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| Physics ↓ |
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| Department of Physics Univ. of Rhode Island 2 Lippitt Road Kingston, RI 02881-0817 USA tel.: (401)874-2633/4 fax: (401)874-2380 |
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| 03/08/12 |
Bachelor of Arts in Physics
| Course Code | Course Title | Credits | Course Description | Remarks | |
| Fall of Year 1 | |||||
| MTH141 | Introductory Calculus with Analytic Geometry | 4 | Topics in analytic geometry, functions and their graphs, limits, the derivative, applications to finding rates of change and extrema and to graphing, the integral, and applications. | ||
| PHY203/273 | Elementary Physics I | 4 | Introduction to Newtonian mechanics. Kinematics and dynamics of particles and systems of particles. Motion of rigid bodies and oscillatory motion. Conservation principles. Separate registration for Laboratory [Secs. (01) etc] and Recitation [Secs. (R01) etc]. | Consider HPR122A (honors section of PHY203/273) offered every fall semester. | |
| URI101 | Freshman Seminar | 1 | Special section for physics majors offered every fall semester. | ||
| General Education Requirements or Electives | 6 | 15 | |||
| Spring of Year 1 | |||||
| MTH142 | Intermediate Calculus with Analytic Geometry | 4 | Continues the study of calculus for the elementary algebraic and transcendental functions of one variable. Topics include the technique of integration, improper integrals, indeterminate forms, and calculus using polar coordinates. | ||
| PHY204/274 | Elementary Physics II | 4 | Introduction to electricity and magnetism, leading to Maxwell's equations. Electric fields and Gauss' law; magnetic fields and Ampere's law. Capacitance and inductance, DC and AC circuits. Electromagnetic waves. Separate registration for Laboratory [Secs. (01) etc] and Recitation [Secs. (R01) etc]. | Consider HPR122B (honors section of PHY204/274) offered every spring semester. | |
| General Education Requirements or Electives | 7 | 15 | |||
| Fall of Year 2 | |||||
| CSC211 | Introductory Programming and Design | 4 | Problem specification, solution design, and algorithm development. Object oriented programming and program structure. Fucntions, selection, iteration, recursion, classes, arrays, and files. Required programs will solve numerical and nonnumerical problems. | ||
| MTH243 | Calculus for Functions of Several Variables | 3 | Topics include coordinates for space, vector geometry, partial derivatives, directional derivatives, extrema, Lagrange multipliers, and multiple integrals. | ||
| PHY205/275 | Elementary Physics III | 4 | Introduction to topics of thermodynamics, kinetic theory, wave motion, acoustics, and optics. Separate registration for Laboratory [Secs. (01) etc] and Recitation [Secs. (R01) etc]. | Consider HPR319Z (honors section of PHY205) offered every fall semester. | |
| General Education Requirements or Electives | 4 | 15 | |||
| Spring of Year 2 | |||||
| MTH244 | Differential Equations | 3 | Classification and solution of differential equations involving one independent variable. Applications to the physical sciences. Basic for further study in applied mathematics and for advanced work in physics and engineering. | ||
| PHY306 | Elementary Modern Physics | 3 | Introduction to relativistic and quantum physics. Special relativity theory, structure of atoms, molecules, and solids including semiconductor devices; wave and particle properties of matter, Schrodinger equation in one dimension. | ||
| PHY410 | Computational Physics | 3 | Development and application of computer techniques to classical and quantum physics problems. Emphasis will be on approximation techniques and numerical methods for solving matrix, integral, and differential equations arising in physics. | ||
| General Education Requirements or Electives | 6 | 15 | |||
| Fall of Year 3 | |||||
| PHY322 | Mechanics | 3 | Introduction to Newtonian statics and dynamics using vector analysis; particle motion, Lagrange's equations; rigid body motion. Application to various topics in physical mechanics. | ||
| PHY381 | Advanced Laboratory Physics I | 3 | Key experiments covering a wide range of disciplines including nuclear physics, properties of the electron, magnetism thermodynamics, and optics. Quantitative analysis is stressed, including statistics and curve fitting. Technical skills are developed. | ||
| General Education Requirements or Electives | 9 | 15 | |||
| Spring of Year 3 | |||||
| PHY331 | Electricity and Magnetism | 3 | Electrostatic fields and dielectric materials; magnetic fields, magnetic induction and magnetic materials; introduction to Maxwell's equations. | ||
| PHY382 | Advanced Laboratory Physics II | 3 | Key experiments covering a wide range of disciplines including nuclear physics, properties of the electron, magnetism thermodynamics, and optics. Quantitative analysis is stressed, including statistics and curve fitting. Technical skills are developed. | ||
| General Education Requirements or Electives | 9 | 15 | |||
| Fall of Year 4 | |||||
| PHY401 | Seminar in Physics | 1 | Preparation and presentation of papers on selected topics in physics. | Consider PHY402 in spring as an alternative. | |
| PHY451 | Introduction to Quantum Mechanics | 3 | Particle-wave duality, uncertainty principle; Schrodinger equation: eigenvalues, wavefunctions, time dependence; Dirac notation; Heisenberg representation: operators, matrices, eigenvectors; angular momentum: spin and polarization, Pauli matrices, hydrogen atom, application to quantum computation; symmetries: conservation laws, fermions and bosons. | ||
| General Education Requirements or Electives | 11 | 15 | |||
| Spring of Year 4 | |||||
| PHY492 | Special Problems | 3 | Advanced work under the supervision of a member arranged to suit the individual requirements of the student. (Independent Study) | Consider PHY491 in fall as an alternative. | |
| General Education Requirements or Electives | 12 | 15 | |||
| Total |
120 | ||||
| Comments [1] The six general education credits in the category (N) must be from different Departments and cannot be PHY courses. Our recommendations are AST108 and CHM101. |