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Physics
P111 Earth and the Solar System
P340 Classical Mechanics
P410 Physics Directed Research
C. Three of the following (either P314 or P315 and either C332 or P380):
C332 Physical Chemistry II with Laboratory
P314 Digital Systems with Laboratory
P315 Electronic Circuits (at WSU)
P344 Mathematical Methods for Science
P360 Electricity & Magnetism I
P380 Quantum Mechanics I
D. Required education course work
Physics Minor (20 credits):
A. All of the following:
M151 Calculus I
M152 Calculus II
P201 Introductory Physics I
P202 Introductory Physics I Laboratory
P211 Introductory Physics II
P212 Introductory Physics II Laboratory
P304 Introduction to Modern Physics with Laboratory
B. Two additional upper-division physics courses.
Department Courses
P111 The Earth and the Solar System 3 credits
This course examines physical, geological, and astronomical processes involved in shaping the
Earth and other planets. The geological processes acting on the Earth and the natural history of the
Earth are studied first, and then used to examine the other bodies of the solar system, studying how
the physical characteristics of the planets influence and are influenced by the same basic processes
operating in different ways. Topics include: the properties of Earth materials, the evolution of the Earth
and geological structures, matter and energy in the Earth system, the Earth in the solar system and
the universe, fundamental issues of planetary science, and fundamentals of observational astronomy
and objects in the sky (moon phases, properties of orbits, etc.). Offered every spring. Prerequisite:
mathematics competency.
P113 Physics of Sound and Music 3 credits
This course is an exploration of the fundamental physical concepts relating to sound (vibrations
and waves, overtones, Fourier synthesis and analysis) and its perception (physiology, physics, and
psychophysics of hearing) and measurement (transducers and the decibel scale); sound recording
and reproduction (analog and digital); musical acoustics (temperament and pitch; families of musical
instruments; speech and the human vocal tract); and the acoustics of enclosures. Offered in alternate fall
semesters. Prerequisite: mathematics competency.
P121 Astronomy: The Stars and Beyond 3 credits
This general-education level course focuses on three broad topics in astronomy: the tools of astronomy
(the celestial sphere and the motion of objects in the sky; scientific method; light, spectra, and atomic
structure; the astronomical distance scale; gravity and celestial mechanics); stars and stellar evolution
(the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, the main sequence, and stellar lifecycles); and galaxies and
cosmology (Hubble’s Law, dark matter, evidence for the Big Bang, and theories of the early universe).
The course meets for two hours of lecture and a two-hour laboratory each week, and includes some use
of the telescope. Offered fall semester. Prerequisite: mathematics competency.
170