Courses
Search for courses listed in this bulletin. To find a semester course schedule (including instructors, meeting times and locations), go to mynmu.nmu.edu.
- Offered: Fall
- Offered: Winter
- Prerequisites: High school algebra (freshman year).
- Offered: Fall Winter Summer
- Prerequisites: MA 111 with a grade of “C” or better, or placement into MA 115 or higher on the math placement exam.
A first semester, general introductory physics course. Topics include vectors, particle motion, Newton’s laws of motion, conservation laws, gravitation, rotation, harmonic motion, sound, thermodynamics and fluids.
Notes: This course may not be taken for credit toward the physics major or minor.- Offered: Fall Winter
- Prerequisites: PH 201 with a "C" or higher.
Topics include electricity, magnetism, DC and AC circuts, light, optical instruments, and if time permits atomic structure and spectra, nuclear physics and radiation.
Notes: This course may not be taken for credit toward the physics major or minor.- Offered: Winter
- Prerequisites: MA 161 with a “C” or equivalent.
The first semester of the introductory physics sequence designed for students majoring in physics, a physical science or engineering. Topics include vectors, kinematics, Newton’s Law, dynamics, conservation laws, heat, thermodynamics, sound and fluids.
- Offered: Fall
- Prerequisites: PH 220 with a "C" or higher and MA 163 with a "C" or higher, or instructor's permission.
Continuation of PH 220. Topics include electrostatics, fields, potentials, current, magnetism, DC and AC circuits, electrical waves and geometrical and physical optics.
- Offered: On demand
- Prerequisites: Instructor's permission.
Topics reflecting the special interests and needs of students. Designed for freshman, sophomores and non-physics majors.
- Offered: Every other winter, odd years
- Prerequisites: PH 221 with a "C" or higher.
A course on electronic circuits with primary emphasis on basic building blocks of electronic instruments used in physical research. Topics include solid state devices, operational amplifiers, feedback, pulse-forming networks, digital circuits and practical construction.
- Offered: Winter
- Prerequisites: PH 221 with a "C" or higher and MA 163 with a "C" or higher, or instructor's permission.
Topics include the special theory of relativity, atomic physics, atomic spectra, nuclear physics, introductory quantum ideas and particle physics.
- Offered: Every other winter, even years
- Prerequisites: PH 221 witn a "C" or higher and MA 163.
An intermediate lecture, problem and laboratory course dealing with geometrical and physical optics, physical principles underlying modern optical instruments and introductory quantum optics.
- Offered: Every other winter, even years
- Prerequisites: PH 221 with a "C" or higher. MA 361 is recommended.
A lecture and problem course on thermodynamics and statistical physics dealing with the laws of thermodynamics, kinetic theory, ensemble theory, and the partition functions including applications to chemical kinetics, phase transitions and low temperature processes.
- Offered: Every other fall, even years
- Prerequisites: MA 163 and PH 221 with a "C" or higher.
Advanced mathematical techniques used extensively in physics will be presented. Examples include vector operators, tensors, complex numbers and functions, special linear and partial differential equations and Fourier analysis.
- Offered: Every other fall, even years
- Prerequisites: PH 220 with a "C" or higher, concurrent or prior enrollment in MA 361 recommended. PH 370 recommended.
A classical (Newtonian) mechanics course covering particle motion in several dimensions, motions of systems of particles, rigid body motion, moving coordinate systems and mechanics of continuous media. Uses vector methods extensively.
- Offered: Every other fall, odd years
- Prerequisites: PH 221 with a "C" or higher and MA 265 with a "C" or higher. MA 361 and PH 370 recommended.
A course in classical electrodynamics. Topics include the development of Maxwell's equations and their solutions including boundary value problems and radiation.
- Offered: Every other fall, odd years
- Prerequisites: A natural science laboratory class; CS 120 or equivalent; MA 115 or DATA 109 or equivalent.
Experimental data measurement and analysis techniques are presented including data acquisition, calibration, validity and graphical and statistical analysis procedures. Particular emphasis will be given to computer interfacing for experiment control, data acquisition and analysis and display. For students planning careers in natural science beyond the technician level.
- Offered: Every other winter, odd years
- Prerequisites: PH 322 with a "C" or higher, PH 375 with a "C" or higher and MA 361. PH 375 may be taken concurrently; PH 370 is recommended, junior standing or instructor's permission.
An introduction to quantum mechanics. Topics include physical quantity determination in quantum physics, photons, material particles, quantum statistics, Schrodinger’s equation and applications to simple systems, the eigenvalue-eigenvector equation of quantum physics, and field quantization concepts.
- Offered: Fall Winter
- Prerequisites: Senior class standing or instructor's permission and declared physics major.
Students will prepare and deliver a series of presentations on topics in physics or astronomy with faculty adviser approval. A student may enroll for one or two credits, which will determine the number of presentations to be done.
- Offered: Fall Winter
- Graded: S/U
- Co-requisites: Registration for graduation or instructor permission.
A variety of tests to gauge the understanding of concepts, techniques, and reasoning skills taught in the Physics major. These tests will take the form of laboratory work, standardized tests, and other activities as determined by the instructor.
- Offered: On demand
- Prerequisites: Junior standing and department permission.
A course devoted to a special topic selected either for its current interest value or as a major piece of physics not covered in the normal curriculum.
- Offered: On demand
- Prerequisites: Junior standing and department permission.
Students either assist a faculty member in research, design an advanced physics laboratory experiment, or prepare a written, scholarly exposition on a physics-related topic approved by the faculty adviser and evaluated by three department faculty members.
Notes: May be taken only once.