PHYS 2218 - Physics III: Waves and Thermal Physics

(PBS-AS)

Fall, spring. 4 credits. Student option grading.

Forbidden Overlap: Students may not receive credit for both PHYS 2214 and PHYS 2218.
Prerequisite: strong performance in PHYS 2217 or very strong performance in PHYS 2213. Students would benefit from prior exposure to differential equations at the level of MATH 2930 or from co-registration in that course. Some linear algebra may be used (either prior or concurrent enrollment in linear algebra is recommended (MATH 2940, MATH 2210, or MATH 2230). Enrollment may be limited. Intended mainly but not exclusively for prospective majors in physics, astronomy, or engineering physics. More mathematically sophisticated than PHYS 2214.

Fall, M. Perelstein; spring, J. C. Davis.

This course is divided into two parts. The larger segment of the course typically focuses on wave phenomena. Topics include coupled harmonic oscillators, strings, sound and light waves, superposition principle, wave equations, Fourier series and transforms, diffraction and interference. The discussion is at the level of The Physics of Waves by Georgi. The second segment of the course covers thermodynamics and statistical mechanics at the level of Thermal Physics by Schroeder.