PHYSICS 1251H: Honors Physics: Electricity and Magnetism; Thermal Physics, Waves, and Quantum Physics
In depth introduction to: electricity and magnetism including Maxwell's equations, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics.
Prereq: Honors standing, and 1250H and Math 1151 or above; or permission of instructor. Concur: Math 1152, 1161, 1172, 1181H, or 4181H or above. Not open to students with credit for 132. GE nat sci phys course. NS Admis Cond course.
Prereq: Honors standing, and 1250H and Math 1151 or above; or permission of instructor. Concur: Math 1152, 1161, 1172, 1181H, or 4181H or above. Not open to students with credit for 132. GE nat sci phys course. NS Admis Cond course.
Credit Hours
5
Course Information
Required textbook: Six Ideas That Shaped Physics: Units E, Q and T. (Fourth Editions, McGraw-Hill) by Thomas A. Moore.
Course topics:
- Electric field
- Charge distributions
- Potential
- Static and dynamic equilibrium
- Current
- Analyzing circuits
- Magnetic fields
- Currents respond to magnetic fields
- Currents create magnetic fields
- The Electromagnetic Field
- Gauss' Law
- Ampere's Law
- Maxwell's Equations
- Faraday's Law
- Induction
- Electromagnetic Waves
- Wave model
- Standing waves and resonance
- Interference and diffraction
- The particle nature of light
- The wave nature of particles
- Spin
- The rules of quantum mechanics
- Quantum weirdness
- The Wavefunction
- Simple quantum models
- Spectra
- The Schrödinger Equation
- Temperature
- Microstates and macrostates
- Entropy and temperature
- The Boltzmann Factor
- The Ideal Gas
- Gas processes
- Calculating entropy changes
Semester(s) Offered:
Spring