| source Georgetown (X) |
level |
department Physics (X) |
The sometimes bizarre world of quantum mechanics will be described using physical pictures and simple algebra and trigonometry. This model of quantum mechanics was developed by Richard Feynman in a series of lectures delivered at UCLA in 1983. The quantum mechanical nature of everyday materials including metals, insulators, magnets, semiconductors, and superconductors will be discussed. Additional topics will include quantum-mechanics applications such as magnetic resonance imaging, tunneling microscopes, and lasers. Learn how to be a quantum mechanic and understand the revolutionary science of materials technology. This course serves as a core course for completion of the math/science requirement in the College.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
This is a conceptual science course, meaning that the emphasis will be on understanding, rather than calculating. Many natural phenomena and the technologies of our modern world can be understood through verbal descriptions, rather than calculations. Equations will be presented in the course, but they will be minimal and relatively straight forward. Given the qualitative, rather than quantitative, nature of this course, the focus will be on seeing and understanding the âscienceâ in everyday life. Most science courses start by presenting abstract theory and then treating applications of it. This course takes the opposite approach. We start with a well known phenomenon, e.g., the blue sky or the fact that microwave ovens make things hot, and then address the question: âWhy is this so?â or âHow does this happen?â A broad range of topics will be covered, including bicycles, roller coasters, clocks, rockets, ovens, refrigerators and air conditioners, copy machines, lasers, CD, DVD and Blu-ray players, nuclear weapons and reactors, cell phones, medical imaging, and trains that float. Classroom discussions will be augmented with a number of in-class demonstrations and video clips. This course serves as a core course for completion of the Universityâs mathematics/science curriculum requirement.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
Credits: 3
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
This course includes an introduction to the scientific principles behind musical instruments, musical pitch, scales, tone color, room and concert hall acoustics, sound reproduction, and hearing. The course will include hands-on activities in addition to lectures and demonstrations, and will also consider relationships between concepts of form and beauty in music and in the mathematical sciences. This course, in conjunction with a core math/science course, may be used to complete the College math/science requirement.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
The aim of this course is to present a primarily descriptive introduction to modern astronomy. No previous background in physics or astronomy is presumed and no mathematics beyond simple algebra and a very little trigonometry is required. Topics covered will be chosen from the appearance of the sky, instruments used by amateur and professional astronomers, formation and structure of our solar system, properties of stars, nature of galaxies, basics of cosmology, the onging search for extrasolar planets, and the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe. Tutorial activities will be incorporated into class periods. Local resources, such as the Georgetown Observatory, the Naval Observatory, and the Smithsonian Institution, will be utilized. Students will carry out a modest hands-on observing project. This course serves as a core course for completion of the math/science requirement in the College.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
Intelligent decision-making in a continually expanding number of policy and business arenas requires an understanding of a range of technology issues. This course will provide a broad introduction to the science that underlies several rapidly developing areas of high technology. The scientific principles underlying communications networks and the Internet, integrated circuits, aerospace, energy and transportation infrastructure, nuclear power, and surveillance technology will be covered. A few topics will be chosen for in-depth analysis to show the level of scientific understanding necessary to make informed decisions on technological issues. The art of approximation and order-of-magnitude calculations will also be introduced. This course is primarily intended for non-science majors and, in conjunction with a core math/science course, may be used to complete the College math/science requirement. (Offered in 2005-06)
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
These two courses constitute a year-long comprehensive introduction to physics, particularly suited to the needs and interests of pre-medical students. Topics covered are Newton's laws, linear and planar motion, work, energy, momentum, gravitation, periodic motion and waves, fluid mechanics, sound, thermodynamics, electric fields, electric potential, dielectrics, magnetic fields, induction, DC circuits, electromagnetic waves and light, interference and diffraction of light, geometric optics, and atomic physics. Familiarity with elementary calculus is assumed. Three lecture hours and two laboratory hours.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
These two courses constitute a year-long comprehensive introduction to physics, particularly suited to the needs and interests of pre-medical students. Topics covered are Newton's laws, linear and planar motion, work, energy, momentum, gravitation, periodic motion and waves, fluid mechanics, sound, thermodynamics, electric fields, electric potential, dielectrics, magnetic fields, induction, DC circuits, electromagnetic waves and light, interference and diffraction of light, geometric optics, and atomic physics. Familiarity with elementary calculus is assumed. Three lecture hours and two laboratory hours.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
This is the first semester of a calculus-based introduction to physics, particularly suited to the needs of majors in physics and other sciences. The primary topics covered are: Newtonian mechanics of particles and rigid bodies, with particular attention to planetary orbits and oscillations; introduction to the fundamental classical forces and fields (gravitational and electromagnetic); frames of reference, and elementary relativity. Facility with calculus is assumed. Three lecture hours, one tutorial hour, and two laboratory hours.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
This is the second semester of a calculus-based introduction to physics, particularly suited to the needs of majors in physics and other sciences. Topics to be covered include: thermodynamics; fluid mechanics; linear and nonlinear oscillations; use of complex numbers for describing oscillations; systems of coupled oscillators; normal modes of vibration; Doppler effects; interference and diffraction; evidence for the wave nature of light. Prerequisite: PHYS-105 or permission of the instructor. Three lecture hours, one tutorial hour, and two laboratory hours.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
The goals for this course are to help the student learn enough about the mathematical and computational methods used in physics to serve as a foundation for advanced study in physics (and other fields), develop problem-solving skills, and apply those problem-solving skills to simple but realistic situations. It is intended that the depth of coverage of each topic be sufficient to allow the use of the basics of that topic in subsequent study of physics and the acquisition of a more thorough and deeper understanding of that topic should need and/or desire so dictate. In other words, rather than providing exhaustive coverage, this course is intended to get the student up and running. Topics covered will be chosen from ordinary and partial differential equations, complex variables, linear algebra, vector algebra and calculus, partial differentiation, multiple integrals, Fourier series, integral transforms, calculus of variations, and probability. Mathematica will be taught and used as an integral part of the course.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
This class introduces students to science policy while emphasizing how to bring about change. Students will work on one project throughout the semester. They will break into teams, identify a politically hot science-issue, develop a lobbying strategy, and take their issue to Capitol Hill. The class is three credits and will meet once a week. The course is intended for science majors, but is open to non-science majors who have a working knowledge of government or marketing. Cross-listed as BIOL-362.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
Credits: 3
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
This course is designed to give a theoretical and practical introduction to teaching Biology.It is limited to Biology majors who have already been approved for BIOL-331 and BIOL-332 Senior Thesis: Teaching Biology and is to be taken in the spring of Junior year. All three credits from this course will count toward the Biology major. Students must be concurrently enrolled in BIOL-300 Tutorial: Thesis Research for one credit. Permission of the instructor is required.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
This course is a 2-credit seminar (counts as a half-course College general elective) and is only offered Pass/Fail. It meets once a week for 2 hours. The course will consist of readings at the Scientific American-level on a wide variety of physics topics ranging over such areas as string theory, dark matter, superfluids, chaos, econophysics, etc. The goals are to develop a "conversational" (and accurate) knowledge of the physics behind each topic and to see a broader spectrum of physics topics than are covered in the rest of the courses in the department. Students will be expected to read the material before class and to participate in discussions. A small group of students will be chosen to lead the discussion for each week.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
Relativity and quantum mechanics are the cornerstones of modern physics and deal with some of the most bizarre and paradoxical behavior seen in the physical world. In this course, we will show how to systematically build a theory based on the fact that the speed of light is a constant in any inertial reference frame, which leads to time dilation, length contraction, and a number of surprising paradoxes. We will then note how Einstein's principle of equivalence leads to a reformulation of our understanding of gravity, namely general relativity. Next we will introduce the quantum-mechanical world and see how wave-particle duality leads to a probabilistic interpretation of physical reality. We will employ the two-slit experiment to understand the bizarre predictions of quantum mechanics. We will use Schroedinger's equation to model simple quantum systems, culminating in a description of the hydrogen atom. The emphasis of the course will be on conceptual ideas and theory building, with support through quantitative problem solving. Weekly tutorials and laboratories supplement the lectures. Prerequisite: PHYS-042 or -108, or permission of the instructor. Three lecture hours, one tutorial hour, and two laboratory hours.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
In the introductory part of this course, vector functions and electrostatics are covered, followed by reacquaintance of the students with the concepts of surface integrals (divergence), line integrals (curl), and gradients. The manifestation of the magnetic field is treated from a relativistic point of view, including transformations of electric fields, magnetic fields, and forces into inertial frames of reference. This background leads to the development of Maxwell's equations and the ideas of electromagnetic wave theory. Three lecture hours, one tutorial hour, and two laboratory hours per week. Prerequisites: MATH-137 and either PHYS-105 or PHYS-041, or permission of the instructor.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
This is a laboratory-intensive introduction to modern measurement techniques, particularly electronic circuits, digital electronics, optics, and opto-electronics. The emphasis is on the art of experimental design, the evaluation of sources of noise and uncertainties, and scientific writing skills. Prerequisite: PHYS-214 or permission of the instructor. One lecture hour and four laboratory hours.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
The subject of this course is applications of quantum mechanics to the material world, specifically the structure of atoms and molecules, statistical physics and quantum statistics, the electronic properties of solids, and nuclear and elementary particle physics. Prerequisite: PHYS-211 or permission of the instructor.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
This is a course designed for science students interested in biomedical research. The course has two components, one in the classroom and the other in a working biophysical laboratory. The lectures will introduce biophysical topics such as voltage-gated ion channels in cardiac and neuronal tissue, confocal imaging of cellular calcium profiles, neural networks, and computational modeling. Each student will further explore these topics through a research project in an active biophysics laboratory, matching his or her interests and capabilities. The laboratory component will be individually scheduled by the students and their faculty mentors, but will total at least eight hours of research time per week. At the term's end, students will report their findings to the full class and participating faculty. Prerequisite: at least one year of physics, chemistry, and biology, or permission of the instructors.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
The focus of this course is on the review of Newtonian mechanics, development of the Lagrange formulation of classical mechanics, and applications to one- and two-dimensional motion, central forces, collisions, and oscillations. Accelerated coordinate systems, geometrical phases, and rigid-body rotations will also be covered. Throughout the course, there will be emphasis on developing problem-solving techniques and applications to the real world.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
This course will concentrate on further development of topics in electrodynamics begun in Physics 214, and applications to reflection and refraction, interference, geometrical optics, dispersion, coherence, Fraunhofer and Fresnel diffraction, lasers, and holography.
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The topics dealt with in this course are: semiconductor energy bands and carrier concentrations; carrier transport; p-n junctions; unipolar devices; photonic devices; crystal growth, oxidation, thin film deposition, diffusion, ion implantation, lithography, and etching. Two lecture hours and two laboratory hours.
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The topics addressed in this course are: micromechanical modeling, process modeling, wet bulk micromachining, surface micromachining, and LIGA; comparison of micromachining techniques; device development and packaging; scaling laws, actuators, and power in miniaturization; microfabrication applications; bio-medical devices. Two lecture hours and two laboratory hours.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page
This course is an intermediate level treatment of quantum mechanics, covering the origins of quantum mechanics, wave mechanics of a free particle, particles in potentials, axiomatic formulation of quantum mechanics, time evolution of quantum systems, particles in three dimensions, angular momentum, central potentials, spin, and perturbation theory. Prerequisites: PHYS-150 and -211, or permission of the instructor.
Score: 7.3753805 Details | Listing | Web page