|
Class number:
3079
|
|
Title: Optics and Modern Physics |
|
Department: Physics |
|
Career: Undergraduate |
|
Component: Laboratory |
|
Session: Regular |
|
Instructor's Permission Required: No |
|
Grading Basis: Regular |
|
Units: 1.25 |
| Enrollment limited to 10 |
|
Current enrollment: 8 |
|
Available seats: 2 |
|
Start date: Tuesday, September 8, 2026 |
|
End date: Wednesday, December 23, 2026 |
|
Mode of Instruction: In Person |
|
Schedule: M: 1:30PM-4:10PM, MC - 223 |
|
|
Instructor(s): Walden, Barbara |
|
Prerequisite(s): Prerequisite: C- or better in Physics 141L and concurrent registration in or previous completion of Mathematics 132 with a C- or better. Concurrent registration in Mathematics 231 is strongly recommended. |
|
Distribution Requirement: Meets Natural Science Requirement |
Course Description:
Concluding the three-term calculus-based introductory physics sequence, this course begins with the study of interference and diffraction, which provide compelling evidence for the wave nature of light. We then turn to geometrical optics to understand the properties of lenses, mirrors, and optical instruments. The remainder of the course is devoted to the treatment of phenomena at the atomic and subatomic levels using the ideas of quantum physics. From the introduction of the photon, the Bohr atom, and de Broglie’s matter waves, we proceed to the unified description provided by Schrodinger’s wave mechanics. This is used to understand basic properties of atoms, beginning with hydrogen, and to describe the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter. As time permits, the course will include a brief introduction to the theory of special relativity and to nuclear physics. Three class meetings and one laboratory per week. |