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Course Syllabus

PHYS 2710 Introductory Modern Physics

  • Division: Natural Science and Math
  • Department: Physics
  • Credit/Time Requirement: Credit: 3; Lecture: 3; Lab: 0
  • Prerequisites: PHYS 2220 (or concurrently)
  • Semesters Offered: Spring
  • Semester Approved: Spring 2022
  • Five-Year Review Semester: Fall 2026
  • End Semester: Fall 2027
  • Optimum Class Size: 12
  • Maximum Class Size: 24

Course Description

This course is an introduction to modern, or 20th century physics. PHYS 2710 is required for Physics majors, recommended for Chemistry majors and some engineering majors. Topics covered include relativity, quantum mechanics, atomic and nuclear physics, solid state physics, and cosmology.

Justification

This course is an important component of the curriculum for Physics majors in the first two years. It is also recommended for other majors such as Chemistry as preparation for upper division content. This course will transfer to most USHE institutions on a case-by-case basis. It is also an elective course for the Software Engineering program at Snow.

Student Learning Outcomes

  1. Students will know the important scientific laws and principles in 20th century physics.
  2. Students will also understand that science is a process to gain knowledge.
  3. Students will be able to solve paper-and-pencil physics problems and apply them to real life.

Course Content

1. Review of classical physics and outstanding problemsa. Waves and particlesb. Laws of conservationc. Problemsi. Electromagnetic mediumii. Blackbody radiationiii. Ultraviolet catastrophe2. Special relativitya. Michelson-Morley experimentb. Einstein’s postulatesc. Lorentz transformationd. Time dilation, length contractione. Spacetime invariantsf. Twin paradoxg. Relativistic momentum and energy3. Origins and evidence for quantum theorya. Blackbody radiationb. Photoelectric effectc. Compton effect4. Atomic structurea. Models of Thomson and Rutherfordb. Bohr modelc. X-ray spectra5. Wave properties of mattera. De Broglie wavesb. Probability and wave functionc. Uncertainty principle6. Quantum Theorya. Schrödinger wave equationb. Square well potentialc. Simple harmonic oscillatord. Barriers and tunneling7. Hydrogen atoma. Solution to Schrödinger equationb. Quantum numbersc. Magnetic effectsd. Spin8. Many-electron atomsa. Periodic tableb. Angular momentum9. Statistical physicsa. Maxwell velocity distributionsb. Equipartition theoremc. Classical and quantum statistics10. Molecules and solidsa. Molecular bondingb. Stimulated emission and lasersc. Superconductivityd. Band theory, semiconductors11. Nuclear physicsa. Radioactive decayb. Fission, fusion12. Elementary particlesa. Fundamental forcesb. Conservation laws and symmetriesc. Quarksd. Standard model and unification13. General relativitya. Principle of equivalenceb. Gravity as bent spacetimec. Black holes14. Cosmologya. Big Bangb. Stellar evolutionc. Age and future of the universe15. Unificationa. String theory