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Physics Courses

PHYS-100 Topics in Physics

.5-4 Units: 9-72 hours of lecture and/or 27-216 hours of laboratory, per term, SC, DG

This course covers topics in physics. Topics will be chosen to supplement and serve as additions to current offerings in the area, and will be announced each term in the current schedule of classes.

PHYS-110 Descriptive Physics

3 Units: 54 hours of lecture, per term, SC, DG, CSU, UC

This course presents a descriptive study of the fundamental laws of forces, motion, heat, electricity, magnetism, optics and modern physics, with discussions and experimental illustrations. The emphasis will be on the impact of physics on the layman. This course is not open to students who have completed any course in college physics.

PHYS-110L Descriptive Physics Laboratory

1.5 Units: 18 hours of lecture, 36 hours of laboratory, per term, SC, DG, CSU, UC

Prerequisite: PHYS-110 (may be taken concurrently) and MATH-120 or MATH-122

This course is designed to augment PHYS 110. Students will perform one experiment per week and investigate such phenomena as gravity, buoyancy, electricity, and nuclear reaction.

PHYS-120 General College Physics I

4 Units: 54 hours of lecture, 72 hours of laboratory, per term, LR, DG, CSU, UC (C-ID: PHYS 100S; C-ID: PHYS 105)

Prerequisite: MATH-171

This course presents a general study of properties of matter, mechanics, heat and sound, with related laboratory experiments. This course does not fulfill the requirements in physics for the engineering or physical science major.

PHYS-120H General College Physics I (Honors)

4 Units: 54 hours of lecture, 72 hours of laboratory, per term, LR, DG, CSU, UC

Prerequisite: MATH-180 or MATH-190.

This course differs significantly from PHYS-120 only in the inclusion of calculus-based developments and applications.

PHYS-121 General College Physics II

4 Units: 54 hours of lecture, 72 hours of laboratory, per term, LR, DG, CSU, UC (C-ID: PHYS 100S; C-ID: PHYS 110)

Prerequisite: PHYS-120 or PHYS-120H.

The course presents a general study of electricity and magnetism, optics, and atomic and nuclear theory with related laboratory experiments. This course does not fulfill the requirements in physics for the engineering or physical science major.

PHYS-121H General College Physics II (Honors)

4 Units: 54 hours of lecture, 72 hours of laboratory, per term, LR, DG, CSU, UC

Prerequisite: PHYS-120H

This course presents a general study of electricity and magnetism, optics, and atomic and nuclear theory with related laboratory experiments. This course does not fulfill the requirements in physics for the engineering or physical science major. This course differs significantly from PHYS-121 only in the inclusion of calculus-based development and applications.

PHYS-130 General Physics I

4 Units: 54 hours of lecture, 72 hours of laboratory, per term, LR, DG, CSU, UC (C-ID: PHYS 200S; C-ID: PHYS 205)

Prerequisite: MATH-191 or may be taken concurrently

This course presents a lecture and laboratory study of mechanics and properties of matter, statics and dynamics of translation and rotation, fluid mechanics, wave motion, and sound for students majoring in engineering, physics, and chemistry.

PHYS-230 General Physics II

4 Units: 54 hours of lecture, 72 hours of laboratory, per term, LR, DG, CSU, UC (C-ID: PHYS 200S; C-ID: PHYS 210)

Prerequisite: PHYS-130 and MATH-290

Corequisite: MATH-290 may be taken concurrently.

This course is a continuation of PHYS-130. The fundamentals of electricity and magnetism will be presented, including study of electric fields, potential, resistance, current electricity, DC networks, magnetism, inductance, alternating current, electromagnetic waves and electronics.

PHYS-231 General Physics III

4 Units: 54 hours of lecture, 72 hours of laboratory, per term, LR, DG, CSU, UC (C-ID: PHYS 200S; C-ID: PHYS 215)

Prerequisite: PHYS-130 and MATH-290

Corequisite: MATH-290 may be taken concurrently.

This course is a continuation of PHYS-230. This semester covers three largely independent topics in physics: Thermal physics, including temperature, basic heat flow and the laws of thermodynamics; Optics, including both geometric and physical optics; and 20th Century physics, which covers special relativity, introductory quantum mechanics, and fundamental nuclear physics.

PHYS-298 Independent Study

.2-4 Units: 3.6-72 hours of independent study, per term, SC, DG

Prerequisite: Educational contract of study signed by an instructor, department chair and vice president. Topics must extend beyond regular course offerings.

This course is designed for selected students to pursue independent study in physics under the direction of an instructor.