Physics Course Descriptions

Fall, spring, summer. Students having taken Physics 116 for credit may not take this course. A descriptive overview of astronomy. The celestial coordinate system, time keeping, the planetary system, ancient astronomy, the sun, stellar evolution, galactic astronomy, cosmology, and the origin of the universe.

Fall, spring. Students having taken Physics 115 for credit may not take this course. A descriptive astronomy course with laboratory. The celestial coordinate system, ancient astronomy, light and telescopes, the solar system, the sun, stellar evolution, galactic astronomy, and cosmology.

Fall. Bicycles, rockets, CDs, jet airplanes, cars, Frisbees, kayaks, TV, lasers, microwave ovens, cell phones' the mysteries of these and other objects are explored, introducing the physics and science in everyday life.

Spring. DVDs, cell phones, computers, TV,microwave ovens, lasers, cameras' the mysteries of these and other everyday objects are explored, introducing the physics and science of everyday life.

Offered as required. Credit, two hours. A review of mathematical methods used in Physics 141 and 142, including algebra, trigonometry, vectors, and graphs, with emphasis on word problems. Intended for students whose math preparation for physics is weak.

Fall, summer. Introductory classical mechanics and thermodynamics. The student is expected to be competent in algebra, trigonometry, and plane geometry. Physics 141 and 142 are appropriate courses to satisfy a one-year physics requirement for professional schools.

Spring, summer. Prerequisite: Physics 141 or 151. Introduction to electricity, magnetism, optics, and the essentials of quantum mechanics, atomic and nuclear physics, and special relativity.

Fall. Prerequisite: Either Math 112 or 112S or 112Z, or consent of instructor. Introductory classical mechanics and thermodynamics. Physics 151 and 152 are primarily for students who are strongly motivated in science and mathematics.

Spring. Prerequisite: Physics 151 or consent of instructor. Electric and magnetic fields and forces, Gauss's law, electrical properties of materials, electromagnetic induction, electromagnetic waves, and optical phenomena.

Fall, or as needed. First-year students only. Introductory study of Einstein's contributions, with emphasis on space-time, special relativity, gravitation, general relativity, black holes and models of the universe, and their relation to current philosophical problems.

Fall. Prerequisite: Mathematics 112S or 112Z. Multivariable functions; partial derivatives; multiple integrals; vector and scalar fields; Green's and Stokes' Theorems; divergence theorem. Suitable for physical science and mathematics students.

Offered as required. Prerequisite: Physics 142 or 152. Explores some of the ways in which principles and methods used in physics are applied to problems in modern medicine. Includes a study of the physics of modern imaging systems such as MRI, CT, and PET as well as more traditional areas (x-ray, radiation, and nuclear medicine physics). Mathematical and statistical ideas will be developed as needed. For pre-med students, students in health or biological sciences, or physics majors who are curious about medical physics.

Fall. Prerequisite: Physics 142 or 152. Introduction to combinational and sequential logic circuits, and microprocessor hardware. Topics include transistors, gates, flipflops, counters, clocks, decoders, displays, microprocessors, memory, input/output circuits, and device interfacing.

Fall. Prerequisite: Physics 142 or 152 and Math 112 or the equivalent. Special theory of relativity, wave and particle properties of electromagnetic radiation and matter, introduction to quantum mechanics, Schrödinger equation, atomic models, and simple molecules.

Spring. Prerequisite: Physics 253. Covers mechanics and electromagnetism, the core of classical physics. Using advanced calculus, develop these subjects to the level of Hamilton's Principle and Maxwell's Equations. This course should not be taken by students who take either Physics 361 or 365.

Spring. Prerequisite: Physics 253. Covers astronomical coordinates, celestial mechanics, Kepler's Laws, gravitation, planetary analysis techniques, planetary and interplanetary debris composition and structure, ring system formation, extrasolar planetary systems, with laboratory sessions in the Emory observatory.

Spring. Prerequisite: Physics 253. Covers stellar analysis techniques, binary stars, stellar structure, the sun, stellar evolution, stellar variability, stellar death, the Milky Way, galactic structure, structure of the universe, cosmology, with laboratory sessions in the Emory observatory.

Fall. Prerequisite: Physics 142 or 152 and Math 211 and 212, or consent of instructor. Practical introduction to advanced mathematical methods: partial differential equations, boundary value problems, special functions, integral transforms, functions of complex variables, contour integrals, the residue theorem, Hermitian and unitary matrices.

Fall. Prerequisite: Physics 152 and Math 211, or consent of instructor. Vector calculus, central forces and planetary motion, rigid bodies, Lagrangian methods. Course is designed for BS and BS applied physics majors. Physics BA majors may take Physics 361 and 365 or Physics 254 Classical Physics. Students who take this course should not take Physics 254.

Spring. Electrostatics, solution methods for Poisson and Laplace equations, steady currents and electromagnetic induction, magnetic and electrostatic energy, slowly varying currents, Maxwell's equations, propagation of electromagnetic waves, wave propagation in bounded regions. Students who take this course should not take Physics 254.

Offered as required. Credit, two to four hours. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.Selected topics and problems of special or current interest in physics. May be repeated for credit when topic varies.

Maymester Course. This course will focus on proteins, DNA and their interactions emphasizing the role that dynamics play in these macromolecules function. The structure and conformation of biological molecules are, actually, dynamic and this feature is underlying their function in living systems.

Fall, spring, summer. Credit, two to four hours. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Adapted to particular needs of individual student with instructor acting as adviser.

Fall. Prerequisite: Physics 253. Laws of thermodynamics, entropy, Carnot engine, thermodynamic potentials, Gibbs ensembles, classical and quantum statistics, photon gas, phonons, Debye theory, electron gas, Bose-Einstein condensation, chemical kinetics, phase transitions, and critical phenomena.

Offered as required. Prerequisite: Physics 421 or Physics 425, or consent of instructor. Physics and material properties of technically important solids including semiconductors and superconductors. Applications to electronic and optoelectronic devices including transistors, photodiodes, solid state lasers, SQUIDS.

Spring. Prerequisite: Physics 320 and Physics 365, or consent of instructor. The wave equation, electromagnetic theory of light, aberrations, matrix methods, polarization, interference, diffraction, quantum aspects of light, lasers, holography, and fiber optics.

The course explores physical and statistical constraints on strategies used by biological systems, from bacteria, to large organisms, and to entire populations, to sense external environmental signals, process them, and shape a response

Offered as required. Prerequisite: Physics 142 or 152 and Computer Science 150 or 170, or consent of instructor. Computational techniques for solving equations as well as for simulating, analyzing, and graphically visualizing physical systems and processes. Projects will be selected from different areas of physics according to student interest and background.

Fall. Prerequisite: Physics 253. Introduces modern experimental techniques and methods; the experiments include analog electronics, instrumentation and computer interfacing, cryogenics, and electro-optics.

Spring. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. The physical view of molecular structure and dynamics and their relation to protein function is addressed in selected exemplary systems. Physical techniques used to molecular information are examined.

Spring. Introductory quantum theory, including the Schrödinger equation, simple soluble problems, hydrogen atom, operator formalism, approximation methods, and perturbation theory.

Spring. Prerequisite: Physics 461 or consent of instructor. Applications of quantum mechanics to atomic, molecular, nuclear, particle, and solid state physics.

Fall, spring, summer. Prerequisite: consent of the undergraduate physics adviser. Independent research for students invited to participate in the physics department Honors Program.

Fall, spring, summer. Credit, two to four hours. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. For students who wish to participate in physics research with the instructor acting as research director.