PHYSICS (PHYS) COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
You may also check http://catalog.pvamu.edu/universitycourses/phys/ for any changes or updates.
PHYS 1100 Physics as a Profession. Credit 1 semester hour. Introductory course in physics. Seminars and lectures on physics as a discipline, relationship of physics to other disciplines.
PHYS 1101. General Physics Lab I. Credit 1 semester hour. General physics laboratory to include experiments on measurement, vectors-force table, air track, projectile motion, static and kinetic friction, ballistic pendulum, Atwood’s machine, or blocks and incline, centripetal force, moment of inertia, oscillations-spring-simple and physical pendulum. Prerequisites: PHYS 1301 (may be taken concurrently)
PHYS 1102. General Physics Lab II. Credit 1 semester hour. General physics laboratory to include experiments on determination of absolute zero, linear expansion, calorimetry, string standing waves, sound resonance, force of static electricity, Ohm’s Law, color-coded resistors, resistors in series and parallel, RC-series transient circuit, RLC-series circuit, AC circuits, concave and convex lenses, and diffraction grating. Prerequisites: PHYS 1301 and PHYS 1302 (may be taken concurrently).
PHYS 1301. General Physics I. Credit 3 semester hours. An introductory algebra and trigonometry based introduction to general physics with topics to include measurement system, motion, vector addition, statics, dynamics, mechanical energy, gravitation, momentum, circular motion, torque. Prerequisites: MATH 1314 or MATH 1511 or MATH 1316.
PHYS 1302. General Physics II. Credit 3 semester hours. A continuation of algebra and trigonometry based General Physics I course includes sound, heat, electricity, magnetism, and optics. Prerequisites: PHYS 1301 or PHYS 2325.
PHYS 2125. University Physics Lab I. Credit 1 semester hour. Same as PHYS 1101, but with calculus included. Prerequisites: PHYS 2325 (may be taken concurrently).
PHYS 2126. University Physics Lab II. Credit 1 semester hour. Same as PHYS 1102, but with calculus included. Prerequisite: PHYS 2326 (may be taken concurrently).
PHYS 2325. University Physics I. Credit 3 semester hours. For engineering students, a subset of calculus based general physics for science and engineering students. Course includes measurement, statics, dynamics, mechanical energy, momentum, circular motion, and selected topics from torque, moduli, Newton universal law, and fluid mechanics. Prerequisite: MATH 2413.
PHYS 2326. University Physics II. Credit 3 semester hours. For engineering students, a subset of calculus based general physics for science and engineering students. Course includes electricity, magnetism, and selected topics from heat, sound and light. Prerequisites: PHYS 2325 and MATH 2414.
PHYS 3310. Mechanics I. Credit 3 semester hours. The course content includes elements of vector analysis, rectilinear motion of a particle, Newton’s laws, damped and forced harmonic motion, Fourier series, motion of a particle in three dimensions, rotating coordinate systems, gravitation, central force motion. Prerequisite: PHYS 2326.
PHYS 3312. Electricity and Magnetism I. Credit 3 semester hours. Basic theory of electrostatics; Coulomb’s Law, Gauss’s Theorem, simple potential theory, LaPlace’s and Poisson’s equations. Calculation of electric fields and potentials for point and continuous charge distributions. Computer-based demonstrations are included. Prerequisite: PHYS 2326.
PHYS 3316. Mathematical Physics I. Credit 3 semester hours. Advanced mathematics for physicists and engineers; vector analysis, curvilinear coordinates, tensor analysis, matrices and determinants, infinite series, functions of a complex variable. Emphasis throughout is on practical applications of theory and techniques as applied to problems in physics and engineering. Computer programs such as Mathematica and MATLAB will be used. Prerequisites: PHYS 2326 and MATH 2403.
PHYS 3318. Modern Physics I. Credit 3 semester hours. Course content includes relativity, particle properties of waves, and wave properties of particles, atomic structure, quantum mechanics, quantum theory of the hydrogen atom. Prerequisite: PHYS 2326.
PHYS 3324. Introduction to Nuclear, Particle and Radiation Physics. Classification of particles. Scattering. Decay. Behavior in solids and liquids. Radiation effects. Prerequisite: PHYS 2326.
PHYS 4191. Physics Research Project. Credit 1 semester hour. The first half of a two semester sequence. A research project with a faculty advisor or mentor. Includes literature survey preparation and initiation of a research project. Prerequisite: PHYS 3318.
PHYS 4192. Physics Research Seminar. Credit 1 semester hour. The second half of a two semester sequence. A research project with a faculty advisor or mentor. Continues the initiated research from the earlier course (PHYS 4191) towards a research publication. Prerequisite: PHYS 4191.
PHYS 4302. Introductory Quantum Mechanics I. Credit 3 semester hours. Inadequacy of classical mechanics, wave-particle duality, wave function, uncertainty relation, Schrödinger equation, expectation values, operator formalism, measurement, the correspondence principle, etc. Prerequisites: PHYS 2326, MATH 2403. Co-Requisites: PHYS 3316 and PHYS 3318.
PHYS 4306. Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics I. Credit 3 semester hours. Macroscopic thermodynamic systems, kinetic theory, black body radiation, classical and quantum statistical mechanics to include Maxwell-Boltzmann, Bose-Einstein, and Fermi-Dirac Statistics. Prerequisites: PHYS 3318 and MATH 3401.
PHYS 4310. Advanced Physics Lab Credit 3 semester hours. Computational physics modeling and simulations; several types of physics problem modeled and solved; software including Mathematica, MATLAB, Numerical Recipes, Electronics Workbench, will be utilized. Prerequisite: junior or senior standing.
PHYS 4316. Special Topics in Physics Credit 3 semester hours. Selected current and emerging topics in Physics. Courses may be repeated for credit when topics vary.
Prerequisite: Consent of Advisor
PHYS 4399. Independent Study. Credit 1, 2, or 3 semester hours. Readings, research, and/or field work on selected topics. Prerequisite: consent of Department Head.
NO LONGER ACTIVE / NOT IN CURRENT CATALOG
PHYS 3300. Physics Research Internship. Credit 3 semester hours. Internship for undergraduate majors in physics and for majors in applied physics related disciplines who are engaged in research/co-op in governmental or industrial labs. Prerequisites: Consent of the Advisor and Department Head.
PHYS 3307. Optics. Credit 3 semester hours. Course on geometrical optics, ray tracing, plane surfaces, spherical surfaces, thin lenses, thick lenses, mirrors, stops, lens aberrations, optical instruments, wave optics, interference, Fraunhofer and Fresnel diffraction, diffraction grating, speed of light measurements, absorption and scattering, polarization, etc. Prerequisites: PHYS 2325 or PHYS 1302.
PHYS 3311. Mechanics II. Credit 3 semester hours. The course content includes motion of systems of particles, center of mass and moment of inertia of rigid bodies, moments and products of inertia, principal axes, Euler’s equations, Lagrangian mechanics, coupled harmonic oscillators and normal coordinates, theory of vibrating systems. Prerequisite: PHYS 3310.
PHYS 3313. Electricity and Magnetism II. Credit 3 semester hours. Theory of metallic conduction of electricity. Ohm’s Law, Kirchoff’s Law, electromagnetic induction, Maxwell’s Equations, A.C. circuits and electromagnetic radiation; appropriate demonstrations to complement the theory. Computer-based demonstrations are included. Prerequisites: PHYS 3312 and MATH 2403.
PHYS 3317. Mathematical Physics II. Credit 3 semester hours. A continuation of PHYS-3163. Course topics include second-order differential equations, orthogonal functions, Fourier series and integrals, gamma functions, La Place transforms, Bessel special functions, Greens functions, calculus of variations. Computer programs such as Mathematica and MATLAB will be used. Prerequisite: PHYS 3316.
PHYS 3319. Modern Physics II. Credit 3 semester hours. A continuation of PHYS 3318 to include many-electron atoms, molecules, statistical mechanics, Master equation, the solid state, the atomic nucleus, radioactivity, nuclear reactions, elementary particles. Prerequisite: PHYS 3318.
PHYS 3332. Physics of Medical Imaging. Provides an introduction to physics of imaging relevant to medical applications, including image storage, compression, and retrieval. Telemedicine applications. Prerequisites: PHYS 3318 or PHYS 3324.
PHYS 4101-4102. Physics Seminar. Credit 1 semester hour. Guest speakers, oral and written reports, group and/or individual study of interesting special topics in physics. Prerequisites: Consent of the Advisor and Department Head.
PHYS 4303. Introductory Quantum Mechanics II. Credit 3 semester hours. Exclusion principle, angular momentum, central forces, matrix representations of wave functions and operators, spin, eigenvalue equations, perturbation theory, Zeeman effect, quantum-statistical mechanics, etc. Prerequisite: PHYS 4302.
PHYS 4304. Astronomy and Astrophysics (3-0) Credit 3 semester hours. An intermediate level Physics/Physical Science course including Kepler’s laws, law of gravitation, earth, moon, solar system, sun stars, stellar evolution, nucleosynthesis, quarks to quasars, pulsars, nebulae, black holes, orbital transfers, cosmology. Simulation programs will be used. Prerequisites: PHYS 2325 or PHYS 1302.
PHYS 4473. Senior Research Project. (3-0). Capstone Team Based Project. Covers integrated project team concepts, ethics, responsibility, fiscal aspects, culminating in a comprehensive report and a presentation. Prerequisite: Completion of at least 30 hours of physics or engineering.