Physics 1: Classical Physics

Academic year 2011-12

Date last modified

23-4-2012 1:29

Period

Period 2

Startdate:

31-Oct-11

Enddate:

23-Dec-11

Code

SCI1030

ECTS credits

5.0

Organisational unit

University College Maastricht

Coordinator

W.T. Hermens

Description

The science of physics considers the properties and laws of the material world, from the composition of atomic nuclei to the evolution of distant stars. The course describes the discovery of general laws of nature, valid in the whole universe, and how such laws could be extracted from the results of carefully planned experiments. Aspects to be considered will be: • Newton’s laws for moving material bodies and gravitation, which are often considered as the start of modern science. • Discovery and validation of the relations between state parameters and the fundamental conservation laws such as the 1st and 2nd law of thermodynamics. • Electrical and optical phenomena and their integration into Maxwell’s theory of electromagnetic radiation. • Some practicals, such as designing and testing your own bungee- jumping cord and measurement of the diameter of your hair and red blood cells with optical diffraction.

Goals

• This course treats the fundaments of physics that emerged from Newton's treatment of classical mechanics in the 18th century and were completed in the 19th and 20th century to include the concepts of thermodynamics and electromagnetism. The course will rehearse and expand on high school subjects, including differentiation and integration of simple mathematical functions, elementary vector calculus, and the first principles of complex numbers.

Instruction language

Prerequisites

Secondary school physics and mathematics (SCI-P and SCI-M).

Recommended literature

• University Physics, H.D Young and R. A. Freedman, Pearson, 12th ed., 2008. At a higher conceptual level: • The Feynman Lectures on Physics, R. P. Feynman, R. B. Leighton, M. Sands, Addison-Wesley, 1963 (In 3 volumes, with the 1st volume also containing an introduction to calculus). At a lower mathematical level: • Principles of Physics, H.C. Ohanian, W.W. Norton & Company, 1994. • The sciences, an integrated approach, J. Trevil and R.M. Hazen, John Wiley & Sons, 1995.

Teaching methods

PBL
PRESENTATION(S)
LECTURE(S)
ASSIGNMENT(S)
PAPER(S)

Assessment methods

FINAL PAPER
ATTENDANCE
PARTICIPATION
WRITTEN EXAM
ORAL EXAM
TAKE HOME EXAM

Key words