PHYS Course Descriptions

Physics (2009-2010)

This course covers the topics in Ontario Secondary Schools essential for first year university physics. Topics include: motion in one and two dimensions using vectors as appropriate, Newton's laws of motion applied using free body diagrams, energy, geometric optics, simple waves in one and two dimensions, electrical and magnetic effects. Successful completion of this course fulfills the University admission requirements where high school Physics is necessary. No University Credit. Offered by Distance Education only.

This seminar brings together Honours Physics, Chemical Physics and Mathematical Physics students in all years to hear invited speakers, view physics-related films, and learn about current research. [Offered: F,W,S]

An introduction to physics for students intending to concentrate their further studies in biology, dentistry, medicine and paramedicine; includes particle kinematics and dynamics, energy and momentum conservation, rotational mechanics, properties of liquids, temperature and heat.

For students who have taken or are taking PHYS 111.

A continuation of PHYS 111; includes simple harmonic motion, electrostatic force and potential, electric current and power, DC circuits, magnetic field and induction, wave motion, sound and optics.

For students who have taken or are taking PHYS 112.

Brief review of kinematics. Particle dynamics, work, energy, conservation of energy. Conservation of linear momentum, collisions, rotational kinematics and dynamics, conservation of angular momentum. Equilibrium of rigid bodies. [Offered: F]

An introductory course in physics for students intending to concentrate their future studies in the physical sciences, optometry or mathematics; includes particle kinematics and dynamics, forces in nature, work and energy, conservation of energy and linear momentum, rotational kinematics and dynamics, and conservation of angular momentum.

For students who have taken or are taking PHYS 121. Students intending to follow a Physics or Mathematical Physics plan must take PHYS 131L.

A continuation of PHYS 121; includes gravitation, fluid mechanics, oscillating systems, wave motion, interference and an introduction to quantum mechanics.

For students who have taken or are taking PHYS 122. Students intending to follow a Physics or Mathematical Physics plan must take PHYS 132L.

Oscillations; simple harmonic motion. Wave motion, travelling and standing waves; transverse and longitudinal waves, including sound. Geometrical optics; reflection and refraction. Physical optics; interference and diffraction. Quantum physics; quantization of radiation; hydrogen atom. [Offered: W,S]

For students who have taken or are taking PHYS 121 and who intend to follow a Physics or Mathematical Physics plan; all other students who have taken or are taking PHYS 121 should select PHYS 121L.

For students who have taken or are taking PHYS 122 and who intend to follow a Physics or Mathematical Physics plan; all other students who have taken or are taking PHYS 122 should select PHYS 122L.

Introduction to scientific computer programming techniques as applied to problem solving in physics, with examples from first year mechanics. Simple sequential programs, control structures, functions, data types, data storage and scientific graphing. Introduction to object oriented programming. Numerical differentiation, integration, root determination and solution of linear equation systems. [Offered: W]

Coulomb's law, electric field, Gauss' law, potential, capacitance, properties of dielectrics, current, resistance, electromotive force, D.C. circuits and instruments. [Offered: F]

Magnetic fields, induced electromotive forces, magnetic properties of matter, alternating currents, electromagnetic waves. [Offered: W]

Fermat's principle, reflection and refraction at plane and spherical surfaces, thin and thick lenses, optical instruments such as magnifiers, microscopes, telescopes, spectrometers, normal magnification. [Offered: F]

A laboratory that teaches programming (e.g.LabVIEW) for the computer interfacing of physics experiments and automatic data collection.

Background of quantum physics. Quantization, waves and particles. The uncertainty principle. The Schroedinger equation and postulates of quantum mechanics. Bound states in square wells. Introduction to the harmonic oscillator. Transmission through barriers. [Offered: F]

Numerical analysis in electrostatics, mechanics and quantum mechanics with emphasis on finite difference and finite element solution methods. [Offered: F]

Coulomb's law, electric fields, Gauss' law, electric potential. Capacitance, current, resistance, circuits. Magnetic fields, Ampere's Law, induced electromotive forces, magnetic properties of materials. [Offered: F]

Nature of light, wave motion, superposition of waves, interference of light, Fraunhofer diffraction and resolution limit of optical instruments; the diffraction grating and the analysis of light. Fresnel diffraction. Polarized light. Coherence of light, lasers, holography. Fibre Optics. [Offered: W]

Electromagnetic waves and the nature of light. Geometrical optics, matrix treatment. Physical Optics: interference, Fraunhofer and Fresnel diffraction, polarization. Optical instruments. [Offered: W, S]

Temperature and thermodynamic equilibrium. Work, internal energy and heat; first law, with examples. Kinetic theory of gases. Basic probability theory. Microscopic states and entropy. Absolute temperature, reversibility and the second law. Thermodynamic Functions and Maxwell's relations. Phase transitions. Third Law. Other applications of thermodynamics. [Offered: W,S]

For students who have taken or are taking PHYS 241.

For students who have taken or are taking PHYS 256.

Experiments in selected physics topics.

Newtonian dynamics of particles and systems of particles. Oscillations. Gravity and the central force problem. Lorentz transformations and relativistic dynamics. [Offered: W,S]

The Planets, Newtonian gravity and celestial mechanics, the formation of stars and planets, meteorites, asteroids, comets, planetary interiors, planetary surfaces, planetary atmospheres, the origin of life. [Offered: W,S]

The basic physical and geometrical ideas underlying Einstein's model of space, time and gravity -- special and general relativity -- with a minimum of mathematical detail. Main topics: (1) Gravitational physics: overview of current research and applications, (2) Special relativity: the geometry of flat spacetime and accelerated observers, and (3) General relativity: geodesics, geometrical formulation of Newtonian gravity, Schwarzschild spacetime and the classical tests of general relativity, and introduction to Einstein's equation. [Offered W]

Introduction to a physical understanding of biological systems at macro and molecular scales. The course is intended for 2nd year science and engineering students and will cover a broad spectrum of topics in biophysics, as well as an introduction to neurobiology, nanotechnology and biotechnology. [Offered: W]

The harmonc oscillator. Hydrogen atom, angular momentum and spin. Time-independent perturbation theory. Fine structure of hydrogen. Zeeman effect. Identical particles. The variational principle. Ground state of the helium atom. The hydrogen molecular ion. Applications in atomic and molecular physics. [Offered: F,S]

Gas, liquid and solid phases. Thermodynamic origin of order and phase transitions. Fluid mechanics. Elasticity of continuum materials. Waves. Properties of the solid state. Crystals and fractals. Reciprocal lattice. Diffraction. Classical elastic theory of the crystalline state. [Offered: W]

Introduction to selected topics in numerical treatment of problems in condensed matter physics, astrophysics, optics, and/or biophysics. Examples of covered computational methods are: Monte Carlo method, Molecular Dynamics, optimization, and solution to partial differential equations. [Offered: W]

p and n materials, pn diodes, junction and FET transistors. Transistor amplifiers and their equivalent circuits. Operational amplifiers. Oscillators and power supplies. Computer simulation of devices and circuits. [Offered: W even years,S odd years]

For students who have taken or are taking PHYS 352.

Logic gates, flip-flops and shift registers. Binary numbers and Boolean algebra. An introduction to microprocessors. This will include arithmetic logic units, parallel input/output ports, assembly language and a number of examples. [Offered: S even years, F odd years]

For students who have taken or are taking PHYS 353,

An introduction to optical fibre, waveguides, and passive optical devices. An overview of semiconductors, light emitting diodes, semiconductor lasers and detectors. Modulation schemes, noise sources and signal detection techniques in communications and optical communications. [Offered: W]

For students who have taken or are taking PHYS 356.

Fundamental postulate of statistical thermodynamics. Entropy. Microcanonical, canonical and grand canonical ensembles. Fermi-Dirac, Bose-Einstein and Boltzmann Statistics. Maxwell-Boltzmann velocity distribution. Applications to specific heat of solids, classical and quantum gases, electrons in metals, Planck's law of radiation, and Bose-Einstein condensation. [Offered: W]

Selected experiments in mechanics, optics, electronics, atomic, molecular, nuclear and solid state physics.

Continuation of 360A.

Non-inertial frames of reference. Calculus of variations. Lagrangian mechanics. Coupled oscillations and normal modes. Hamiltonian dynamics. [Offered: F,S]

Vector operators in curvilinear coordinates. The partial differential equations of mathematical physics. Separation of variables. Sturm-Liouville theory. Legendre, Bessel and other special functions. Fourier series. [Offered: F,S]

Complex Variable theory. Fourier and Laplace transforms, with applications. Green's functions. [Offered: W]

Observational techniques, spectral classification, stellar motions and distances, open clusters, globular clusters, stellar populations, theory of the structure, atmosphere, formation and evolution of stars. [Offered: W]

Intermolecular forces, chemical bonds, hydration, biomolecular conformations, dynamics and transitions (e.g. DNA packing and protein folding), cell membranes, self-assembly, reaction kinetics and dynamics, molecular motors, single-molecule manipulations, experimental techniques in molecular biophysics. [Offered: W]

Structure and function of cellular membranes, membrane lipid and protein structure and dynamics, membrane potential and ion transport, nerve conduction, vision and interaction of light with membranes, muscle contraction and energy transduction.

The theories of solid state physics are applied to explain the operation and use of several electronic devices, including the p-n junction, transistors, tunnel diodes, field effect devices, opto-electronic devices, etc. [Offered: W]

Symmetry and rotations. Time-dependent perturbation theory. Fermi's golden rule. Two-level systems. Emission and absorption of radiation. Magnetic effects and nuclear magnetic resonance. Scattering theory. [Offered: F]

Notions of elementary excitations (lattice, vibrations, magnons, plasmons, electron-hole pairs). Semi-classical theory of transport (Drude). Thermal properties of gas of weakly interacting fermions and bosons. Free-electron and weakly interacting theory of metals. Bloch's theorem and Band effects. Tight-binding model. Interacting systems - Mott transition, spin density waves, and elements of superconductivity theory. Selected topics. [Offered: F]

A research project in any area of Physics approved by the course co-ordinator(s). The student is required to present a summary of the project orally and to submit a written report in a style suitable for publication. Some projects, especially those with an experimental emphasis, will likely continue as 437B. In these cases, students will submit an interim written report, in addition to the oral presentation. [Offered: F,W]

A continuation of the project undertaken in PHYS 437A. The student is required to present a summary of the project orally or by poster and to submit a written report in a style suitable for publication. [Offered: W]

Electrostatics, magnetostatics, and the macroscopic description of dielectrics and magnetic materials. Includes appropriate mathematical techniques, potential theory and the method of images. [Offered: F]

Maxwell's Equations. Electromagnetic fields and the Lorentz Transformation. Plane waves in insulators, conductors and plasmas. Reflection and refraction at plane boundaries. Guided waves. Dipole radiation. [Offered: W]

An introduction to the experimental and theoretical aspects of present-day particle physics. Basic concepts. Accelerators and detectors. Symmetry principles. Electromagnetic, strong and weak interactions. [Offered: W]

Basic electromagnetic wave theory. Polarization, reflection, refraction, and dispersion. Temporal coherence and spectra. Spatial coherence and diffraction. Spatial filtering. Lasers, modes and beam propagation. Special topics may include crystal optics and nonlinear effects, holography, fibre optics and communications. [Offered: W]

The Hilbert space of states, observables and time evolution. Feynman path integral and Greens functions. Approximation methods. Coordinate transformations, angular momentum and spin. The relation between symmetries and conservation laws. Density matrix, Ehrenfest theorem and decoherence. Multiparticle quantum mechanics. Bell inequality and basics of quantum computing. [Offered: F]

Selected advanced experiments in mechanics, optics, electronics, atomic, molecular, nuclear and solid state physics.

A continuation of PHYS 460A.

Basics of computational complexity; basics of quantum information; quantum phenomena; quantum circuits and universality; relationship between quantum and classical complexity classes; simple quantum algorithms; quantum Fourier transform; Shor factoring algorithm; Grover search algorithm; physical realization of quantum computation; error-correction and fault-tolerance; quantum key distribution.

Galaxies, quasars, dark matter, observational cosmology, big-bang nucleosynthesis, cosmic microwave background. [Offered: F]

Tensor analysis. Curved space-time and the Einstein field equations. The Schwarzschild solution and applications. The Friedmann-Robertson-Walker cosmological models. [Offered: W]

The effect of radiation of various kinds on cells and tissues; mechanisms of damage, repair theories, genetic effects, dose-response relationships; cancer radiotherapy (x-rays, electrons, neutrons, protons, negative Pi mesons); other types of cancer therapies used in conjunction with radiotherapy (e.g. hyperthermia); late effects of radiation; carcinogenesis; risk vs. benefit; applications. [Offered: F]

Introduction to imaging concepts in medicine. Nuclear medicine, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound and optical imaging. Physics principles and applications with emphasis on the former. [Offered: W]

A lecture course offered in a particular branch of physics, subject to availability of instructor.