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Major Physics (60 credits)

Offered by: Physics     Degree: Bachelor of Science

Program Requirements

Program Prerequisites

Students entering Physics programs from the Freshman program must have successfully completed the courses below or their equivalents. Quebec students must have completed the DEC with appropriate science and mathematics courses.

  • CHEM 110 General Chemistry 1 (4 credits)

    Offered by: Chemistry (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Chemistry : A study of the fundamental principles of atomic structure, radiation and nuclear chemistry, valence theory, coordination chemistry, and the periodic table.

    Terms: Fall 2015

    Instructors: Gauthier, Jean-Marc; Sewall, Samuel Lewis; Huot, Mitchell; Barrett, Christopher; Friscic, Tomislav; Pavelka, Laura (Fall)

    • Fall

    • Prerequisites/corequisites: College level mathematics and physics or permission of instructor; CHEM 120 is not a prerequisite

    • Each lab section is limited enrolment

  • CHEM 120 General Chemistry 2 (4 credits)

    Offered by: Chemistry (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Chemistry : A study of the fundamental principles of physical chemistry.

    Terms: Winter 2016

    Instructors: Pavelka, Laura; Butler, Ian Sydney; Siwick, Bradley; Gauthier, Jean-Marc; Huot, Mitchell (Winter)

    • Winter

    • Prerequisites/corequisites: College level mathematics and physics, or permission of instructor: CHEM 110 is not a prerequisite

    • Each lab section is limited enrolment

  • PHYS 131 Mechanics and Waves (4 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : The basic laws and principles of Newtonian mechanics; oscillations and waves.

    Terms: Fall 2015

    Instructors: Ragan, Kenneth J (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 3 hours lectures; 1 hour tutorial, 3 hours laboratory in alternate weeks; tutorial sessions

    • Corequisite: MATH 139 or higher level calculus course.

    • Restriction: Not open to students taking or having taken PHYS 101, CEGEP objective 00UR or equivalent

    • Laboratory sections have limited enrolment

  • PHYS 142 Electromagnetism and Optics (4 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : The basic laws of electricity and magnetism; geometrical and physical optics.

    Terms: Winter 2016

    Instructors: Gervais, Guillaume; Engelberg, Edith M (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 3 hours lectures, 3 hours laboratory in alternate weeks; tutorial sessions

    • Prerequisite: PHYS 131.

    • Corequisite: MATH 141 or higher level calculus course.

    • Restriction: Not open to students taking or having taken PHYS 102, CEGEP objective 00UR or equivalent

    • Laboratory sections have limited enrolment

One of:

  • BIOL 111 Principles: Organismal Biology (3 credits)

    Offered by: Biology (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Biology (Sci) : An introduction to the phylogeny, structure, function and adaptation of unicellular organisms, plants and animals in the biosphere.

    Terms: Fall 2015

    Instructors: Krahe, Rudiger; Dhindsa, Rajinder S; Gregory-Eaves, Irene (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 2 hours lecture and 3 hours laboratory

    • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken CEGEP objective 00UK or equivalent; or BIOL 115.

    • This course serves as an alternative to CEGEP objective code 00UK

    • May require departmental approval.

    • Open to all students wishing introductory biology.

    • Attendance at first lab is mandatory to confirm registration in the course.

    • This class will use a Student Response System (clicker) which can be obtained from the Bookstore.

  • BIOL 112 Cell and Molecular Biology (3 credits)

    Offered by: Biology (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Biology (Sci) : The cell: ultrastructure, division, chemical constituents and reactions. Bioenergetics: photosynthesis and respiration. Principles of genetics, the molecular basis of inheritance and biotechnology.

    Terms: Winter 2016

    Instructors: Dent, Joseph Alan; Schöck, Frieder (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 2 hours lecture and 3.5 hours laboratory/seminar

    • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken or are taking CEGEP objective 00XU or equivalent; or BIOL 115; or AEBI 122

    • Attendance at first lab is mandatory to confirm registration in the course.

MATH 133 and either MATH 140/141 or MATH 150/151.

  • MATH 133 Linear Algebra and Geometry (3 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Systems of linear equations, matrices, inverses, determinants; geometric vectors in three dimensions, dot product, cross product, lines and planes; introduction to vector spaces, linear dependence and independence, bases; quadratic loci in two and three dimensions.

    Terms: Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Summer 2016

    Instructors: Disegni, Daniel; Kelome, Djivede; Baratin, Aristide; Anderson, William J (Fall) Novytska, Yuliya; Kelome, Djivede (Winter) Baratin, Aristide (Summer)

    • 3 hours lecture, 1 hour tutorial

    • Prerequisite: a course in functions

    • Restriction A: Not open to students who have taken MATH 221 or CEGEP objective 00UQ or equivalent.

    • Restriction B: Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 123, MATH 130 or MATH 131, except by permission of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

    • Restriction C: Not open to students who are taking or have taken MATH 134.

  • MATH 140 Calculus 1 (3 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Review of functions and graphs. Limits, continuity, derivative. Differentiation of elementary functions. Antidifferentiation. Applications.

    Terms: Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Summer 2016

    Instructors: Hundemer, Axel W; Hu, Ying; Wallace, Michael (Fall) Vonk, Jan (Winter) Jakobson, Dmitry (Summer)

    • 3 hours lecture, 1 hour tutorial

    • Prerequisite: High School Calculus

    • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken MATH 120, MATH 139 or CEGEP objective 00UN or equivalent

    • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 122 or MATH 130 or MATH 131, except by permission of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics

    • Each Tutorial section is enrolment limited

  • MATH 141 Calculus 2 (4 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : The definite integral. Techniques of integration. Applications. Introduction to sequences and series.

    Terms: Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Summer 2016

    Instructors: Pang, Chung Yin Amy (Fall) Shokoohi, Farhad; Hundemer, Axel W; Barsheshat, Yariv (Winter) Al Balushi, Ibrahim; ¿´Æ¬ÊÓƵivray, Annaliza (Summer)

    • Prerequisites: MATH 139 or MATH 140 or MATH 150.

    • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken MATH 121 or CEGEP objective 00UP or equivalent

    • Restriction Note B: Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 122 or MATH 130 or MATH 131, except by permission of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

    • Each Tutorial section is enrolment limited

  • MATH 150 Calculus A (4 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Functions, limits and continuity, differentiation, L'Hospital's rule, applications, Taylor polynomials, parametric curves, functions of several variables.

    Terms: Fall 2015

    Instructors: Roth, Charles (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 3 hours lecture, 2 hours tutorial

    • Students with no prior exposure to vector geometry are advised to take MATH 133 concurrently. Intended for students with high school calculus who have not received six advanced placement credits

    • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken CEGEP objective 00UN or equivalent

    • Restriction Note B: Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 122 or MATH 130 or MATH 131, except by permission of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics

    • MATH 150 and MATH 151 cover the material of MATH 139, MATH 140, MATH 141, MATH 222

  • MATH 151 Calculus B (4 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Integration, methods and applications, infinite sequences and series, power series, arc length and curvature, multiple integration.

    Terms: Winter 2016

    Instructors: Roth, Charles (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 3 hours lecture; 2 hours tutorial

    • Each Tutorial section is enrolment limited

    • Prerequisite: MATH 150

    • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken CEGEP objective 00UP or equivalent

    • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 122 or MATH 130 or MATH 131, except by permission of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics

    • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken MATH 152

U1 Required Courses (21 credits)

  • MATH 222 Calculus 3 (3 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Taylor series, Taylor's theorem in one and several variables. Review of vector geometry. Partial differentiation, directional derivative. Extreme of functions of 2 or 3 variables. Parametric curves and arc length. Polar and spherical coordinates. Multiple integrals.

    Terms: Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Summer 2016

    Instructors: Drury, Stephen W; Huang, Jingyin (Fall) Drury, Stephen W (Winter) McGregor, Geoffrey (Summer)

  • MATH 223 Linear Algebra (3 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Review of matrix algebra, determinants and systems of linear equations. Vector spaces, linear operators and their matrix representations, orthogonality. Eigenvalues and eigenvectors, diagonalization of Hermitian matrices. Applications.

    Terms: Fall 2015, Winter 2016

    Instructors: Fox, Thomas F (Fall) Pichot, Michael (Winter)

    • Fall and Winter

    • Prerequisite: MATH 133 or equivalent

    • Restriction: Not open to students in Mathematics programs nor to students who have taken or are taking MATH 236, MATH 247 or MATH 251. It is open to students in Faculty Programs

  • PHYS 230 Dynamics of Simple Systems (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Translational motion under Newton's laws; forces, momentum, work/energy theorem. Special relativity; Lorentz transforms, relativistic mechanics, mass/energy equivalence. Topics in rotational dynamics. Noninertial frames.

    Terms: Fall 2015

    Instructors: Pereg-Barnea, Tamar (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Prerequisite: CEGEP Physics or PHYS 131.

    • Corequisite: MATH 222

    • Restriction: Not open to students taking or having passed PHYS 251

  • PHYS 232 Heat and Waves (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : The laws of thermodynamics and their consequences. Thermodynamics of P-V-T systems and simple heat engines. Free, driven, and damped harmonic oscillators. Coupled systems and normal modes. Fourier methods. Wave motion and dispersion. The wave equation.

    Terms: Winter 2016

    Instructors: Lovejoy, Shaun MacDonald (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Prerequisites: CEGEP Physics or PHYS 142, and CEGEP chemistry or CHEM 120, and PHYS 230.

    • Restriction: Not open to students taking or having passed PHYS 253

  • PHYS 241 Signal Processing (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Linear circuit elements, resonance, network theorems, diodes, transistors, amplifiers, feedback, integrated circuits.

    Terms: Winter 2016

    Instructors: Dobbs, Matthew Adam (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 2 hours lectures; 3 hours laboratory alternate weeks

    • Prerequisite: CEGEP physics or PHYS 142.

  • PHYS 257 Experimental Methods 1 (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Introductory laboratory work and data analysis as related to mechanics, optics and thermodynamics. Introduction to computers as they are employed for laboratory work, for data analysis and for numerical computation. Previous experience with computers is an asset, but is not required.

    Terms: Fall 2015

    Instructors: Warburton, Andreas; Engelberg, Edith M (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 6 hours of laboratory and classroom work

    • Corequisite: PHYS 230 or PHYS 251

  • PHYS 258 Experimental Methods 2 (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Advanced laboratory work and data analysis as related to mechanics, optics and thermodynamics. Computers will be employed routinely for data analysis and for numerical computation, and, particularly, to facilitate the use of Fourier methods.

    Terms: Winter 2016

    Instructors: Warburton, Andreas; Engelberg, Edith M; Brunner, Thomas (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 6 hours of laboratory and classroom work

    • Prerequisite: PHYS 257

U2 Required Courses (24 credits)

  • MATH 314 Advanced Calculus (3 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Derivative as a matrix. Chain rule. Implicit functions. Constrained maxima and minima. Jacobians. Multiple integration. Line and surface integrals. Theorems of Green, Stokes and Gauss. Fourier series with applications.

    Terms: Fall 2015, Winter 2016

    Instructors: Panati, Annalisa (Fall) Roth, Charles (Winter)

  • MATH 315 Ordinary Differential Equations (3 credits)

    Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : First order ordinary differential equations including elementary numerical methods. Linear differential equations. Laplace transforms. Series solutions.

    Terms: Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Summer 2016

    Instructors: Xu, Jian-Jun (Fall) Lu, Xinyang (Winter) Roth, Charles (Summer)

    • Prerequisite: MATH 222.

    • Corequisite: MATH 133.

    • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken or are taking MATH 325.

  • PHYS 328 Electronics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Semiconductor devices, basic transistor circuits, operational amplifiers, combinatorial and sequential logic, integrated circuits, analogue to digital converters. The laboratory component covers design, construction and testing of basic electronic circuits.

    Terms: Fall 2015

    Instructors: Vachon, Brigitte (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 2 hours lectures; 3 hours laboratory

    • Prerequisite: PHYS 241 or permission of instructor

  • PHYS 331 Topics in Classical Mechanics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Forced and damped oscillators, Newtonian mechanics in three dimensions, rotational motion, Lagrangian mechanics, small vibrations, normal modes. Introduction to Hamiltonian mechanics.

    Terms: Winter 2016

    Instructors: Dasgupta, Keshav (Winter)

  • PHYS 333 Thermal and Statistical Physics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Introductory equilibrium statistical mechanics. Quantum states, probabilities, ensemble averages. Entropy, temperature, Boltzmann factor, chemical potential. Photons and phonons. Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein distributions; applications.

    Terms: Winter 2016

    Instructors: Leslie, Sabrina (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Prerequisite: PHYS 232

    • Restriction: Not open to students taking or having passed PHYS 362

  • PHYS 339 Measurements Laboratory in General Physics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Introduction to modern techniques of measurement. The use of computers in performing and analysing experiments. Data reduction, statistical methods, report writing. Extensive use of computers is made in this laboratory; therefore some familiarity with computers and computing is an advantage.

    Terms: Winter 2016

    Instructors: Cooke, David (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 6 hours

    • Prerequisite: PHYS 241 or permission of instructor

  • PHYS 340 Majors Electricity and Magnetism (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : The electrostatic field and scalar potential. Dielectric properties of matter. Energy in the electrostatic field. Methods for solving problems in electrostatics. The magnetic field. Induction and inductance. Energy in the magnetic field. Magnetic properties of matter. Maxwell's equations. The dipole approximation.

    Terms: Fall 2015

    Instructors: Siwick, Bradley (Fall)

  • PHYS 342 Majors Electromagnetic Waves (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Maxwell's equations. The wave equation. The electromagnetic wave, reflection, refraction, polarization. Guided waves. Transmission lines and wave guides. Vector potential. Radiation. The elemental dipole; the half-wave dipole; vertical dipole; folded dipoles; Yagi antennas. Accelerating charged particles.

    Terms: Winter 2016

    Instructors: Cline, James M (Winter)

U3 Required Courses (15 credits)

  • PHYS 434 Optics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Fundamental concepts of optics, including applications and modern developments. Light propagation in media; geometric optics and optical instruments; polarization and coherence properties of light; interference and interferometry; diffraction theory and applications in spectrometry and imaging; Fourier optics; selected special topics such as holography, lasers, beam optics, photonic crystals, advanced spectroscopy, stellar interferometry, quantum optics.

    Terms: Winter 2016

    Instructors: Haggard, Daryl (Winter)

    • Winter

    • 3 hours lectures

    • Prerequisite: PHYS 342 or PHYS 352, or permission of the instructor

  • PHYS 439 Majors Laboratory in Modern Physics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : Advanced level experiments in modern physics stressing quantum effects and some properties of condensed matter.

    Terms: Fall 2015

    Instructors: Ryan, Dominic; Childress, Jack (Fall)

    • Fall

    • 6 hours

    • Prerequisite: PHYS 339.

    • Corequisite: PHYS 446

    • Restriction: Not open to students with credit in PHYS 359 except with permission of instructor

  • PHYS 446 Majors Quantum Physics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : de Broglie waves, Bohr atom. Schroedinger equation, wave functions, observables. One dimensional potentials. Schroedinger equation in three dimensions. Angular momentum, hydrogen atom. Spin, experimental consequences.

    Terms: Fall 2015

    Instructors: Cumming, Andrew (Fall)

  • PHYS 447 Applications of Quantum Mechanics (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : One electron atoms, radiation, multielectron atoms, molecular bonds. Selected topics from condensed matter, nuclear and elementary particle physics.

    Terms: Winter 2016

    Instructors: Childress, Jack (Winter)

    • Prerequisite(s): PHYS 446

    • Restriction(s): Not open to students who have taken PHYS 436.

    • Restriction(s): Not open to students in Honours Physics or in Joint Honours in Mathematics and Physics.

    • 1. Winter

    • 2. 3 hours lectures

  • PHYS 449 Majors Research Project (3 credits)

    Offered by: Physics (Faculty of Science)

    Overview

    Physics : A supervised research project.

    Terms: Fall 2015, Winter 2016

    Instructors: Sutton, Mark; Childress, Jack (Fall) Sutton, Mark (Winter)

It is possible for students to transfer from the Major to the Honours program after the U1 year if they have passed all U1 Required courses and MATH 314 and MATH 315 with a C or better, and obtained a GPA of 3.5 or better in these courses. The written permission of an adviser is required for this change of program.

Note: The missing MATH 249 and PHYS 260 from the U1 Honours Year should be taken in U2.

Faculty of Science—2015-2016 (last updated Aug. 20, 2015) (disclaimer)
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