[course listing] | [curriculum overview]

The physics curriculum at Lawrence presently contains

• Outreach courses for students wishing to fulfill the general science requirement:
  • Light! More Light! (Physics 103),
  • Physics of Music (Physics 107),
  • Topics in Astronomy (Physics110),
  • Energy Technology, Society, and the Environment (Physics 112), and
  • Aspects of Physics (Physics 115), offered with a variety of topics (e.g., Relativity, ...).

  Light! More Light! and Physics of Music fulfill the laboratory science requirement. Physics of Music is offered every other year; Topics in Astronomy is offered every year; the remaining outreach courses are offered on an irregular schedule.

  Frequency of offering	two or three outreach courses per year
  Typical enrollment	Physics 103: 10-15
  	Physics 107: 40-50
  	Physics 110: 35-40
  	Physics 112: 10-20
  	Physics 115: 10-20, depending on topic

• A two-term, terminal, algebra-based introductory course in classical and modern physics with laboratory:
  • Fundamentals of Physics I (Physics 120) and
  • Fundamentals of Physics II (Physics 130).

  This course draws its enrollment mostly from students in biology and chemistry, and particularly from those anticipating careers in medicine. Since it has no prerequisites in physics or mathematics beyond what we expect of entering students, the course is accessible to most students and can be taken in fulfillment of the general education requirements.

  Frequency of offering	annually, with two or three laboratory sections each term
  Typical enrollment	Physics 120, about 45; Physics 130 about 30

• A two-term calculus-based introductory course in classical and modern physics with laboratory:
  • Principles of Classical Physics (Physics 150) and
  • Principles of Modern Physics (Physics 160).

  This course draws its enrollment mostly from freshmen contemplating a major in physics but is also taken by chemistry and mathematics majors and by students planning transfer to an engineering school under our three-two program. The entry point into a major in physics, this course is offered in the winter and spring terms so that freshman can take one term of calculus before enrolling in Physics 150. Because of that positioning, because of its rapid pace, and because of the particular importance of its laboratory to later physics courses, only rarely will an entering student be placed beyond Physics 150 and almost never will an entering student be placed beyond Physics 160.

  Frequency of offering	annually, with two or three laboratory sections each term
  Typical enrollment	Physics 150, about 40; Physics 160, about 30

• A spectrum of courses in the central areas of theoretical and experimental physics:
  • Electronics (Physics 220),
  • Computational Mechanics (Physics 225),
  • Intermediate Electromagnetic Theory (Physics 230),
  • Quantum Mechanics (Physics 310), and
  • Advanced Laboratory (Physics 330).

  These courses are required for the major, and some of them are occasionally elected by students in other departments, particularly by chemistry and mathematics majors. They provide intermediate-level exposure to most of the important theoretical principles and to numerous experimental techniques, and they constitute the core of the major. So that students can work individually, have extended, uncontested access to the apparatus for each experiment, and have adequate attention from the instructor, Physics 33 is offered twice each year, with half the junior class enrolling in each offering. With the exception of Physics 22, these courses list Calculus, I, II, III and Differential Equations and Linear Algebra as prerequisites.

  Frequency of offering	annually
  Typical enrollment	10-15 per course

• An assortment of elective upper-level courses:
  • Thermal Physics (Physics 320),
  • Optics (Physics 340),
  • Advanced Mechanics (Physics 410),
  • Advanced Electromagnetic Theory (Physics 430),
  • Mathematical Methods of Physics (Physics 440),
  • Advanced Modern Physics (Physics 460),
  • Special Topics in Physics (Physics 500),
  • Plasma Physics (Physics 520)
  • Solid State Physics (Physics 530)
  • Computational Physics (Physics 540)
  • Laser Physics (Physics 550).

  Except for Special Topics, these courses are alternate year offerings and are accessible to both junior and senior majors. One of these courses (Physics 320) provides for study of a central area that we simply can't offer annually; three (Physics 410, 430, and 460) provide for a second term of study of important theoretical subdisciplines; and the rest offer students a spectrum of opportunities in areas that are less central to the discipline but are important either to a faculty member's special interests or to some areas that students might want to pursue in graduate school. In particular, they provide contexts in which students are able to see the breadth of applicability of the more general principles discussed in the required courses.

  Frequency of offering	For the most part, bi-annually
  Typical enrollment	10-20 per course

• Opportunities for tutorials in areas of particular interest to one or more students (Physics 190, 390, 590, and 690) and for independent studies and capstone projects (Physics 199, 399, 599, and 699).

  Frequency of offering	annually
  Typical enrollment	4--6 per faculty member per year

• A half-credit tutorial in physics pedagogy and in science and society offered as needed for students who seek certification to teach in the secondary schools.

  Frequency of offering	when needed
  Typical enrollment	one every two or three years

• Freshman Studies.

  Frequency of offering	two sections per year
  Typical enrollment	15-17 students per section

With this spectrum of courses, the Department offers

• Outreach courses for non-majors,

• An introductory course for majors in other science disciplines,

• An introductory course for prospective physics majors and other students interested in a mathematically sophisticated introduction to the discipline,

• The central core of a strong major,

• A spectrum of upper-level electives that enrich the major,

• Tutorials, independent studies, and capstone projects, and

• Freshman Studies.

Typical Annual Allocation of Teaching Units

Typical Annual Distribution of Courses

Last updated: 7 June 2005