Physics

The course will introduce students to the fundamental ideas that govern kinematics and dynamic motion for both linear and rotational systems, concepts of energy and momentum, simple harmonic motion, wave phenomena and sound, and fluid statics and dynamics. The laboratory component of the course is aimed at developing data collection and analysis skills through a series of experiments in mechanics and must be enrolled in separately.

In this course, students will investigate the origins of quantum theory, the Schrödinger equation, physical interpretations of quantum mechanics, and solutions to one- and three-dimensional problems including spin. Topics include solving the time-dependent and time-independent Schrödinger equation, development of the uncertainty principle, solutions for the infinite and finite square well problems, study of the harmonic oscillator and free particle solutions. A large part of the course is devoted to developing the formalism of Quantum Mechanics, wavefunctions as vectors in Hilbert spaces, eigenfunctions and eigenvalues of operators, commutators of operators and the Dirac notation. Solutions are obtained for the hydrogen problem in 3-D, including the study of the angular momentum and spin operators.

Optics is an influential branch of physics that deals with the origin and propagation of light as well as it interaction with matter. In this course, students will study how and why optical phenomena occur. We will cover theories that treat light as a bundle of rays (ray optics), as electromagnetic waves (wave optics), and as a stream of particles (quantum optics). We will explore phenomena of reflection, refraction, dispersion, scattering, polarization, interference, and diffraction in terms of these theories. Students will learn about the limitations of ray optics, the improvements in wave optics, and the triumph of quantum optics leading to the study of the laser. This course includes an integrated laboratory component to help students develop strong links between theory and practice.

This course is an introduction to modeling complex systems through application of computational numerical methods and graphing techniques using the software package Mathematica. Specific topics include: numerical techniques of integration and differentiation, analytical and numerical solutions of systems of differential equations, iterative procedures, symbolic manipulation of equations, use and manipulation of lists, procedural and functional programming, the use of rules in Mathematica, structured programming using loops and lists, and development of computer animations. Students will model systems from a wide range of areas such as Newtonian mechanics, electricity and magnetism, quantum mechanics, and thermodynamics.