PHYSICS

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Dr N J C Strachan and Dr J S Reid

Pre-requisites

SCE H in Mathematics and Physics, or equivalent.

Overview

The course lays emphasis on how a relatively few fundamental laws enable us to understand a very wide range of phenomena that occur both naturally and as a result of mankind's activities. In particular, you will see how Newton's laws of motion lets us understand a variety of linear and circular motion; how the properties of matter can be characterised and how physics can be usefully applied in the fields of planetary motion, sport, the environment and medicine. The course will also describe how some of the most important ideas in modern physics grew from unexpected observations.

Structure

12 week course - 3 one-hour lectures, 1 one-hour tutorial per week, and 1 three-hour practical session per week for 9 weeks.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour multiple-choice examination (75%) and continuous assessment (25%). A pass in this course requires a score of CAS 9 or higher in the continuous assessment. Resit: Same.

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Dr N J C Strachan and Dr J S Reid

Pre-requisites

Standard Grade Physics or equivalent recommended

Overview

This course will introduce the basic principles of physics and demonstrate their importance for applications in the biological, human life and environmental sciences. For example, the course will answer questions such as: "why are there no animals bigger than elephants on land?" (Newton's Laws and strength of materials) "How can renewable sources of energy be used to generate electricity?" (e.g. wind power and tidal barrages) "Why do diamonds sparkle and how does a microscope work?" (optics) "How do settling chambers in factories reduce air pollution?" (properties of matter) "How can physics explain blood flow and how do plants and trees perspire?" (fluids) "How do nerve cells transmit signals to the brain?" (electricity).

Structure

12 week course - 3 one-hour lectures, 1 one-hour tutorial per week, and 1 three-hour practical session per week for 9 weeks.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour multiple-choice examination (75%) and continuous assessment (25%). A pass in this course requires a score of CAS 9 or higher in the continuous assessment. Resit: Same.

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Dr J S Reid

Pre-requisites

SCE H in Maths and Physics, or equivalent.

Overview

This course enables students to learn more about the physical universe and the physical laws that explain its behaviour. The three topics covered are astronomy, the fundamentals of electricity and magnetism and generic computing skills. The astronomy section of the course, shared with PX1512, begins by showing how long held beliefs about the nature of the universe came to be changed in response to improved observation of the heavens. The revolution in our appreciation of the solar system through observations sent back by space probes over the past 30 years forms a substantial part of the lectures. The power of science in action can be seen to the full in the far reaching deductions that can be made about stars from modest observational evidence. The course discusses topics current in astronomy, such as planned space missions, the formation of planets around other stars and the origin of the Moon. The lectures on electricity and magnetism aim to clarify the tricky concepts and laws that are at the foundations of this subject. They illustrate how these ideas are made use of in applications of electricity that we now take for granted, such as the capacitative storage of electrical energy and the radiation generated by mobile phones.

Structure

12 week course - 7 one-hour lectures and 1 tutorial per fortnight and 4 two-hour practical computing sessions.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (75%) and continuous assessment (25%). A pass in this course requires a score of CAS 9 or higher in the continuous assessment. Resit: Same.

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Dr J S Reid

Pre-requisites

TS1001 or equivalent desirable.

Overview

This course is intended to be accessible to all students with a modest scientific background. It covers two subjects of global relevance, namely the behaviour of our atmosphere and the weather it creates, and the view of the universe at large that is provided by modern astronomy. Half of the course, "an introduction to weather, climate and the environment", aims to explain how the atmospheric system, driven by the sun, works. Special topics covered include ozone depletion, el Niño, and long-term climate change. The utility of meteorological resources available on the web is emphasised. The astronomy section of the course begins by showing how long held beliefs about the nature of the universe came to be changed in response to improved observation of the heavens. The revolution in our appreciation of the solar system through observations sent back by space probes over the past 30 years forms a substantial part of the astronomy lectures. The power of science in action can be seen to the full in the far reaching deductions that can be made about stars from modest observational evidence. The course discusses topics current in astronomy, such as planned space missions, the formation of planets around other stars and the origin of the Moon. Practical sessions in a computer class-room are provided to enhance generic computer skills.

Structure

12 week course - 4 one-hour lectures per week and 4 two-hour practical sessions.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour multiple choice examination (75%) and continuous assessment (25%). A pass in this course requires a score of CAS 9 or higher in the continuous assessment. Resit: Same.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J S Reid

Pre-requisites

TS1001 or equivalent desirable.

Overview

This course provides a broad introduction to satellites, space stations and space probes and how these enable us to investigate novel science and probe remotely the environment on Earth and, indeed, on other worlds. The course discusses rocketry, orbits and how to use the orbital motion of planets to boost the energy of space probes. It discusses space weather and space exploration. The subject of remote sensing techniques introduces a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum, and how different parts of it are exploited for different purposes. Among these purposes are the production of maps that show topographical detail, mineralogical distributions, environmental conditions and land use. Topics covered here also include GPS and properties of the atmosphere that help and hinder in remote sensing. Looking at what happens after the signals have been picked up, we examine how the quality of the final product depends on many steps of signal processing that occur between detection and final presentation. Considerations here include aspects of signal communication, digital filtering and the optical basis behind false colour maps. In-course examples illustrate space related work taking place at this University.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week and 10 hours of computer sessions or tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 multiple-choice exam, one and a half hours (75%) and in-course assigned exercises (25%). Resit: Same.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J S Reid

Pre-requisites

PX 1012 or TS 1001 or equivalent.

Overview

This course explores how light is useful, subtle and important in virtually every science. It looks at the involvement of light in many natural phenomena, at its central role in a wide variety of measurement techniques and devices, and at its role as one of the fundamental constituents of the universe. These aspects are covered in relation to the propagation of light, its reflection and refraction; how colouring arises and how spectral analysis provides a powerful analytic tool; how the polarisation of light is exploited in different ways by chemists, biologists, geologists and other scientists; how diffraction and interference are widely relevant phenomena. Finally, the course looks at the world of photonics and the workings of both modern quantum detectors and the biological detection of light.

Structure

12 week course - 2 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour session (e.g. computer class or tutorial) per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written paper (75%) and continuous assessment (25%). A pass in this course requires a score of CAS 9 or higher in the continuous assessment. Resit: Same.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G M Dunn

Pre-requisites

PX 1012(MA 1002 and MA 1502) or (MA 1004 and MA 1504).

Overview

This course introduces physical phenomena that depend on time, with emphasis on oscillatory and wavelike behaviour. The concept of a second-order linear system will be used to unify the treatment of mechanical and electrical phenomena and to introduce simple harmonic oscillators, damped oscillators and, resonance. Rotational motion will be used to introduce the concept of moment of inertia. The properties of waves will be described and used to introduce Fourier analysis; students will be introduced to the solution of the wave equation. The course will involve a project.

Structure

12 week course - 2 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour tutorial.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (75%) and continuous assessment (25%). A pass in this course requires a score of CAS 9 or higher in the continuous assessment. Resit: Same.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J S Reid

Pre-requisites

PX 2013 or approval of Head of Physics.

Overview

Hands-on training in the use of optical instruments and practical experience in undertaking experiments in geometrical and physical optics will be provided in subjects selected from laboratory photography, spectrometry, properties of lenses, optical interference fringes, diffraction of laser light and related areas. Instruction in the necessary background theory will accompany the practical work. Likewise, instruction and practical work will provide an introduction to digital electronics, covering logic gates, combinational logic and counting circuits.

Structure

12 week course - 1 one-hour lecture, 1 two-hour laboratory and 1 three-hour laboratory per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (60%) and assessment of laboratory reports (40%). Resit: Same with resubmission of reports.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G Dunn

Pre-requisites

PX 1012 and either MA 1002 or (MA 1004 and MA 1504).

Co-requisites

None

Notes

Cannot be taken with PX 2511.

Overview

This is a foundation course on the principles of modern physics. Observations that identified the limitations of classical physics are discussed together with the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics that sought to remedy them. The relativity component of the course deals with the postulates of relativity, inertial frames and the development of the Lorentz transformation. The quantum mechanics component of the course deals with the postulates of quantum mechanics, wave functions and the Schrodinger equation. The consequences of the Schrodinger equation are investigated through applications to the quantum behaviour of simple one-dimensional systems.

Structure

12 week course - 2 one-hour lectures and 1 one-hour tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (75%) and continuous assessment (25%). A pass in this course requires a score of CAS 9 or higher in the continuous assessment. Resit: Same.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G Dunn

Pre-requisites

TS1001 or PX 1512 or PX 1012 or equivalent.

Notes

Cannot be taken with PX 2510.

Overview

This course is aimed at all students who would like to know more about how key developments that define modern science were established. It will show how observations at the beginning of the 20th century began to reveal limitations to classical physics and led to the development of first special, then general relativity and, a little later, of quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics in particular will be considered in the context of the various schools of philosophical thought current at the time which so influenced its development. The quantum mechanics detail of the course will deal with the wave nature of matter and Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. With respect to relativity, students will develop a qualitative understanding of the various cosmological models, the big bang, black holes and the life cycle of stars.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week and a total of 12 sessions of either study assignment from the course web site or a tutorial.

Assessment

1st Attempt: One two-hour written examination (60%) and continuous assessment (40%). Resit: Same.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr T Redpath

Pre-requisites

PX 1511, MA 2003 or MA 2503.

Overview

This is a course on fundamental electromagnetic phenomena; it aims to develop a physical appreciation of Maxwell's equations and their consequences. Practical applications and electromagnetic properties of materials are emphasised. The course is also a vehicle for the introduction of theorems in vector calculus that have wide application in physics. This course aims to develop an understanding of the electromagnetic properties of materials and of the dominant role of electromagnetism in technology based on the concepts embodied in Maxwell's equations. In making the connection between phenomena and the underlying equations, the course will introduce ideas of differential calculus and vector analysis that have wide applicability in physics.

Structure

12 week course - 2 one-hour lectures per week, 1 one-hour tutorial.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination paper (75%) and continuous assessment (25%). Resit: Same.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J M S Skakle

Pre-requisites

PX 2505

Overview

This course will introduce research skills used in the physical sciences. These include computing, data analysis, statistical treatment of errors, library and information skills, standards and data acquisition and control of equipment. Students will also enhance their presentation and communication skills through reporting on their work. This will be taught through the means of practical classes.

Structure

12 week course - 1 one-hour instruction session within 2 two - three-hour laboratories per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment: 100% (6 reports & oral)

No resit.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J M S Skakle

Pre-requisites

30 credit points of level 2 PX courses.

Overview

The lecture will cover: crystals; structure of metallic and ionic solids; diffraction methods; determination of molecular structure by x-ray crystallography; disorder and defects in crystals; the reciprocal lattice and reciprocal space; introduction to thermal properties of solids.
Students will also find out about the life and work of an important figure in the development of the solid state.
Lectures will be supported by demonstrations and laboratory work which will introduce them to properties of the solid state, applications of diffraction and visualisation software.

Structure

12 week course – 2 one-hour lectures, 6 laboratory classes at 3 hours each and 1 one-hour tutorial per week in weeks 16-23.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 one and a half hour written examination (60%), continuous assessment (40%). Resit: Same.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr N Strachan

Pre-requisites

PX 2505 recommended.

Overview

This course consists of a series of practical classes linked to third year lecture courses and expanding on the material taught in the previous years. Experiments will cover optics, properties of matter and computer modelling and will introduce applications as well as reinforcing the principles of Physics. The course will also introduce topics that will be covered more formally later in the Honours programme.

Structure

12 week course, 2 two-three-hour laboratories per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment: Laboratories, Report, Oral examination. Resit: Lab & Oral carried forward, resubmission of reports.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G M Dunn

Pre-requisites

PX 2012

Overview

The course covers the physical properties of matter – gases, liquids and solids and also explores the thermodynamic behaviour of these phases. Kinetic theory of gases, hydrostatics, properties of surfaces, elasticity, viscosity and fluid mechanics are examined in terms of physical models based on classical physics. Then in the second part of the course, the concept of entropy and its statistical interpretation is introduced and Boltzmann’s equation derived. Building on this foundation, the laws of thermodynamics are explained and the topics of heat capacity, heat engines, thermodynamic potentials, Maxwell relations, Gibbs-Helmholtz equation, properties of ideal gases, chemical potential, phase transitions, chemical reactions – particularly those in batteries and fuel cells are all explored. This course includes a project, in which students will work together in groups, that will form part of the assessment.

Structure

12 week course - 2 one-hour lectures and 1 hour tutorial per week (to be arranged).

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (75%) and continuous assessment (25%). Resit: Same.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr I S Mackenzie

Pre-requisites

PX 2510

Overview

This course builds on the students’ existing knowledge of quantum mechanics to evaluate the eigenstates of atomic and molecular systems. These are used as a platform both to elucidate the quantum mechanical ideas of transition probabilities and selection rules and to introduce the associated practical spectroscopic techniques. Examples will be chosen to cover a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum from radio frequency nuclear magnetic resonance to X ray fluorescence and the instrumental implications of the various frequency domains will be discussed.

Structure

12 week course - 3 one-hour classes (28 lectures and 8 tutorial classes).

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (75%) and continuous assessment (25%). Resit: Same.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr I S Mackenzie

Pre-requisites

Notes

(i) This course runs across both half-sessions.
(ii) Available only to students in programme year 4.

Overview

This course consists of a supervised project taken as part of an Honours Degree in Physics which provides experience of investigating a real problem in physics, or its application, or in a related discipline, or in applied mathematics. Projects may be carried out within the University or in an external organisation. Presentation of the results obtained is an integral part of the investigation.

Structure

24 week course - 2 two-three-hour sessions per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (80%) and oral examination (20%). Resit: No resit.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J S Reid

Pre-requisites

None

Notes

Available only to Honours, Joint Honours or Combined Honours Physics students.

Overview

This course involves a study of applications of Physics and developments in Physics. The study may extend to the influence of other disciplines on the selected topic, such as the importance of economic and social factors. Students will submit a report on each case and make an oral presentation.

Structure

12 week course - 1 one-hour meeting per week plus other meetings as required.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%). Resit: No resit.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J M S Skakle

Pre-requisites

PX 3012, PX 3508 and PX 3509.

Overview

This course will develop the students’ knowledge of quantum Mechanics and Statistical Physics as it is applied to the thermal and electrical properties of solids. The statistical foundations will be based on the Boltzmann and Gibbs distributions and their associated partition functions.
The applications of statistical mechanics to solids will be selected from: defects, magnetism (magnetisation, phase transitions, magnetic cooling and thermometry), fermion systems (conduction electrons and semiconductor junctions), boson systems (phonons, superconductivity, superfluidity)
Due emphasis will be placed on semiconductors and semiconductor devices and on modern developments in solid state physics.

Structure

12 week course - Three-hours per week including a total of 8 hours devoted to tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (75%) and continuous assessment (25%). Resit: No resit.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr I Mackenzie

Pre-requisites

PX 2013

Overview

Applied Optics will consist of the lectures and tutorial classes delivered as ‘Engineering Optics’ (EG 40GC), along with project work on a topic of relevance to the lecture course. The lectures cover introductory concepts of optical engineering; nature and origins of light; amplification of light and laser action; solid state, gas and semiconductor lasers; laser design; light detection; imaging detectors; radiometry and light coupling; industrial applications such as optical communications, optical fibre sensing, holography and materials processing. The project work may take the form of investigative work of scholarship, participation in practical work, design work and other activity related to the lecture content.

Structure

12 week course - 2 one-hour lectures per week, 6 one-hour tutorials, project meetings as required.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written paper (66.7%) and continuous assessment (33.3%). Resit: No resit.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr I S Mackenzie

Pre-requisites

Notes

Available only to students in programme year 4.

Overview

This course is available in special circumstances by permission of the Head of the School of Physics. It consists of a supervised project which provides experience of investigating a real problem in physics, or its application, or in a related discipline, or in applied mathematics. Presenting the results obtained is an integral part of the investigation.

Structure

12 week course - 2 three-hour sessions per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (80%) and oral examination (20%). Resit: No resit.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr I S Mackenzie

Pre-requisites

PX 2505

Overview

This course introduces the physical concepts underlying instrumentation systems. It is broadly divided into signal acquisition, signal conditioning and signal processing. Hardware examples of transducers, converters and analysers are used to illustrate these themes. A significant element of the course, on which part of the course assessment will be based, involves the implementation of instrument functionality using a virtual instrumentation software package. This exercise inevitably embraces the interface between the software and hardware elements of the instrument. Emphasis will also be placed on the processing of acquired signals particularly in relation to frequency analysis and the extraction of signals from noise.

Structure

12 week course - 2 one-hour lecturers per week. 1 two-hour seminar/tutorial per week. Project work will replace these sessions for part of the course.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination (70%) and course assignments (30%). Resit: No resit.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G M Dunn

Pre-requisites

PX 3509

Notes

This course alternates annually with PX 4512.

Overview

This course is given by visiting physicists. The first half course covers particle physics, including motivation for studying the subject; units and relativistic kinematics; the constituents of matter; strong, weak and electromagnetic interactions; the prediction of the pion; the classification of particles – fermions, bosons, hadrons, leptons, photons and gluons; symmetry, invariance and conservation laws; strangeness, isospin, parity, charge conjugation and time reversal; weak interactions; the quark model; a review of the current status of the Standard Model; unresolved problems and a look to the future; the LEP, HERA and LHC colliding beam accelerators and their detectors. The second half of the course covers astrophysics, addressing the topic of the observed properties of the stars; star formation and evolution; astroseismology; post main-sequence evolution and an overview of current ideas.

Structure

12 week course - 3 one-hour sessions per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written paper (70%) and continuous assessment (30%). Resit: Same.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr I S Mackenzie

Pre-requisites

PX 3012, PX 3508.

Overview

This course will teach students how practising scientists and engineers use sophisticated packages to solve real problems. They should appreciate the need to describe the problem carefully, provide sensible input values and to determine whether the output is physically reasonable. This course is also expected to provide valuable consolidation and enhanced insight into topics they have encountered previously.

Structure

12 week course - 2 two-hour laboratory sessions per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%). Resit: No resit.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor P Sharp

Pre-requisites

30 credit points of level 2 PX courses.

Notes

This course will be available in alternate years from 2000/01.

Overview

Buclear models, nuclear shells and magic numbers; radioactive decay; fission, fusion, nuclear reactions and reactors; production of radionuclides; reactors, linear accelerators and cyclotrons; radiation protection; the interaction of radiation with human tissue, the measurement of radiation dose, legislation and relative hazards; radioactivity and x-rays for clinical imaging; the x-ray set; nuclear medicine; the gamma camera, radiopharmaceuticals, simple clinical applications; radiation for therapy; x-and gamma-ray therapy, implants, equipment, measuring dose, planning dose delivery - basic concepts.

Structure

12 week course - 2 one-hour lectures per week, 1 one-hour seminar/tutorial per week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination paper (100%). Resit: Same.