Physics

An introduction to the fundamentals of mechanics. Vector analysis and its application to the analysis of the motion of particles and rigid bodies. Newton's three laws of motion. The kinematics and dynamics of particle motion along straight and curved paths. Work, energy, impulse and momentum of particles and rigid bodies. An introduction to the rotation of a rigid body about a fixed axis, moments of inertia, angular momentum. Simple Harmonic Motion. 

This course provides the student hands-on experience with concepts covered in PHYS 1051.

This course provides the student hands-on experience with concepts covered in PHYS 1052. 

Role within programme and connections to other courses. This course is an important - and big! - first step away from the tremendously simplified problems that we have dealt with both in introductory university physics and in high school. We introduce the integration of greater mathematical sophistication in the treatment of physical situations, showing that comfort with a variety of mathematical techniques will allow us to study a greater range of - and more interesting - problems. Furthermore, this course serves to show that familiarity with the powerful Newtonian toolchest, which we have been using since high school, allows us to approach complicated, realistic situations with confidence. The inclusion of special relativity challenges us to think beyond the familiar. Content. Special relativity (including elements related to the development of the theory), advanced Newtonian kinematics and dynamics (translational and rotational), conservation principles.

Role within programme and connections to other courses. Understanding circuits and basic electronics is essential for any physicist who will develop or simply use measuring devices. This course moves beyond the simple DC circuits involving resistors and capacitors seen in introductory physics. It introduces the basic elements of the many electronic devices which we use every day, then shows how to combine these elements when designing simple circuits. This topic is particularly well-suited to hands-on learning. The course is experiential in design with more time devoted to manipulations than to lecture. Through the experimental work involved in learning about basic electronics, we are introduced to and become comfortable with essential measurement apparati (multimeters, oscilloscopes, etc). The understanding of basic electronics and measuring devices gained from this course will serve to enhance all future laboratory work: the equipment will not distract us from the physical phenomena which we are studying and we will understand how to best use the equipment and appreciate its limitations. This course also introduces some computational techniques for circuit analysis e.g. in the solution of simultaneous linear equations. Content. AC circuits, operational amplifiers, diodes and other pertinent topics.

Role within programme and connections to other courses. This course helps us to acquire skills needed to do research. These include two different aspects: (1) how to deal with experimental limitations (2) how to read and write scientific documents. The skills acquired in this course are subsequently applied in other courses. In all future experimental work, we will treat experimental limitations properly and fully. In all future courses involving reports, written work will meet or exceed the standards established in the Research Skills course. The title of this course emphasises the fact that the programme does more than fill us with physics facts. This is also an opportunity to review other skills, which are developed by the programme (problem solving strategies, approximation, presentation skills, index/abstract searching, etc.). All of these skills are generally applicable in physics & beyond. Content. Uncertainty analysis, Data processing and analysis, Reading and understanding technical literature, Technical writing. 

This course includes some experimental work that supports the lecture material.
Role within programme and connections to other courses. This course furnishes us with classical thermodynamics and a little about properties of materials. We have heard that “energy is conserved” and even have an appreciation of how important this principle is, but in first year mechanics energy is often apparently “lost” when friction does work. Here, at last , we introduce a complete formulation for energy conservation, comparing the work defined in first year with heat as a means of energy transfer. We discuss transformations of energy in a variety of processes, then go on to explain that not all of the energy is available for doing mechanical work. The theoretical framework of classical thermodynamics is beautifully self-contained, but this course also emphasises the link between the microscopic world of the kinetic theory (drawing on Newtonian mechanics as it does so) and the macroscopic world of the everyday, in preparation for the statistical thermodynamics to follow.
Content. Gases (ideal and real) and pressure, phases and phase diagrams, the state of a system, what is energy?, heat and work, first, second and third laws of thermodynamics, entropy, enthalpy and free energies, heat engines, refrigerators, heat pumps and efficiency, phase transitions, introductory kinetic theory.

This course includes some experimental work that supports the lecture material.
Role within programme and connections to other courses. This course lays the necessary foundations for thinking about phenomena on very small spatial scales. This course calls on many concepts learned in introductory physics: position, momentum, energy, angular momentum, vibrations, waves. It casts many of them in a new light, at times requiring modification of the classical definition of these quantities. Quantum Physics serves as the foundation for the more in–depth learning of the tools of quantum mechanics presented in the Quantum Mechanics trio of courses and the courses which follow from these. In addition, Quantum Physics is essential background for the study of astrophysics and atmospheric physics.
Content. Particle properties of waves: blackbody radiation, photoelectric effect, Compton effect; wave properties of particles: de Broglie waves, Davisson-Germer experiment, the uncertainty principle; old atomic theory: atomic spectra, Rutherford’s model, Bohr’s model, spontaneous and stimulated transitions, lasers; quantum mechanics: the Schrodinger equation, mathematical tools; quantum mechanical examples: square wells and barriers, quantum tunnelling and its applications; quantum theory of atoms.

This course includes some experimental work that supports the lecture material. Role within programme and connections to other courses. Oscillations and waves are key elements to understanding many subfields and applications of physics. Acoustics, optics and electromagnetism (telecommunications) are obvious examples, but waves are also essential to understanding quantum mechanics (the Schrödinger formalism), some atmospheric phenomena, seismic phenomena and fluid mechanics. Content. Oscillatory motion, waves applications to optics and acoustics.

Role within programme and connections to other courses. This course is meant to help us develop the skills needed to communicate with non-specialists concerning physics. Given that most physics research is ultimately paid for by the public, it behooves physicists to communicate effectively with those who are funding their work, for the benefit of both parties. The goal of such communication is two-fold: (1) to ensure that the general public is physics literate and therefore able to enter into a discourse about the science, and (2) to ensure that the next generation of university students is exposed to physics in such a way that they can make an informed choice about whether or not their academic and career paths should include physics.
Content. Topics may include: science journalism, science museums and exhibits, outreach to schools and other groups, physics education and physics education research.

Role within programme and connections to other courses. With the population of the planet increasing and the natural resources decreasing, it is more important than ever to understand the manner in which those resources can and are being used as well as the environmental impacts of those uses. In addition, part of understanding those impacts is understanding how measurements of impacts are made. By focussing on applications of physics to environmental matters, this course contributes to the synthesis of concepts and models learned in other courses. Content. The main focus of the course is on matters related to energy, its production, extraction, distribution and use. Topics include hydroelectricity, solar power, nuclear power, fossil fuels, etc. 

Role within programme and connections to other courses. In the course of an undergraduate physics programme we employ a variety of theoretical techniques. This course exposes us to theoretical ideas that are widely applicable in electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, classical mechanics and relativity. Special emphasis will be placed on demonstrating the general nature of the topics considered. Content. Non-orthogonal, non-normalised bases, tensors, special functions (general solutions to second order differential equations) and expansions in special functions, integral transforms (Fourier, z-transform, Laplace transform).

Role within programme and connections to other courses. Various courses contain experiments that are directly related to the material addressed in the lectures, however, in the interest of promoting an understanding of connectivities (avoiding compartmentalisation) and refining research skills, this synthesis course will contain a variety of experiments, many of which integrate concepts learned in diverse courses. Content. The experiments include topics in mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum physics, thermal physics and optics.

Role within programme and connections to other courses. The Special Theory of Relativity is one of the foundations of modern physics. It underlies our understanding of particle physics and gravitation. This course builds beyond the introduction begun in the Physics course Mechanics I. It is recommended for all physics and mathematics students who wish to pursue the study of particles, fields and gravitation. Content. The course provides an introduction to the physical principles (Lorentz invariance, constancy of the speed of light, equivalence, of mass and energy) and the mathematical underpinnings (Minkowski spacetime, tensors), of the theory of special relativity. This course is cross listed MATH 3463. Credit cannot be obtained for both MATH 3463 and PHYS 3912.

Role within programme and connections to other courses. The study of biophysics offers a new perspective on physics through application to the biological sciences. It involves the integration of diverse concepts seen in introductory physics as well as elements of thermodynamics and fluid physics. It highlights the usefulness of physical thinking and a physicist’s perspective in the study of biological phenomena. Content. Biomechanics, the optics of vision, sound, hearing & echolocation, fluids in motion, the thermodynamics of life, physics at the cellular level, electricity and magnetism in biological systems. Usually alternates with Medical Physics.

Content. Relativistic quantum mechanics. The negative energy problem. Classical field theory, symmetries and Noether's theorem. Free field theory and Fock space quantization. The interacting field: LSZ reduction formula, Wick's theorem, Green's functions, and Feynman diagrams. Introduction to Quantum electrodynamics and renormalization. Credit cannot be obtained for both MATH 4443 and PHYS 4953. 

Role within programme and connections to other courses. The emphasis of this course will be on how what we know of Newtonian mechanics is carried over into a continuum. This approach helps to emphasise that the tools and knowledge we have already developed can be used to great effect in new situations. In addition to the portability of physical concepts, we will also be able to see some generally useful mathematical tools in a new context (vector calculus in velocity fields being a key example). Content. Volume and surface forces, stress and strain, Hooke’s Law, equation of motion for an elastic solid, longitudinal and transverse waves in a solid, fluid properties, fluid motion. Usually alternates with Plasma Physics.

Role within the programme and connections to other courses. Along with quantum theory, general relativity is one of the central pillars of modern theoretical physics with wide-ranging implications for astrophysics and high energy physics. The essential idea is that gravitation is a manifestation of the curvature of spacetime rather than a force in Newtonian sense. This course will provide students with a basic working understanding of general relativity and an introduction to important applications such as black holes and cosmology.
Content. Review and geometric interpretation of special relativity; foundations of general relativity; linearized gravity and classical tests; black holes; cosmology. Credit cannot be obtained for both MATH 4483 and PHYS 4983.