PHYS 142(S) Physics Today
The twentieth century has been an extremely productive and exciting time for
physics. Special relativity has extended physics into the realm of high speeds
and high energies. Quantum mechanics has successfully described phenomena at
small energies and small distance scales. Our understanding of atoms, molecules,
and solids has developed from a few revolutionary ideas into a sophisticated
framework which today supports technologies that were unimagined in 1900. This
course will introduce many important developments in physics, including special
relativity, the Bohr model of the atom, Schrodinger's wave mechanics in one
dimension, the chemical bond, energy bands in solids, and nuclear physics. Format:
lectures, three hours a week; laboratories, three hours every other week. Evaluation
will be based on problem sets, laboratory participation, two hour tests, and
a final exam. Prerequisites: Physics 141 and Mathematics 103, or equivalent.
Physics 131 may substitute for Physics 141 with the permission of the instructor.
Enrollment limit: none (24/lab section); expected: 50.
Hour: S. BOLTON