Undergraduate Course Atlas - Spring Semester 2009

Content: A descriptive overview of astronomy. Topics covered include the celestial coordinate system, time keeping, constellations, ancient astronomy, the planetary system, the sun, stellar evolution, neutron stars, black holes, galactic astronomy, cosmology, and the origin of the Universe.

Audience: Only a minimal mathematical ability is required. Students who have completed or who are enrolled in Physics 116 may not enroll in Physics 115.

Particulars: There will be two, in-class exams and a final comprehensive exam.

Text:The Essential Cosmic Perspective, 4th ed. (Bennett et al)

Content: A descriptive astronomy course with laboratory. Topics covered include celestial mechanics, light and telescopes, the solar system, the Sun, stellar evolution, black holes, galaxies, and the origin and fate of the Universe.

Audience: Only a minimal mathematical ability is required. Students who have completed or who are enrolled in Physics 115 may not enroll in Physics 116.

Particulars: There is a 3-hour laboratory each week that requires registration as a related component. There will be three in-class exams and a final comprehensive exam.

Texts:The Essential Cosmic Perspective, 4th ed. (Bennett et al)
Edmund Mag 5 Star Atlas
Astronomy Laboratory Manual, Emory University Physics Department
The New Patterns in the Sky: Myths and Legends of the Stars, Staal (recommended)

Content: This course will explore the science behind many of the technical things (for example, automobiles) and not-so-technical things (baseball bats) that are part of our daily existence. This course is especially appropriate for non-scientists who want to understand, well, how things work. The mathematics is minimal. We will see our world as predictable rather than magical, and a few simple rules will allow us to understand some quite complicated objects and that technical complexity need not be intimidating.

Particulars: A mid-term exam, a final exam, and a collaborative project.

Text: How Things Work, the Physics of Everyday Life, 3rd edition Bloomfield.

Content: Introduction to electricity, magnetism, optics, the essentials of quantum mechanics, atomic and nuclear physics, and special relativity. Physics 142 is the second course of a two-semester non-calculus introductory physics sequence.

Audience: The student is expected to be competent in algebra, trigonometry and plane geometry. Physics 141 and 142 are appropriate courses to satisfy a one-year physics requirement of various professional schools. Students who expect to pursue a BS degree in mathematics or one of the sciences should enroll in Physics 152.

Prerequisites: Physics 141 or 151.

Particulars: There is one three-hour laboratory each week which requires registration as a related component.

Texts: Essentials of College Physics, Serway & Vuille
Physics 141-142 Laboratory Manual, Emory University Physics Department

Content: A calculus-based introduction to concepts of electricity, magnetism, and optics.

Audience: Physics 152 is the second course of a two-semester introductory physics sequence. Physics 151 and 152 are strongly recommended for students who contemplate the completion of a B.S. degree in physics or mathematics, or who plan to pursue graduate studies in the sciences or engineering.

Prerequisites: Physics 151, or consent of instructor.

Particulars: There is one three-hour laboratory each week which requires registration as a related component.

Text: TBD

Content: The course will address the following topics:

1. The scientific worldview derived from the progress of natural sciences particularly physics.
2. The descriptions of worldviews based on the faith traditions of Abrahamic religions, Christianity, Judaism and Islam as well as Eastern religions of Hinduism and Buddism.
3. The philosophical activity of attempting to formulate, understand and answer fundamental questions (such as what is real, what is true, what is good, and what is beautiful) that leads to the spirituality of man, his beliefs and expectations.

Audience: Freshman only.

Particulars: Seminar discussion format; journal writing, brief quizzes, a mid-term exam, and a term paper.

Content: The course will explore some of the ways in which the principles and methods used in physics are applied to problems in modern medicine. Part of the course will be devoted to a study of the physics of modern imaging systems having acronyms such as MRI, CT and PET. More traditional areas (x-ray, radiation, and nuclear medicine physics) will also be covered. Mathematical and statistical ideas will be developed as needed.

Audience: The course is intended for "pre-med" students, students in health or biological sciences, or physics majors who are curious about medical physics.

Prerequisites: Physics 142 or 152, or consent of instructor.

Particulars: One mid-term exam, plus a verbally presented report. No final exam.
Several classes will involve a visit to a medical facility on the greater Emory Campus (e.g. Grady Memorial, Crawford Long, or Emory University Hospital); such classes may last until 9:00 PM.

Content: Physics BA majors have a choice of taking either Physics 254, Classical Physics or both Physics 361, Analytical Mechanics I and Physics 365, Electromagnetic Fields I. Physics 254 covers, in one semester, core elements of 361 and 365 at a simpler mathematical level. Both tracks prepare you for 300-level physics electives; the 361-365 sequence further prepares students for graduate study in physics. If you took both 361 and 365, one would count as one of your four physics electives.

Audience: For Physics BA majors and others who desire a broader and more conceptual treatment of basic classical mechanics and electromagnetism.

Prerequisites: Physics 253.

Particulars: Mid semester exam; homework problems; final presentation.

Content: Discussion covers astronomical coordinates, celestial mechanics, Kepler's Laws, gravitation, planetary analysis techniques, planetary and interplanetary debris composition and structure, ring system formation, extra-solar planetary systems, with laboratory sessions in the Emory observatory.

Prerequisites: Physics 253.

Particulars: In addition to investigating the content areas listed above, students will also research current topics in astronomical research for brief in-class presentations. A mid-term and a final comprehensive exam will also be given. There is one 3-hour laboratory on Monday evenings which needs to be registered for as a related component.

Text: An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, 2nd Ed., Carroll and Ostlie

Content: Electrostatics, solution methods for Poisson and Laplace equations, steady currents and electromagnetic induction, magnetic and electrostatic energy, slowly varying currents, Maxwell's equations, propagation of electromagnetic waves, and wave propagation in bounded regions.

Audience: Required for Physics B.S. and B.S. Applied majors. Physics B.A. majors may take either Physics 361(Fall) and 365 (Spring), or Physics 254 (Spring).

Prerequisites: Physics 152 and Mathematics 211, or consent of instructor.

Particulars: The course will feature regular homework assignments, two mid-term exams, and a final exam.

Text: Introduction to Electrodynamics, 3rd ed., Griffiths.

Content: This seminar will explore the connections among the topics of proteins, patients, and prisoners, and how they relate to your health and your world. You will engage in discussions on how your education could be making you sick, watch the movement of proteins that keep you healthy, participate in hands-on experiments to see how cells interact, hear from women living in prison, enjoy aspects of self-discovery, and even experience altered states of mind. Divided into five modules taught by Emory researchers in different disciplines, you will learn how these scholars from diverse disciplines draw on the same process of discovery to gain a deeper understanding of the world. Students will learn methods to conduct research and scholarly inquiry. We will guide you through the steps of the process from critical analysis of primary literature through reporting your work in a peer reviewed journal format. You will also be challenged to use technology to teach your independent discoveries to a general audience. This course will be an exciting and rewarding capstone experience for you that will transform the way you view and are able to capture that unknown beyond Emory.

Particulars: Cross-Listed as Chem 468SWR, NBB 470SWR, PSYC 385SWR, and REL 370RSWR.

Content: Often, "taken out of context" has a negative connotation, but in this course we will take a step back and explore context as a necessary component in understanding our own identity and place in the world. Join us for a journey through current research and discoveries here on Emory's campus. Together, we will relate microscopic observations to macroscopic properties of materials, study complex processes of protein-mediated diseases, investigate empathy in non-human primates, and examine diverse education and religious experiences. Divided into five modules taught by Emory researchers in different disciplines, you will learn how these scholars from diverse disciplines draw on the same process of discovery to gain a deeper understanding of the world. Students will learn methods to conduct research and scholarly inquiry. We will guide you through the steps of the process from critical analysis of primary literature through reporting your work in a peer reviewed journal format. You will also be challenged to use technology to teach your independent discoveries to a general audience. This course will be an exciting and rewarding capstone experience for you that will transform the way you view and are able to capture that unknown beyond Emory.

Particulars: Cross-Listed as Chem 468SWR, NBB 470SWR, PSYC 385SWR, and REL 370RSWR.

Content: General introduction to scientific research. This course will introduce the students to the numerous areas of scientific research conducted in the Emory physics department as well as give an overview of how modern science is carried out. The students will participate in in-depth tours of active research laboratories, covering diverse fields, in the physics department. In the classroom, we will also discuss topics related to science research in general, including the process of publishing and presenting scientific results, science ethics, current science issues "in the news" and the varied career choices available to physics majors.

Audience: For first-year students enrolled in Physics 152 and/or participating in the INSPIRE Program.

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

Particulars: Class notes and articles from the instructor.

Content: Varies.

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.

Particulars: Adapted to the particular needs of individual students, with the instructor acting as advisor.

Content: The course will cover the physics of optics and waves. Most of this course will be devoted to the derivation and solution of wave equations for a variety of physical systems and environments. Our understanding of wave propagation will then be applied to analyze a variety of optical systems.

Prerequisites: Physics 365, and Physics 320 or the equivalent, or consent of instructor.

Particulars: This class includes regular homework and exams. Each student will also conduct a library research project during the 2nd half of the semester, write a research report, and give an in-class presentation about their work. Includes a three-hour laboratory each week (Monday 3:00 PM- 6:00 PM).

Content: In this seminar course, students will be taught some of the basic techniques of computational physics and will be assigned projects that will enable them to simulate, analyze, and graphically visualize physical systems and processes. Some of the topics that may be covered as part of the assigned projects include nonlinear dynamics and chaos, random walks and diffusion, percolation and critical phenomena, fractals, cellular automata, Monte Carlo techniques, and molecular dynamics.

Prerequisite: Physics 142 or 152, Computer Science 150 or 170, or consent of instructor.

Particulars: The grade in the course will be based on performance on projects and the preparation and presentation of a final research paper. Final projects will be selected from different areas of physics according to student interest and background.

Text:An Introduction to Computer Simulation Methods: Applications to Physical Systems, 2nd ed., Gould and Tobochnik (Addison-Wesley, 1996)

Content: Introductory quantum theory, including the Schrödinger equation, concepts of eigenstate and eigenvalue, the uncertainty principle, simple harmonic oscillator, central force problems, angular momentum, operator formalism, and matrix representation.

Prerequisite: Physics 361, or consent of instructor.

Particulars: Grades are based on exams and homework assignments. Problems are assigned on a regular basis. There is a midterm and a final exam.

Text: Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, Griffiths (Prentice Hall) (Optional)

Content: Selected applications and interpretations of quantum mechanics.

Prerequisite: Physics 461, or consent of instructor.

Particulars: Two exams and a final exam; homework problems.

Texts: Principles of Quantum Mechanics, Ohanian
The Quantum Challenge, Greenstein and Zajonic

Audience: For students participating in the College Honors Program.

Prerequisite: Consent of the undergraduate physics advisor. Independent research for students invited to participate in the Physics Department's Honors program.

Audience: For students participating in the College Honors Program.

Prerequisite: Consent of honors research advisor.

Content: Final Semester of independent research for students invited to participate in Physics Department Honor's program. WR is satisfied by acceptance of completed honors thesis.

Audience: For students who wish to participate in physics research with the instructor acting as research director.

Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.