The University of Texas at Arlington Undergraduate Catalog
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The Department of Physics offers two Bachelors of Science Degree programs and a Bachelor of Arts Degree program. The Bachelor of Science Degree programs
include one which prepares students for careers in science and technology
and another for medical school preparation. The Bachelor of Arts
Degree in physics is intended for those students who seek a broader
education while retaining a firm foundation in physics. When combined
with the required education courses, the Bachelor of Arts program
is also appropriate for students interested in becoming school teachers.* The faculty of the Physics Department encourages students who qualify to participate in the University Honors College. Scholarships may be offered every year to new students majoring in physics. * Students desiring certification for teaching at the secondary level must fulfill the requirements for a second teaching field and must take certain education courses as prescribed in the Education section of this catalog. Requirements for
a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics Requirements for
a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physics with Medical School Preparation Requirements for
a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Physics Sophomore Year Junior Year Senior Year Options Programs 1. Physics of Modern Technology: Second Major Teacher Certification Oral Communication and Computer Competency
Requirements Department of Physics Faculty Physics (PHYS) 1188, 1288.# SPECIAL PROBLEMS IN GENERAL
PHYSICS (1 or 2 hours credit). Primarily
laboratory work and/or problem-solving in general technical physics.
The objective is to prepare the student whose background in physics
is of a non-technical nature to do advanced study in technical physics.
Prerequisites: six hours of physics and concurrent enrollment in
MATH 1325. 1300. INTRODUCTION TO MUSICAL ACOUSTICS
(3-0) 3 hours credit. An introduction,
for the music major, to the nature of periodic motion and its relation
to music, characteristics of sound waves, sources of sound used
in music, musical scales and temperament, mechanics of hearing,
recording and reproduction of sound. May not be used to satisfy
any of the requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree in physics. 1401. PHYSICS FOR NON-SPECIALISTS (3-2)
4 hours credit. PHYS 1401 and 1402
constitute a one-year introductory course for liberal arts and business
majors. How physics plays a role in everyday life; explanations
of how things work. Helps develop analytical thinking. The first
semester explains motion and forces and heat. Formerly 1447; both
1447 and 1401 cannot be counted for credit. 1402. PHYSICS FOR NON-SPECIALISTS (3-2)
4 hours credit. Follows PHYS 1401
and explains sound, light, electricity, and magnetism. Prerequisite:
PHYS 1401 or permission of instructor. Formerly 1448; both 1448
and 1402 cannot be counted for credit. 1441. GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS (3-3)
4 hours credit. The first half of
a one-year, non-calculus introductory physics course taken by pre-medical,
pre-dental, biology and architectural majors and others. The study
of electrostatics, current electricity, magnetism, electromagnetism,
AC theory, light and optics, and some topics in 20th century physics
is supplemented by laboratory experiments. Prerequisites: PHYS 1441
or its equivalent, or permission of the instructor. 1442. GENERAL COLLEGE PHYSICS (3-3)
4 hours credit. The second half of
a one-year, non-calculus introductory physics course. Subject matter
includes electricity and magnetism, light and optics, and modern
physics. Prerequisites: PHYS 1441 or equivalent, or consent of instructor.
1443. GENERAL TECHNICAL PHYSICS (3-3)
4 hours credit. The first half of
a one-year technical course. Required for many science and engineering
majors, exceeds premedical requirement. The study of physical phenomena
in the fields of mechanics, heat, and waves. Prerequisite: MATH
1426 or concurrent enrollment. 1444. GENERAL TECHNICAL PHYSICS (3-3)
4 hours credit. The second half of
a one-year technical course. The study of physical phenomena including
electricity, magnetism, circuit theory, light, and optics. Prerequisites:
PHYS 1443 and MATH 2325 or concurrent enrollment. 1445. INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY I (3-2)
4 hours credit. PHYS 1445 and 1446
constitute a one-year sequence for any student who is interested
in learning his/her place within the astronomical universe. These
two courses satisfy eight hours of the 11-hour science requirement
in the core curriculum and are designed for students in the Colleges
of Liberal Arts or Business Administration. The first semester consists
of an essentially descriptive treatment of the apparent motions
and properties of members of the solar system including the sun,
the planets and their moons, comets and rockets, and satellites
as well as the mechanics and evolution of the solar system. The
laboratory work includes the use of astronomical telescopes for
observation. 1446. INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY II (3-2)
4 hours credit. Follows PHYS 1445
and focuses on the science of stars and galaxies. Properties of
light are applied to the understanding and classification of stars
and to determining their distances. Topics include nuclear reactions,
binary stars, variable stars, exploding stars, black holes, and
star clusters. The course concludes with the structure of the Milky
Way and the role galaxies play in modern cosmological theories.
The laboratory work includes telescopic observations. 2311. MATHEMATICAL METHODS OF PHYSICS
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Harmonic oscillators,
waves, vector description of particles and fields, coordinate transformations,
eigenvalue problems, and systems of linear equations. Prerequisites:
MATH 2325 or 2425 and PHYS 1288 or 1444. 2321. COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS (3-0) 3
hours credit. Development of computational
techniques, including simulation, through applications to physical
problems. A survey of topics including the multi-body problem, celestial
mechanics, scattering, chaos, percolation, fractals, random processes,
Fourier techniques in wave phenomena, Monte Carlo methods, and image
reconstruction techniques. Prerequisite: PHYS 1444. 2445. ELECTRONICS (3-3) 4 hours credit.
A study of electronic devices and components and their application
to circuits and instrumentation of interest to science students.
Prerequisites: PHYS 1288 or 1444 and MATH 2325 or 2425. 3183. MODERN PHYSICS LABORATORY (0-3)
1 hour credit. Supplements the topics
covered in PHYS 3313. Prerequisite: PHYS 3313 or concurrent enrollment.
3313. INTRODUCTION TO MODERN PHYSICS
(3-0) 3 hours credit. A brief introduction
to the theories of quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics followed
by a survey of atomic physics, conductors, semiconductors and modern
electronic devices, nuclear and sub-nuclear physics. Prerequisites:
PHYS 1288 or 1444, and MATH 2325 or 2425. 3315. ASTROPHYSICS AND COSMOLOGY (3-0) 3 hours credit. Diverse concepts in theoretical physics are applied to a wide range of astrophysical problems. Topics include stellar properties, spectra, and evolution, radiation transport, nuclear reactions, degenerate matter, orbital mechanics, galactic dynamics, introductory general relativity and cosmology. No prior astronomy background is assumed. Prerequisites: PHYS 3313 and MATH 3318. 3321. INTERMEDIATE
ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM (3-0) 3 hours credit.
Vector algebra and vector calculus applied to electrostatics, magnetostatics,
the study of dielectric materials, and boundary value problems.
Prerequisites: PHYS 2311 and MATH 3318. 3366. SPECIAL TOPICS
IN PRE-COLLEGE PHYSICAL SCIENCE INSTRUCTION (1-6) 3 hours credit.
A laboratory-oriented curriculum for teaching physical science and/or
physics is developed and experienced. The developed curriculum is
particularly appropriate for pre-college instruction. May be repeated
for credit as the subject matter changes, but not more than six
hours credit may be accumulated. Prerequisites: junior standing,
six hours of science, three hours of education and consent of the
instructor. 3445. OPTICS (3-3)
4 hours credit. Fundamental principles
of physical and geometric optics, absorption and scattering, Planck’s
quantum theory of radiation, diffraction, interference, light sources,
and spectra. Prerequisites: PHYS 1288 or 1444, and MATH 2325 or
2425. 3446. NUCLEAR AND
PARTICLE PHYSICS (3-3) 4 hours credit. The
study of atomic nuclei and the fundamental constituents of matter.
Topics include nuclear structure, radioactivity, nuclear reactions,
fission, fusion, particles and their interactions, the standard
model of particle physics, experimental methods, accelerators, and
examples from current research topics. Prerequisite: PHYS 3313. 4117.# INDIVIDUAL
LEARNING BY SEMINAR (1 hour credit).
Individual instruction on using the seminar as a model of learning
current topics in physics. An individual report is required. Prerequisites:
18 hours of physics and senior standing. 4171, 4271. ADVANCED
OPTICS LABORATORY (1 or 2 hours credit).
Special laboratory projects in advanced optics. Prerequisites: PHYS
3445 or permission of the instructor. 4181, 4281.# SPECIAL
PROBLEMS (1 or 2 hours credit as arranged). Special
laboratory problems. Credit will be given appropriate to work assigned.
May be repeated in any order for a total credit not to exceed four
hours. Prerequisites: junior standing and permission of the chair
of the department. 4185. ADVANCED ELECTRICITY
AND MAGNETISM LABORATORY (0-3) 1 hour credit. Supplements
the topics covered in PHYS 3321 and 4324. Prerequisite: PHYS 4324
or concurrent enrollment. 4191, 4291, 4391.
# SPECIAL TOPICS IN PHYSICS (1, 2 or 3 hours credit).
Special topics in physics, arranged for individuals or small groups.
May be repeated for credit up to a maximum of three hours. Prerequisite:
permission of the instructor. 4315. THERMODYNAMICS
AND STATISTICAL MECHANICS (3-0) 3 hours credit.
Topics in classical thermodynamics include the laws of thermodynamics,
Gibbs’ and Helmoltz’s free energies, the Maxwell relations,
heat capacities, entropy change calculations, phase and chemical
changes. Statistical mechanics centers on the partition function
and its applications, such as the entropy of an ideal gas, the Maxwell
velocity distribution, the heat capacity of a solid, photon statistics,
and blackbody radiation. Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein statistics.
Prerequisites: PHYS 3313 and MATH 2326 or permission of the instructor. 4319. ADVANCED MECHANICS
(3-0) 3 hours credit. Coupled oscillators,
central forces, Lagrange’s equations, Hamilton’s canonical
equations, the moment of inertia tensor, and the application of
Euler’s angles to rotational motion. Prerequisites: PHYS 2311,
PHYS 3321, and MATH 3318 or permission of the instructor. 4324. ADVANCED ELECTRICITY
AND MAGNETISM (3-0) 3 hours credit. Electromagnetic
phenomena based on Maxwell’s equations and particle-field interactions.
Prerequisite: PHYS 3321 or permission of the instructor. 4325. SOLID STATE
PHYSICS (3-0) 3 hours credit. Classification
of crystalline solids and elastic and thermal properties, electric
and magnetic properties, and electronic properties of solids. An
introduction to current research problems. Prerequisite: PHYS 4315
or permission of the instructor. 4326. INTRODUCTION
TO QUANTUM MECHANICS (3-0) 3 hours credit.
Schrödinger’s equation and implications, the free
particle, the one-electron atom, the potential barrier, and perturbation
theory. Prerequisite: PHYS 4319 or permission of the instructor. 4393. HONORS THESIS
IN PHYSICS (3-0) 3 hours credit. Required of all students
in the University Honors College. During the senior year the honors
physics major will perform a research project under the direction
of a Physics Department faculty member. --- |