork, innovation, and results dissemination by both oral and written methods. Prerequisite: PHYS 1376/PHYS 116.
PHYS 2171 Laboratory Techniques II. One semester hours.
Continuation of PHYS 2170. Prerequisite: PHYS 2170.
PHYS 2370 Circuits. Three semester hours.
Fundamental principles of electrical and electronic circuits. Topics include Maxwells Equations, Ohms Law, Kirchhoffs Rules, Thevenin and Norton equivalents, diodes, transistors, transformers, operational amplifiers motors, control devices and instrumentation.
Prerequisites: PHYS 1376/PHYS 1176 and MATH 2406.
PHYS 2377 Physics in the Environment. Three semester hours.
Energy consumption, solar energy, pollution, weather, thermal pollution, groundwater systems, porous geologic media, predator-prey theory, Gaia hypothesis, greenhouse effect, properties of water, geomagnetism, radioactivity, case study in radioactive tailings containment. Prerequisite: MATH 1305.
PHYS 3305 Optics and Wave Theory. Three semester hours.
A detailed study of optics. Topics include thin and thick lenses, the lensmakers equation, apertures, optical machines, interference, Fresnel & Fraunhofer diffraction and polarization, the Cornu Spiral. Electromagnetic waves, geometric optics, physical optics, optical instruments, lasers and holography. Prerequisites: PHYS 1376/PHYS 1176, MATH 2406.
PHYS 3105 Optics Lab. One semester hours.
Laboratory to accompany PHYS 3305. Emphasis is on geometrical optics, physical optics, and holography. Laboratory fee: $15.00.
PHYS 3310 Modern Physics. Three semester hours.
An introduction to the foundations of modern physics. Topics include special and general relativity, kinetic theory of matter, electromagnetic quantization, light and energy, wave-matter duality of light, the Schröedinger Equation, nuclear physics and elementary particle theory. Prerequisite: PHYS 1376/PHYS 1176; Corequisite: MATH 4320.
PHYS 3110 Modern Physics Lab. One semester hours.
Laboratory to accompany PHYS 3310. Experiments include the Photoelectric Effect, the Franck-Hertz Experiment, measurement of the speed of light, measurement of the charge-to-mass ratio for the electron and for the proton, the Millikin Oil Drop Experiment, and the Compton Effect are included. Laboratory fee: $15.00.
PHYS 3315 Classical Mechanics. Three semester hours.
Topics include kinematics of particles and particle systems in one to three dimensions, rigid body rotation, gravitation, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian dynamics, periodic motion, and small oscillations. Prerequisites: PHYS 1376/PHYS 1176, MATH 4320 and MATH 4315.
PHYS 3320 Electricity and Magnetism I. Three semester hours.
Electrostatics, Gauss Law, determination of the electric field and electrostatic potential from charge distributions, integral and differential forms of Maxwells Equations, dielectric materials, polarization, conductivity and resistivity of materials, motion of charged particles in electric fields. Prerequisite: MATH 2410.
PHYS 3321 Electricity and Magnetism II. Three semester hours.
Magnetostatics, further applications of integral and differential forms of Maxwells Equations, Amperes Law, Faradays Law, Lenzs Law, determination of the magnetic field from current distributions, from time-varying electric fields, magnetic materials. Prerequisite: PHYS 3320.
PHYS 3325 Thermodynamics. Three semester hours.
The fundamental study of thermodynamics. Topics include the laws of thermodynamics, ideal and non-ideal gases, the kinetic theory of gases, non-flow & steady flow processes, heat cycles and an introduction to statistical physics. Prerequisites: PHYS 1376/PHYS 1176 and MATH 2406.
PHYS 3330 Quantum Mechanics I. Three semester hours.
Topics include time independent solutions of Schröedingers equation, the particle in a box, particle in an infinite potential well, tunneling, the particle in a sphere, and hydrogenic atoms. Prerequisites: PHYS 1376/PHYS 1176 and MATH 4320.
PHYS 3331 Quantum Mechanics II. Three semester hours.
Continuation of PHYS 3330. Topics include time independent and time dependent perturbation theory, the Stark Effect, the Zeeman Effect, electron spin, spin-orbit coupling, electron spin resonance and spectral notation. Prerequisite: PHYS 3330.
PHYS 3340 Atomic and Nuclear Physics. Three semester hours.
A calculus-based treatment of atomic structure, molecular structure, nuclear structure and properties, nuclear reactions, radioactivity, and fundamental particles. Prerequisite: PHYS 3335.
PHYS 4399 Special Topics in Physics. One-Three semester hours.
Selected topics in physics, as determined by student demand, are covered. Prerequisite: senior standing. Credit will be given more than once if the topic varies.
PHYS 4305 Mathematical Physics I. Three semester hours.
Analytical techniques are covered, such as applications of vector calculus, ordinary differential equations, series expansions, and coordinate systems to physical problems. Prerequisite: MATH 4320.
PHYS 4306 Mathematical Physics II. Three semester hours.
Continuation of PHYS 4305. Topics include complex variables, partial differential equations, boundary value problems, and group theory. Prerequisite: PHYS 4305.
PHYS 4315 Celestial Mechanics. Three semester hours.
Application of differential equations to gravitational systems. Prerequisite: PHYS 3315.
PHYS 4320 Statistical Mechanics. Three semester hours.
Thermodynamic potentials, partition function, Gibbs distribution, ideal gasses, Fermi and Bose distributions, Bose-Einstein condensation, application to the solid state, non-ideal gasses, phase equilibrium, fluctuations and phase transitions. Prerequisite: PHYS 3325.
PHYS 4325 Computational Physics I. Three semester hours.
Computational techniques in physics are covered, such as Adams open and Closed methods, Runge-Kutta methods, numerical integration, numerical solutions of initial value problems. Corequisite: PHYS 4305.
PHYS 4326 Computational Physics II. Three semester hours.
Continuation of PHYS 4325. Topics include numerical solution of boundary value problems involving partial differential equations, stochastic methods, deterministic methods, planetary science applications and computational fluid dynamics. Corequisite: PHYS 4306.
PHYS 4335 Groundwater Flow. Three semester hours.
Topics include hydrology background, physical properties of groundwater, fluid mechanics, porous geologic media, flow through porous media, mathematical representation of groundwater systems, the hydrologic cycle, groundwater contamination, wastewater management, and a case study of a uranium tailings impoundment. Corequisite: MATH 4350.
PHYS 4340 Fluid Dynamics. Three semester hours.
A study of the principal concepts of fluid dynamics, continuity, momentum and energy relations for continuum fluids, kinematics of fluid motion, Navier-Stokes equations for inviscid and viscous fluids, vorticity and circulation, Kelvins Theorem, stream function, creep flow at low Reynolds numbers, laminar boundary layer theory, and turbulence. Prerequisites: PHYS 4306 and MATH 4350.
PHYS 4345 Potential Theory. Three semester hours.
A study of the theory of potential fields as they apply to physical problems. Laplaces equation and Greens functions in different coordinate systems will form the foundation for the discussion of potential theory. An analytical and numerical treatment of potential fields will be presented. Potential fields of interest include gravity, fluid flow, heat flow, electric, and electromagnetic. Prerequisite: MATH 4350. Co-requisite: PHYS 4325.
PHYS 4350 Digital Signal Processing. Three semester hours.
A study of the processing techniques of digital signals in one- and two-dimensional time-frequency and space-wavenumber domains. Topics to b covered include time series, z-transforms, continuous and discrete Fourier transforms, filters, deconvolution, spectral analysis, and image analysis as they apply to physical problems. Prerequisites: PHYS 1376/PHYS 1176; MATH 4320.
PHYS 4355 Inverse Theory. Three semester hours.
A study of the inversion of data and physical observations to infer theoretical parameters based on mathematical modeling. Topics to be covered include error, over determined systems, least squares method, covariance, information density matrix, norms, under determined systems, resolution matrix, mixed systems, linear inversion, non-linear inversion. Prerequisites: PHYS 1376/PHYS 1176; MATH 4315.
PHYS 4360 Geophysics. Three semester hours.
A study of the physics of the Earth and terrestrial planets. Topics to be covered include seismic wave propagation, elastic theory, gravitational field and gravity anomalies, gravity gradient tensor, magnetic field and magnetic anomalies, mantle thermal convection, and radioactive chronology and dating. Prerequisites: PHYS 4306, PHYS 4340, and MATH 4350.
PHYS 4365 Solid State Physics. Three semester hours.
Topics include Drude model, statistical theory, diffraction, crystal lattices and symmetry, unit cells, reciprocal lattice vectors, Brillouin Zones, Fermi Surfaces, Debye Approximation, Einstein Approximation, Lennard-Jones Potential, phonons, specific heat, thermal conductivity, semiconductors, magnetism, and BCS theory. Prerequisite: PHYS 3336.
PHYS 4370 Senior Seminar in Physics. Three semester hours.
Students research a selected physics topic and give presentations to the class. Journal articles are to be read, presented and discussed as well. Emphasis is on scientific journal article reading and assimilation, as well as oral presentation. Prerequisite: senior standing.
PHYS 4398 Undergraduate Research. Three semester hours.
Students are involved in a contemporary research project. A literature search, final written report and final oral presentation are required. Prerequisite: senior standing.