Physics Courses

PHY 101 COLLEGE PHYSICS I. (4, LF). Course includes mechanics, heat, and sound. Calculus not used. MAT 121 is recommended before or with this course. Three one-hour lectures and one three-hour laboratory.

PHY 102 COLLEGE PHYSICS II. (4, LF). Continuation of PHY 101. Course includes electromagnetism, light and optics. Must be preceded by PHY 101 or consent of instructor. Three one-hour lectures and one three-hour laboratory.

PHY 103 EARTH SCIENCE. (3). Fundamental physical principles with specific applications to meteorology, astronomy, geology, and oceanography. Students needing a physical science lab course should enroll concurrently in PHY 104. Three one-hour lectures.

PHY 104L EARTH SCIENCE LABORATORY. (1, LF). Laboratory course designed to engage students in experiments relating to physical principles and their applications. Fulfills general education lab requirement. One two-hour laboratory. Prerequisite: Previously taken or concurrent enrollment in PHY 103.

PHY 105 INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY. (3). A survey course in contemporary astronomy, methods and instruments of astronomy, the solar system, planets, moons, the sun, stars, stellar formation and evolution, galaxies, and cosmology.

PHY 106L INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY LAB. (1, LF). A laboratory course to accompany Introductory Astronomy. A combination of outdoor observations of the sky and indoor experiments in the physical background of astronomy and measurement techniques used in astronomy. Prerequisite: PHY 105 or concurrent enrollment in PHY 105.

PHY 175 SPECIAL TOPICS. (1-5). Topic to be listed in course schedule. May enroll again as topic changes. May not be used as a general education requirement.

PHY 199 SPECIAL PROBLEMS. (1-3). Systematic study of subjects or items as agreed upon by student and instructor. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

PHY 201 GENERAL PHYSICS I. (5, LF). Calculus-based course designed to meet the needs of majors in physics, chemistry and mathematics, and students who plan to study engineering. Course includes mechanics, heat and waves. Four one- hour lectures and one three-hour laboratory. Prerequisite: MAT 123 before or with this course.

PHY 202 GENERAL PHYSICS II. (5, LF). Continuation of Physics 201; course includes electromagnetism, light and atomic physics. Four one-hour lectures and one three-hour laboratory. Prerequisites: PHY 201 and MAT 203 before or with this course.

PHY 210 WORLD ENERGY: RESOURCES AND UTILIZATION. (3). A study of world energy resources including solar, wind, fossil fuel, nuclear, tidal, hydro, and geothermal energies; the study will include considerations of energy collection, utilization, distribution, and degradation. Emphasis may be given during any given semester to some one form of energy (and its utilization, etc.). Three one-hour lectures. Prerequisite: Either PHY 101 or PHY 103 or PHY 201 or the equivalent..

PHY 299 SPECIAL PROBLEMS. (1-3). Systematic study of subjects or items as agreed upon by student and instructor. Prerequisites: PHY 101-102 or PHY 201-202 and consent of instructor.

PHY 301 MECHANICS. (3). Principles and techniques of mechanics dealing primarily with classical problems in particle and rigid body dynamics. Vector analysis. Newtonian, Lagrangian, and Hamiltonian formulations. Three one-hour lectures. Prerequisites: PHY 201-202; MAT 304 corequisite.

PHY 306 OPTICS. (3). Geometrical and physical optics; image formation by lenses and mirrors, interference, diffraction, polarization, optical aspects of spectrometry. Three one-hour lectures. Prerequisites: PHY 201-202; MAT 203 corequisite.

PHY 316 ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM. (3). Charges at rest, charges in motion and their magnetic effects, Maxwell’s equations and electromagnetic waves. Three one-hour lectures. Prerequisites: PHY 201-202; MAT 304 corequisite.

PHY 320 MODERN PHYSICS. (3). Foundations of wave mechanics, including quantum effects, special relativity, wave-particles, nature of matter, electromagnetic energy, atomic spectra, and optics. Three one-hour lectures.  Prerequisites: PHY 201-202; MAT 203 co-requisite.

PHY 330 HEAT AND THERMODYNAMICS. (3). Laws of thermodynamics, engine cycles, temperature, entropy, internal energy, phase rule, heat transfer. Three one-hour lectures. Prerequisite: PHY 201-202; MAT 203 co-requisite.

PHY 340L ADVANCED LABORATORY. (1, LF). Introduction to the use of experimental apparatus and modern laboratory techniques. Experiments will be selected from areas of modern physics, optics, and electronics. This course is designated writing intensive. Prerequisites: PHY 201-202.

PHY 401/ SPECIAL TOPICS IN PHYSICS. (1-4, LF may be required). Topic to be 402 listed in course schedule; may or may not include laboratory; may re-enroll as topic changes. Prerequisites: PHY 101-102 or 201-202 and consent of instructor