New Student Experience (NSE) course that introduces students in physics, astronomy or astrophysics to the benefits and challenges of studying these subjects. Includes an introduction to research areas and strategies for problem solving in physics. Students will bring some of what they learn into area classrooms of secondary schools for community engagement.

A conceptual course on the physics of light, optics, photography, vision, color, and other visual phenomena.

Concepts and historical development of physics; selected topics as they apply to physics encountered in everyday life. This course is not intended for students pursuing a science major. (Does not apply toward a major in physics.)

Physics of sound and sound production, including the nature of sources of sounds. Introduction to the primary instrumentation used in recording, reproduction, and analysis of the physical properties of sound, and a study of the principal physical properties of architectural acoustics.

The fundamentals of mechanics, heat, and sound, with emphasis on physical concepts, problem solving, notation, and units. (PHY 1408 and 1409 or PHY 1420 and 1430 satisfy premedical, predental, and liberal arts requirements.)

Algebra-based introduction to electricity, magnetism, circuits, light, and modern physics with emphasis on physical concepts, problem solving, notation, and units.

Calculus-based introduction to motion, forces, energy, momentum, rotational dynamics, statics, fluids, oscillations, sound, and heat with emphasis on physical concepts, problem solving, notation, and units.

Calculus-based introduction to electricity, magnetism, circuits, light, and modern physics with emphasis on physical concepts, problem solving, notation, and units.

A survey course on the fundamentals of astronomy including night-sky viewing, the history of astronomy, the solar system, stars and galaxies, and the Big Bang cosmology.

Independent study under the supervision of a faculty member in the department. May be repeated once for credit up to a maximum of six semester hours.

Undergraduate research undertaken with the supervision of a faculty member. May be taken for a maximum of 6 hours.

Principles and applications of electrical circuits and electronics for physical science majors.

Laboratory course that illustrates topics covered in PHY 2355.

Preparation for undergraduate research. Includes an introduction to research techniques, identification of a research supervisor, and completion of a research prospectus.

Fundamental concepts of quantum physics and relativity. Applications to atomic structure and spectra, black body radiation, solid state physics, and nuclei.

Physical and mathematical foundations of modern astronomy emphasizing techniques, history, and development of our current picture of the universe including galaxies, stars, planets, planetoids, and comets.

Mathematical methods for the physical sciences, including complex variables, linear algebra, partial differentiation, vector calculus, Fourier series, and differential equations. Emphasis on analytical techniques with computational implementations in Python and Mathematica to support visualization and solution of physical problems.

Physical and mathematical foundations of modern astronomy emphasizing techniques, history, and development of our current picture of the universe including galaxies, stars, planets, planetoids, and comets. Includes laboratory to illustrate the topics covered in lecture.

Undergraduate research undertaken with the supervision of a faculty member. May be taken for a maximum of 6 hours.

Perform foundational experiments in classical and modern physics (typically 3), with a focus on experimental planning and data and error analysis. Experiments are selected from measurements of the electric charge (Millikan oil-drop), the gravitational constant (Cavendish), the speed of light, radioactive decay, Compton scattering, quantum encryption, and others.

A more in-depth study of experimental planning, data analysis, and elementary error analysis with a larger number of experiments and reports than in PHY 3175.

History of invention and technology including biographical study of scientists. Does not apply toward a major or minor in physics, astronomy or astrophysics.

Principles of classical mechanics in three dimensions. Topics include Newtonian mechanics, conservation laws, oscillations, central-force motion, nonlinear dynamics, and chaos, with an introduction to Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations. Emphasis on analytical problem-solving and mathematical modeling.

Topics normally include electrostatics, Laplace's equation, method of images, multipole expansion, magnetostatics, and Maxwell's electromagnetic field equations.

Topics in contemporary research in astronomy and astrophysics.

Postulates of quantum mechanics, operators in Hilbert space, superposition principle and compatible observables, time development, conservation theorems, one-dimensional bound and unbound state problems, three-dimensional problems, identical particles.

Time-independent and time-dependent perturbations, approximation methods including WKB, variation principles, and the adiabatic approximation, scattering theory, introduction to relativistic quantum mechanics, entanglement.

Fundamentals of practical sky observing including visual, photographic, and photometric techniques using local telescopes and CCD cameras. Introduction to methods for finding and identifying celestial objects, making observations, and operating an observatory, telescopes, and related equipment.

Research conducted under the supervision of a faculty member in the department. May be repeated up to a maximum of six semester hours.

Undergraduate research undertaken with the supervision of a faculty member. May be taken for a maximum of 6 hours.

An exit examination, designated by the department, is required of all physics majors. This examination will be chosen by the department from the GRE Subject Test or another similar examination.

Teaching astronomy techniques and assisting on observing nights for the PHY 3455 class and campus outreach events.

Culmination of an undergraduate research project including presentation of research results.

Continuation of PHY 3320 and 3330. Topics normally include: dynamics of systems of particles: rigid-body motion; coupled oscillations; the wave equation in one dimension; gauge transformations; electromagnetic waves in conductors and nonconductors; dispersion; multiple radiation; Linard-Wiechert potentials; relativistic electrodynamics.

Topics normally include: basic probability concepts; macroscopic thermodynamics; statistical thermodynamics; kinetic theory; quantum statistics.

A quantitative study of the physics of stars and stellar systems. Topics include observed properties of stars and the physics underlying those properties, radiation and stellar spectra, the interior structure of stars, the life cycles of stars, white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes.

An introduction to modern cosmology, including observational cosmology, Newtonian gravity, relativistic cosmological models, thermal history of the universe, dark matter and dark energy, inflationary models, the origin of the light elements, structures in the universe, and the cosmic microwave background radiation. The principles of Einstein's general theory of relativity and observations in experiments will also be covered.

Computational methods for solving physical problems with emphasis on algorithmic implementation and performance. Topics include linear algebra, eigenvalue problems, interpolation, numerical integration, differential equations, random number generation, and introductory machine learning for applications in science, math, and engineering.

Topics normally include: crystal structure; reciprocal space; elastic and thermal properties; electronic structure; the Fermi surface; elementary semiconductor physics; dielectric and magnetic properties of solids.

Study of nuclear structure and models including mass, angular momentum, radioactive decays, and fusion; particle physics in the Standard Model and beyond including elementary particles, conservation laws, symmetries, and strong and electroweak interactions. Applications to fission and fusion energy, astrophysics and cosmology, and medical physics.

Dirac's equation, its covariance properties, its solutions; Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation and exact results; propagator theory; applications in various areas of physics.

Advanced topics in physics, astronomy, or astrophysics. May be repeated once for credit with a different topic up to a total of six semester hours.

Undergraduate research undertaken with the supervision of a faculty member. May be taken for a maximum of 6 hours.