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Honors Physics: Electricity and Magnetism; Thermal Physics, Waves, and Quantum Physics

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.
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

Course Filters:

Physics Courses
Undergraduate