Physics Immersion
Overview for Physics Immersion
In a broad sense, the aim of physics is to develop interconnected unifying threads bridging the vast number of seemingly diverse phenomena observed in the physical world around us. This immersion provides students with the opportunity for additional study in physics in order to build a secondary area of expertise in support of their major or other areas of interest.
Notes about this immersion:
- Immersions are a series of three related general education courses and are intended to provide opportunities for learning outside of a student’s major area. Immersions may be in areas that will complement a student’s program but may not overlap with program requirements.
- This immersion is closed to students majoring in physics.
- Students are required to complete at least one course at the 300-level or above as part of the immersion.
The plan code for Physics Immersion is PHYSICS-IM.
Curriculum for 2024-2025 for Physics Immersion
Current Students: See Curriculum Requirements
| Course | |
|---|---|
| Prerequisites | |
| MATH-181 | Calculus I This is the first in a two-course sequence intended for students majoring in mathematics, science, or engineering. It emphasizes the understanding of concepts, and using them to solve physical problems. The course covers functions, limits, continuity, the derivative, rules of differentiation, applications of the derivative, Riemann sums, definite integrals, and indefinite integrals. (Prerequisites: MATH-111 or (NMTH-220 and NMTH-260 or NMTH-272 or NMTH-275) or equivalent courses with a minimum grade of B-, or a score of at least 60% on the RIT Mathematics Placement Exam.) Lecture 4 (Fall, Spring). |
| MATH-182 | Calculus II This is the second in a two-course sequence. It emphasizes the understanding of concepts, and using them to solve physical problems. The course covers techniques of integration including integration by parts, partial fractions, improper integrals, applications of integration, representing functions by infinite series, convergence and divergence of series, parametric curves, and polar coordinates. (Prerequisites: C- or better in MATH-181 or MATH-181A or equivalent course.) Lecture 4 (Fall, Spring). |
| PHYS-211 | University Physics I This is a course in calculus-based physics for science and engineering majors. Topics include kinematics, planar motion, Newton's Laws, gravitation, work and energy, momentum and impulse, conservation laws, systems of particles, rotational motion, static equilibrium, mechanical oscillations and waves, and data presentation/analysis. The course is taught in a workshop format that integrates the material traditionally found in separate lecture and laboratory courses. (Prerequisites: C- or better in MATH-181 or equivalent course. Co-requisites: MATH-182 or equivalent course.) Lec/Lab 6 (Fall, Spring). |
| PHYS-212 | University Physics II This course is a continuation of PHYS-211, University Physics I. Topics include electrostatics, Gauss' law, electric field and potential, capacitance, resistance, DC circuits, magnetic field, Ampere's law, inductance, and geometrical and physical optics. The course is taught in a lecture/workshop format that integrates the material traditionally found in separate lecture and laboratory courses. (Prerequisites: (PHYS-211 or PHYS-211A or PHYS-206 or PHYS-216) or (MECE-102, MECE-103 and MECE-205) and (MATH-182 or MATH-172 or MATH-182A) or equivalent courses. Grades of C- or better are required in all prerequisite courses.) Lec/Lab 6 (Fall, Spring). |
| Required Courses | |
| PHYS-213 | Modern Physics I* This course provides an introductory survey of elementary quantum physics, as well as basic relativistic dynamics. Topics include the photon, wave-particle duality, deBroglie waves, the Bohr model of the atom, the Schrodinger equation and wave mechanics, quantum description of the hydrogen atom, electron spin, and multi-electron atoms. (Prerequisites: PHYS-209 or PHYS-212 or PHYS-217or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer). |
| PHYS-214 | Modern Physics II This course is a continuation of a survey of modern physics beyond the topics introduced in Modern Physics I. Central topics include the physics of multi-electron atoms, molecular structure, fundamentals of statistical physics applied to systems of particles, elementary solid-state physics, applications to semiconductor materials and simple devices, and basic elements of nuclear physics. (Prerequisites: PHYS-213 or equivalent course. Students in the PHYS-BS program must also complete PHYS-275 prior to taking this course.) Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| Electives† | |
| Choose one of the following: | |
| PHYS-283 | Vibrations and Waves This course is an introduction to the physics of vibrations and waves, beginning with the simple harmonic oscillator, the foundation to understanding oscillatory and vibratory systems. The course will include driven and damped single oscillators, coupled discrete oscillators, and continuous vibrating systems. Connections will be made with many areas of physics that involve oscillation, including mechanics, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics. (Prerequisites: PHYS-212 or PHYS-217 or PHYS-209 and (MATH-182 or MATH-182A or MATH-173) or equivalent courses.
Co-requisites: MATH-231 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Spring). |
| PHYS-315 | Experiments in Modern Physics In this course, students perform experiments representative of the foundation of modern quantum physics. These include investigations of wave particle duality, and the earliest of quantum mechanical models as well as measurements of fundamental constants. Experiments typically include electron diffraction, the photoelectric effect, optical diffraction and interference, atomic spectroscopy, charge-to-mass ratio of an electron, and blackbody radiation. This class teaches basic instrumentation techniques as well as data reduction and analysis. Students are expected to keep a laboratory notebook and present results in a journal-style paper. (Prerequisites: PHYS-213 or equivalent course. Students in the PHYS-BS program must also complete PHYS-275 prior to taking this course.) Lab 4, Lecture 1 (Fall). |
| PHYS-320 | Mathematical Methods in Physics This course serves as an introduction to the mathematical tools needed to solve intermediate and upper-level physics problems. Topics include matrix algebra, vector calculus, Fourier analysis, partial differential equations in rectangular coordinates, and an introduction to series solutions of ordinary differential equations. (Prerequisites: (MATH-219 or MATH-221) and MATH-231 and (PHYS-209 or PHYS-212 or PHYS-217) or equivalent courses.) Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| PHYS-330 | Classical Mechanics This course is a systematic presentation of Newtonian kinematics and dynamics including equations of motion in one- and three-dimensions, conservation laws, non-inertial reference frames, central forces, Lagrangian mechanics, and rigid body motion. This course will use advanced mathematical techniques including differential equations, vector calculus, and matrix and tensor formulations. (Prerequisites: (MATH-219 or MATH-221) and MATH-231 and (PHYS-209 or PHYS-212 or PHYS-217). Students in the PHYS-BS program are also required to complete PHYS-275 prior to taking this course. Co-requisites: PHYS-320 or equivalent course.) Lecture 4 (Fall). |
| PHYS-411 | Electricity and Magnetism This course is a systematic treatment of electrostatics and magnetostatics, charges, currents, fields and potentials, dielectrics and magnetic materials, Maxwell's equations and electromagnetic waves. Mathematical formalism using differential and integral vector calculus is developed. Field theory is treated in terms of scalar and vector potentials. Special techniques for solution to Laplace's equation as a boundary value problem are covered. Wave solutions of Maxwell's equations, and the behavior of electromagnetic waves at interfaces, are discussed. (Prerequisites: (PHYS-209 or PHYS-212 or PHYS-217) and PHYS-320 or equivalent courses. Students in PHYS-BS or PHYS-2M are also required to complete PHYS-275 prior to taking this course.) Lecture 4 (Spring). |
| PHYS-414 | Quantum Mechanics This course is a study of the concepts and mathematical structure of non-relativistic quantum mechanics. Topics for the course include wave functions and the Schrodinger equation, solutions to the one-dimensional and three-dimensional time-independent Schrodinger equation, stationary states and their superposition to produce time-dependent states, quantum-mechanical operators, commutators, and uncertainty principles, solutions to general central potential problems and the hydrogen atom, and the quantum theory of angular momentum. (Prerequisites: PHYS-213, PHYS-320 and (PHYS-330 or 1017-402) or equivalent courses. Students in the PHYS-BS program are also required to complete PHYS-275 before taking this course.) Lecture 3 (Fall). |
| PHYS-440 | Thermal and Statistical Physics This course is an introduction to the principles of classical thermodynamics and its statistical basis, including: equations of state, the first and second laws of thermodynamics, microscopic basis of entropy, temperature and thermal equilibrium, thermodynamic potentials, applications of thermodynamics, kinetic theory of gases, and Boltzmann and quantum statistics. (Prerequisites: PHYS-213 and MATH-231 or equivalent courses. Students in the PHYS-BS program are also required to complete PHYS-275 prior to taking this course.) Lecture 3 (Fall). |
* If PHYS-213 is a program requirement it must be replaced. PHYS-283 or any other course listed above are suitable replacements.
† At least one course must be completed at the 300-level or above.