Catalog Entries |
2024 September Semester
Apr 23, 2024 |
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 | Select the Course Number to get further detail on the course. Select the desired Schedule Type to find available classes for the course. |
| PHYS 100 - Physics for Life Sciences I |
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This course is the first part of an algebra-based introductory physics course sequence for majors in life and environmental sciences. Topics include physics and measurement, motion in one and two dimensions, Newton's laws of motion, energy, linear momentum and collisions, rotational motion and gravitation, rotational equilibrium and dynamics, fluids and solids, and elements of thermal physics. Please note: You must register separately in lecture and lab components. Credits: 0.000 OR 4.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam, Lec/Lab/Tut Combination, Laboratory, Tutorial |
| PHYS 101 - Physics for Life Sciences II |
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This course is the second part of an algebra-based introductory physics course sequence for majors in life and environmental sciences. Topics include oscillations and waves, sound, electric forces and fields, electrical energy and capacitance, current and resistance, direct-current circuits, magnetism, electromagnetic induction, reflection and refraction of light, mirrors and lenses, and elements of modern physics. Please note: You must register separately in lecture and lab components. Credits: 0.000 OR 4.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam, Lec/Lab/Tut Combination, Laboratory, Tutorial |
| PHYS 110 - Introductory Physics I: Mechanics |
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This course is the first part of the calculus-based physics sequence for majors in physical and mathematical sciences. Topics include vectors, measurement, motion in one and two dimensions, the laws of motion, application of Newton's laws, work and energy, potential energy, conservation of energy, linear momentum and collisions, rotation of rigid bodies, rolling motion, angular momentum, static equilibrium, and elasticity. Please note: You must register separately in lecture and lab components. Credits: 0.000 OR 4.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam, Lec/Lab/Tut Combination, Laboratory, Tutorial |
| PHYS 111 - Introductory Physics II: Waves and Electricity |
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This course is the second part of the calculus-based physics sequence for majors in physical and mathematical sciences. Topics include universal gravitation, elements of thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, oscillatory motion, wave motion, sound waves, superposition and standing waves, electric field, Gauss's law, electric potential, and capacitance and dielectrics. Please note: You must register separately in lecture and lab components. Credits: 0.000 OR 4.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam, Lec/Lab/Tut Combination, Laboratory, Tutorial |
| PHYS 115 - General Introduction to Physics |
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This is an algebra-based introductory physics course for students without Grade 12 Physics. Topics include physics and measurement, motion in one and two dimensions, forces and Newton's laws of motion, circular motion, work and energy, electric forces and fields, electric potential, electric circuits, and magnetic forces and fields. Students with credit in Physics 12 require permission of the Program Chair. Please note: You must register separately in lecture and lab components. Credits: 0.000 OR 4.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam, Lec/Lab/Tut Combination, Laboratory, Tutorial |
| PHYS 150 - Physics for Future Leaders |
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This course examines the physics and technology underlying modern society and issues of global concern. The course introduces basic physics themes such as motion and energy, atoms and heat, gravity and force, electricity and magnetism, light and electromagnetic waves, and radioactivity and nuclear reactions. Using these concepts, the course provides a basic scientific understanding of topics such as climate change, alternative energy, nuclear power and nuclear weapons, medical technology, atmospheric pollutions, earthquakes, satellites, and telecommunication. This course requires no scientific or mathematical background and is accessible to students in any discipline.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam |
| PHYS 200 - Thermal Physics |
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This course covers thermodynamics and introductory statistical mechanics. Topics include temperature, reversible processes and work, the first law of thermodynamics, the second law of thermodynamics, entropy, the third law of thermodynamics, engines and refrigerators, free energy and chemical potential, phase transformations, and Boltzmann statistics.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam |
| PHYS 202 - Electromagnetism and Optics |
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Topics in this course include Gauss's law, current and resistance, direct-current circuits, magnetic fields and forces, sources of magnetic fields, Faraday's law, inductance, alternating-current circuits, electromagnetic waves, the nature and propagation of light, geometric optics, and interference. Please note: You must register separately in lecture and lab components. Credits: 0.000 OR 4.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam, Lec/Lab/Tut Combination, Laboratory |
| PHYS 205 - Modern Physics I |
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This is the first part of a two-semester course in modern physics introducing the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics and their applications. Topics include Lorentz transformations, relativistic kinematics, relativistic dynamics, foundations of quantum theory, quantum theory of light, particle and wave nature of matter, wave function and the uncertainty principle, the Schrodinger equation in one dimension, and tunneling phenomena.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam, Lec/Lab/Tut Combination, Laboratory, Tutorial |
| PHYS 206 - Modern Physics II |
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This is the second part of a two-semester course in modern physics introducing the theories of quantum mechanics and relativity and their applications. Topics include quantum mechanics in three dimensions, atomic structure and spectroscopy, statistical physics and quantum statistics, molecular structure and spectroscopy, the solid state of matter, structure of crystals, semiconductors and superconductors, properties and structure of nuclei, radioactivity, nuclear reactions, applications of nuclear physics, and elementary particles. Please note: You must register separately in lecture and lab components. Credits: 0.000 OR 4.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam, Lec/Lab/Tut Combination, Laboratory, Tutorial |
| PHYS 298 - Special Topics in Physics |
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The content of this course varies according to the instructor and student requests. This course may be repeated, to a maximum of 6 credit hours if the material is substantially different.
Credits: 3.000 TO 6.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture |
| PHYS 300 - Classical Mechanics |
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This course covers topics in analytical mechanics including Newtonian mechanics, motion in non-inertial reference frames, calculus of variations, Lagrangian formalism, central force motion, Hamiltonian formalism, canonical transformations, Hamilton-Jacobi theory, linear oscillators, and theory of small vibrations.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam, Tutorial |
| PHYS 302 - Quantum Mechanics I |
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This course is the first part of a two-semester course in quantum mechanics. Topics include quantum phenomena, the wave function and the Schrödinger equation, physical quantities and measurements, quantization of energy in simple systems, principles of quantum mechanics, commutation of observables, the Stern-Gerlach experiment, angular momentum, description of atoms, spin-1/2 and magnetic resonance, addition of angular momenta, and identical particles.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam, Tutorial |
| PHYS 305 - Electronics |
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This course is an introductory electronics course for science majors. This course is offered in an integrated laboratory-lecture environment and requires an electronics design project. Topics include DC Circuits, Kirchhoff's laws, Thevenin's and Norton's theorems and equivalent circuit models, AC circuits and filters, diodes, transistors, operational amplifiers, feedback, and noise in electrical systems.
Credits: 0.000 OR 4.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam, Lec/Lab/Tut Combination, Laboratory |
| PHYS 310 - Classical Electromagnetism I |
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This is the first part of a two-semester course in classical electromagnetism. Topics include the electric field and the scalar potential, Coulomb's and Gauss's Laws, Poisson's and Laplace's equations, boundary-value problems in electrostatics, electric multipoles, electrostatic energy and forces, dielectric materials and continuity conditions, the magnetic field and the vector potential, Ampere's law, magnetic fields in matter and magnetic materials, magnetic energy and forces, Faraday's law and electromagnetic induction, electrodynamics and Maxwell's equations.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Self-Directed, Final Exam, Lec/Lab/Tut Combination, Laboratory, Tutorial |
| PHYS 351 - Optics and Photonics I |
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This is an introductory course in geometrical and physical optics. Topics include mathematics of wave motion, electromagnetic theory of light, photons, laws of geometrical optics, aberrations in optical systems, optical instruments, supposition of waves, interference, polarization, diffraction, and elements of holography.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Self-Directed, Final Exam, World Wide Web |
| PHYS 390 - Advanced Physics Laboratory |
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This is a course in advanced laboratory methods involving experiments in a range of foundational areas of physics. Topics covered vary but include electromagnetism, solid state physics, optics and photonics, and atomic and nuclear physics.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Final Exam, Laboratory |
| PHYS 400 - Quantum Mechanics II |
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This course is the second part of a two-semester course on quantum mechanics. In this second course, the following topics are covered: identical particles, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms, Lorentz force in quantum mechanics, symmetries, time-independent perturbation theory, variational methods, time-dependent perturbation theory, scattering processes, and quantum entanglement.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam, Tutorial |
| PHYS 401 - Seminar on Contemporary Topics in Physics |
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This is a seminar course designed to expose students to current active topics of research in various fields of physics and applied physics. The course revolves around seminar presentations given by invited speakers from UNBC and other research institutions, as well as presentations given by the students enrolled in the course.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Final Exam, Seminar |
| PHYS 402 - Physics Research Project |
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This course requires students to conduct a project under the supervision of a faculty member. Students are normally required to submit a written report on the outcome of the project and deliver a presentation to the department. Project topics are usually chosen in an area of theoretical or experimental physics that matches the area of expertise of the faculty member supervising the student. This course may be repeated to a maximum of 6 credit hours.
Credits: 1.000 TO 6.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Self-Directed, Final Exam, Lec/Lab/Tut Combination, Laboratory, Tutorial |
| PHYS 404 - Solid State Physics |
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This course covers physics of the solid state of matter including: theories of metals, crystal lattices, reciprocal lattice, periodic potentials, electron dynamics, band structures, conduction in metals, phonons in metals, semiconductors, superconductivity and diamagnetism and paramagnetism.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam |
| PHYS 406 - Subatomic Physics |
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This course is an introduction to the fields of nuclear and particle physics. Topics include properties and structure of nuclei, the shell model, radioactivity, nuclear reactions, fission and fusion, elementary particles and fundamental interactions, fermions, bosons, Feynman diagrams, quantum electrodynamics and the electromagnetic force, quarks and hadron spectroscopy, meson exchange potentials, color charge and quantum chromodynamics, the weak gauge bosons and the electroweak force, symmetries and conservation laws, and the standard model.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam |
| PHYS 407 - Statistical Mechanics |
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This course covers kinetic theory of gases, laws of thermodynamics, probability theory, probability distributions, equilibrium statistical ensembles, ideal gases, phase transitions, critical phenomena and quantum statistics.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Self-Directed, Final Exam |
| PHYS 409 - Mathematical Methods in Physics |
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This course surveys the methods and techniques involved in the mathematical description of physical systems. Topics include matrix algebra and group theory, eigenvalue problems, differential equations, functions of a complex variable, Green's functions, Fourier series, integral equations, calculus of variations, and tensor analysis.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam, Tutorial |
| PHYS 410 - Classical Electromagnetism II |
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This is the second part of a two-semester course in classical electromagnetism. Topics include conservation laws in electrodynamics, electromagnetic wave equation, electromagnetic waves and their properties, wave polarization, electromagnetic waves in linear media and in conductors, wave guides, transmission lines, resonant cavities, electromagnetic potentials, electric dipole radiation, magnetic dipole radiation, multipole radiation, radiation by a single charge, antennas, relativity, relativistic electrodynamics, four vectors, and relativistic formulation of Maxwell's equations.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam, Lec/Lab/Tut Combination, Laboratory, Tutorial |
| PHYS 499 - Advanced Topics in Physics |
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This course examines advanced topics in contemporary physics. Topics depend on instructor and student interest and normally focus on material not dealt with in other courses. This course may be repeated to a maximum of 6 credit hours if the material is substantially different.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Undergraduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Self-Directed, World Wide Web |
| PHYS 600 - Quantum Mechanics II |
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Continuation of Quantum Mechanics I. Covers: matrix formulation, perturbation theory, approximation methods, scattering theory, many-particle problems, identical particles, spin and statistics, atomic and molecular systems.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Graduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam |
| PHYS 604 - Solid State Physics |
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Physics of the solid state of matter. Covers: theories of metals, crystal lattices, reciprocal lattice, periodic potentials, electron dynamics, band structure, conduction in metals, phonons in metals, semiconductors, diamagnetism and parmagnetism, superconductivity.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Graduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam |
| PHYS 606 - Subatomic Physics |
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Properties and structure of subatomic particles, symmetries and conservation laws, electromagnetic, weak, and hadronic interactions, beta decay, alpha decay, gamma decay, models of nuclear structure, nuclear reactions, fission, fusion, quarks and hadron spectroscopy.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Graduate Schedule Types: Lecture |
| PHYS 607 - Statistical Mechanics |
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Kinetic theory of gases, laws of thermodynamics, probability theory, probability distributions, equilibrium statistical ensembles, ideal gases, phase transitions, critical phenomena, quantum statistics.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Graduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Final Exam |
| PHYS 609 - Mathematical Methods in Physics |
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This course is a survey of the methods and techniques involved in the formulation and solutions of physics problems. Topics include matrix algebra and group theory, eigenvalue problems, differential equations, functions of a complex variable, Green's functions, special functions, Fourier series, integral equations, calculus of variations, and tensor analysis.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Graduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Self-Directed, Tutorial |
| PHYS 701 - Graduate Seminar in Physics |
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This course comprises weekly seminar sessions in physics, and provides students with an opportunity to develop and present ideas pertaining to their research proposals, research design, scientific writing and presentation of research results. This is a PASS/FAIL course.
Credits: 1.500 OR 3.000 Levels: Graduate Schedule Types: Seminar |
| PHYS 710 - Advanced Quantum Mechanics |
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Review of quantum mechanics including operators, linear vector spaces, Dirac notation; density operator; angular momentum, spin, and rotation groups; addition of angular momentum; symmetries and conservation laws; identical particles; time-dependent and time-independent perturbation theory; scattering theory; interaction of radiation with matter; introduction to relativistic quantum mechanics; special topics.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Graduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Self-Directed |
| PHYS 720 - Condensed Matter Physics |
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Theory and application of solid state physics to macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in materials. Topics to be chosen from the following: review of crystal lattices, unit cells, reciprocal lattice, Bloch theorem; free and nearly free electron models, tight binding model; band structure and Fermi surfaces, electron dynamics, scattering; metals, semiconductors and insulators; phonons, phonon bandstructure, scattering; diamagnetism, paramagnetism, ferromagnetism, magnetic ordering and scattering; heterostructures, quantum Hall effect; topics in surface physics (surface states, work function, reconstruction); topics in superconductivity (Type I and Type II, flux quantization, Josephson Effect, BCS Theory, high-temperature superconductivity).
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Graduate Schedule Types: Lecture |
| PHYS 730 - Advanced Nuclear Physics |
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Topics to be chosen from the following: properties of nuclei, the nuclear force and the two-nucleon system; nuclear structure, nuclear models; the collective model; many-body basis states; Hartree-Fock Hamiltonian; spherical and deformed shell model; nuclear excitation and the electromagnetic transition; weak interaction and beta-decay; alpha decay; nuclear fission; thermonuclear fusion; nuclear reactions; compound nucleus formation; direct reactions; the optical model; intermediate energy nucleon-induced reactions; electron- and photon-induced reactions; meson-nucleon and meson-nucleus reactions; heavy-ion reactions.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Graduate Schedule Types: Lecture |
| PHYS 740 - Elementary Particle Physics |
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Topics to be chosen from the following: quarks, leptons and the standard model; symmetries and conservation laws; Dirac equation and the Dirac field; gauge invariance and gauge theories -- Quantum Electrodynamics; phenomenology of hadronic interactions, strong interactions, SU(3), and the quark model; other quark flavours -- charm and beauty; principles of Quantum Chromodynamics; the weak interaction and parity non-conversation, invariance under CP and T; the heavy gauge bosons and the electro-weak theory; CP-violation; grand unification, supersymmetry; superstrings, particle physics and cosmology.
Credits: 3.000 Levels: Graduate Schedule Types: Lecture |
| PHYS 793 - Master of Science (Physics) Project |
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The MSc project documents an extended paper, plan, or program that makes a contribution to or addresses an issue in Physics. The development of a project requires the application of original thought to the problem or issue being investigated. The non-thesis project does not require the development of a research design or research methodology and need not involve the collection of original data. Successful completion of the project is required for graduation in the Master of Science (Physics) project stream. This is a PASS/FAIL course.
Credits: 0.000 OR 6.000 Levels: Graduate Schedule Types: Self-Directed, Masters Project |
| PHYS 794 - Master of Science (Physics) Thesis |
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The MSc thesis documents a scientific contribution to the field of Physics. Students are expected to conduct original research involving a literature review, development of a research design and methodology, testing and analysis of data, and development of conclusions. Successful defence of the thesis is required for graduation in the Master of Science (Physics) thesis stream. This is a PASS/FAIL course.
Credits: 0.000 OR 12.000 Levels: Graduate Schedule Types: Self-Directed, Masters Thesis |
| PHYS 798 - Advanced Topics in Physics |
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This course covers topics of current interest in physics research, which vary from year to year. This course may be repeated provided that all topics are distinct.
Credits: 1.000 TO 3.000 Levels: Graduate Schedule Types: Lecture, Self-Directed |
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