PHY - Physics Course Descriptions

PHY 105 Survey of Physical Science

This course relates the physical and chemical sciences to everyday experiences.  Students will learn the scientific method and its use in understanding the physical environment.  Topics include measurement and the scientific method, motion, forces, work and energy, temperature and heat, waves and sound, optics, electricity and magnetism, atomic and nuclear physics, the chemical elements and the periodic table, chemical reactions, and organic and biological chemistry.
3

PHY 106 Survey of Earth and Space Science

This course relates earth science and astronomy to everyday experiences.  Students will learn the scientific method and its use in understanding the physical environment.  Topics include measurement and the scientific method, place and time, the solar system, planets and moons, deep space, the atmosphere and atmospheric effects, structural geology and plate tectonics, minerals and rocks, and geologic time.

3

PHY 111 General Physics I

Is a lecture- and recitation-based intensive introduction to mechanics and kinematics, fluids, and waves. Emphasizes quantitative and conceptual understanding without the use of calculus.

3

Prerequisites

MTH 160

Corequisites

Science majors co-requisite: PHY 112 (not required but strongly encouraged for non-science majors).

PHY 112 General Physics I Lab

Includes experimental confirmation and reinforcement of some topics from PHY 111; includes computer use in data collection and analysis.

1

PHY 113 General Physics II

Is a lecture- and recitation-based intensive introduction to electricity and magnetism, heat, and optics. Emphasizes quantitative and conceptual understanding without the use of calculus.

3

Prerequisites

PHY 111

Corequisites

Science majors co-requisite: PHY 114 (not required but strongly encouraged for non-science majors).

PHY 114 General Physics II Lab

Includes experimental confirmation and reinforcement of some topics from PHY 113; includes computer use in data collection and analysis.

1

PHY 125 Everyday Physics with Laboratory

Is a one-semester course, including a laboratory component, covering the major theories of physics and its ability to give a quantitative explanation for the world around us. Algebra is used to define quantities, to state the physical laws, and to solve simple problems. Emphasis is on macroscopic explanations, not on quantum mechanics. The major topics are mechanics, thermodynamics, waves, and electromagnetism. Three lecture and one 3-hour laboratory periods per week.

4

PHY 220 University Physics I

Is a calculus-based introduction to Newtonian gravitation, sound, fluids, thermodynamics, heat transfer, electromagnetic waves, and op- tics. Comprises 3 lectures hours and 1 recitation hour per week.

3

Prerequisites

MTH 161

Corequisites

Science majors co-requisite (not required but strongly encouraged for non-science majors): PHY 221

PHY 221 University Physics I Lab

Includes experimental confirmation and reinforcement of some topics from PHY 220; includes error analysis, computer use in data collection and analysis, and formal laboratory notebook write-ups.

1

PHY 222 University Physics II

Is a calculus-based introduction to Newtonian gravitation, sound, fluids, thermodynamics, heat transfer, electromagnetic waves, and optics. Comprises 3 lectures hours and 1 recitation hour per week.

3

Prerequisites

PHY 220, MTH 162

Corequisites

Science majors co-requisite (not required but strongly encouraged for non-science majors): PHY 223

PHY 223 University Physics II Lab

Includes experimental confirmation and reinforcement of some topics from PHY 222; includes error analysis, computer use in data collection and analysis, and formal laboratory notebook write-ups.

1

PHY 224 University Physics III

Is a calculus-based introduction to electricity and magnetism including Maxwell's equations, circuits, and power. Comprises 3 lectures hours and 1 recitation hour per week.

3

Prerequisites

PHY 222, MTH 162

Corequisites

Science majors co-requisite (not required but strongly encouraged for non-science majors): PHY 225

PHY 225 University Physics III Lab

Includes experimental confirmation and reinforcement of some topics from PHY 224; includes error analysis, computer use in data collection and analysis, and formal laboratory notebook write-ups.

1

350 Social & Political Philosophy

This course provides a broad overview of the Western tradition of social and political thought. It is organized chronologically in order to emphasize continuity and innovation within the tradition. Authors read often include ancients like Plato and Aristotle; medievals like St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Marsilius of Padua; modern thinkers from Hobbes to Bossuet; and contemporary writers from Bentham to Lenin to Pope St. John Paul II. Special attention is paid to philosophical assumptions about nature and the human person that lead to such disparate political philosophies.

3

Notes

This course does not satisfy the POL 291 or POL 292 requirements of the POL major.