Physics

Objectives

The Physics program aims to provide a foundation for further studies in Physics and related disciplines. In particular, students will learn to

• develop quantitative physical models, and to be aware of the assumptions upon which these models are based
• develop physical problem solving strategies
• apply electronic, mechanical and optical techniques of measurement in the laboratory, and record quantitative data with associated uncertainties
• develop report writing skills, including the use of graph plotting and curve fitting packages
  

Course outline

Mechanics

• Physical quantities and units
  
  • SI system of units
    
  • Scalar and vector quantities, ijk notation, vector products
    
• Motion
  • Quantities of motion
  • Uniform linear motion
    
  • Projectile motion
  • Circular motion
    
• Forces
  
  • Mass and momentum
  • Newton's laws of motion
    
• Statics
  
  • Torque
    
  • Equilibrium of rigid bodies
    
  • Stress, strain, elastic moduli, stress-strain diagrams
• Energy
  • Work and energy
  • Conservation of energy
  • Power
    

• Momentum
  
  • Conservation of momentum
  • Elastic and Inelastic collisions

Electricity and Magnetism

• Electric circuit
  • Electric current, charge, potential difference
  • Ohm's law and resistance
  • Electromotive force
  • Power dissipation
  • DC Circuits
  • Kirchoff rules
  • Capacitance

• Electric fields
  • Coulomb's law, electric vector, scalar potential
  • Electric flux, Gauss' law

• Magnetic fields
  • Magnetic field vector, force on moving charge and current element
  • Magnetic flux, Biot-Savart Law, Ampere's Law
    

• Electromagnetic induction
  • Faraday-Lenz law

Waves

• String Waves
  • Transverse waves
  • Amplitude, period, frequency, wavelength, wavenumber, phase, wave velocity
  • Wave function, harmonic waves
  • Wave power
  • Velocity of string waves

• Sound Waves
  • Longitudinal waves
  • Speed of sound
  • Sound intensity, dB scale, Doppler effect
• Electromagnetic Waves
  • Electromagnetic waves and the electromagnetic spectrum
• Superposition
  • Standing waves, beats, interference
  • Young's experiment
  • Diffraction

Quantum and Nuclear Physics

• Quantum Physics
  • Wave-particle duality, Planck's equation, the photon
  • Photoelectric effect
  • Mass-energy equivalence, rest mass, relativistic momentum, deBrogile wavelength
  • Heisenberg uncertainty principle

• Nuclear physics
  • The nucleus, binding energy
  • Isotopes and radioactivity, decay constant, half life, activity, Q-value
  • Alpha, beta, gamma decay, electron capture, the positron, the neutrino
  • Nuclear reactions, nuclear energy, fission and fusion, chain reactions
  • Nuclear reactors
    

Assessment

• Tests 30%
• Final Exam 45%
• Laboratory 25%

Reference Text

Serway, R.A. and Beichner, R.J., Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics, 6th Edition, Saunders College Publishing, 2003