PHYS-153 University Physics III
This calculus-based course is the third in the series of introductory physics courses. It begins with optics and includes the nature and propogation of light, geometric optics, interference, and diffraction. The focus then changes to modern physics and begins with special relativity, the Lorentz transformation, relativistic momentum and energy, addition of relativistic velocities, early quantum theory, blackbody radiation, photoelectric effect, the Compton Effect, photon interactions, pair production, and Bohr's theory of the atom. Schrodinger's equation is introduced with use of wave functions, solutions to a particle in a box, barrier penetration, quantum mechanical tunneling, the Pauli Exclusion principle, the development of the periodic table, and the X-ray spectra. The final topics cover nuclear physics, radioactivity, half-life, nuclear fission and fusion, medical uses of radiation, and elementary particle physics.
Offered
Fall