Stellar Structure and Evolution (3 credit hours) – A study of stars and stellar objects, taught at an advanced undergraduate level. Topics include the fundamental observational properties of stars, the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, the equations of stellar structure, the main phases of stellar evolution, nucleosynthesis, compact objects (white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes), stellar populations, and binary stellar evolution.  Note: This course is only offered in the spring.

  [Pre-requisites: (ASTRON 0113 or 0413) and (MATH 0240 or 0245) and (MATH 0290 or 1270) and (PHYS 0175 or 0476)] [Co-requisite: PHYS 0477]

An introduction to the use of astronomical instruments and techniques to process and analyze data.  Topics covered include theoretical foundations of observational astronomy, designs of telescopes, instrumentation for telescopes, data acquisition and management, as well as practical problems in observational astronomy.  Notes: This course is only offered in the fall semester of even years (2018, 2020, etc.).  It may be taken with PHYS 1661 to meet the Writing Intensive general education requirement. 

[Pre-requisites: (ASTRON 0113 or 0413) and (PHYS 0175 or 0476) and (PHYS 0219 or 0520)]

An opportunity for qualified students to work independently, but with guidance from a sponsoring faculty member.

An opportunity for qualified students to pursue research under faculty supervision.

This is a one-term course for non-science majors which explores the physical basis for the production, propagation and perception of musical sounds. The course begins with a discussion of some of the basic physical quantities, such as frequency, wavelength, intensity, etc., used in the physical understanding of music. Examples of topics to be covered are the perception of sound (the ear, tone quality, pitch and loudness, scales, temperament). What makes a pleasant sound and what makes a dissonant one. How does this affect the arrangement of music? How are musical sounds produced by the various orchestral instruments including strings, winds, keyboard and other instruments, and how are they characterized?

PREQ: Any MATH Course or CREQ: (MATH 0032 or 0100 or 0120 or 0125 or 0200 or 0220)

Words like "force," "field," "radiation," "black hole" and "antimatter" are part of our culture; science fiction movies and popular science magazines use them all the time. What do these words really mean? How much of what we see in science fiction is based on real science and how much is pure fantasy? This course will emphasize the meanings of science terms and the way scientists really work, without getting bogged down in mathematics. Our goal will be to understand science terms and claims when we encounter them in fiction and the popular press. We will read several short stories and novels from the leading science fiction writers; we will also have in-class demonstrations of things like lasers, cryogenics, and electric fields. Students will be encouraged to bring in their own examples of science fiction literature that highlight some physics concept (or misconception) to share with the rest of the class. Starting with Newtonian physics, this course surveys modern physics including Quantum Mechanics and Einstein's Theory of Relativity. Along the way, we will discuss whether travel to other stars is possible, conditions for the existence of life, and whether other "dimensions" exist. This course fulfills the Physical Science course requirement for School of Arts and Sciences students.

This is the first term in a two-term lecture-demonstration sequence that presents the elements of both classical and modern physics. The emphasis of the course is on a clear understanding of the underlying principles rather than on mathematical formalism and problem-solving (although some attention is given to these aspects of physics). This course is appropriate for non-science majors, and for those majoring in the social, psychological and life sciences that do not need the more mathematically oriented course required of engineering and physical science students (Physics 0174,0175). The introductory laboratory course to be associated with this sequence is Physics 0212 (see below) which should be taken after Physics 0110. Credit will not be given for both this sequence and the Physics 0174, 0175 sequence. Subjects covered in the course include: kinematics; Newtonian mechanics; heat and heat transfers; mechanical waves and sound. 

PHYS 0110 Learning Objectives

This is the first part of a two-term sequence that introduces students to the basic principles of physics.  An effort has been made to achieve a better integration of physics with the first term of calculus, engineering, and chemistry.  The course covers mechanics and waves. Students planning to major in physics are urged to take the equivalent honors course (Physics 0475).

COREQ: MATH 0220 

PHYS 0174 Learning Objectives

This is the introductory course in physics laboratory associated with Physics 0110 and 0111. The course involves carrying out experiments in mechanics, electricity, optics, atomic physics and radioactivity. The student then gets insight into the collection and interpretation of experimental data. A lab manual should be purchased from the University Book Center. Credit for Physics 0212 cannot be granted to students who are taking or have completed Physics 0175 or 0476.

Introduce first-year students to the field, practice, research, and opportunities in Physics and Astronomy. Students will be able to describe the variety of pursuits that physicists pursue; explain both the basic and recent topics in Physics and Astronomy to the lay-person; understand their own career interests and potential pursuit of Physics, Astronomy, and related disciplines. This is intended to be taken for a satisfactory/non-satisfactory grade. 

This Honors supplement to the first half of algebra-based introductory Physics sequence for life sciences applies physics concepts to the human body and its interactions with the physical environment. The topics explored in this course include: human proportions and scaling laws, locomotion, internal forces, strength and balance, elasticity, blood circulation. This course is recommended for those students who plan a career in the medical and health professions.

At the end of this course, the successful student will be able to apply physics principles to thenhuman body, as well as show a moderate competence in modeling complex situations. It is generally recommended that students have already completed PHYS 0111 before enrolling in this course; however students with some background in waves, electricity, and optics, taking PHYS 0111 concurrently will also be permitted to enroll.

This is the second term of a two term Honors College introductory demonstration-lecture course in physics. The calculus is used in this course and the syllabus is essentially the same as Physics 0175. However, the scope of Physics 0476 is broader than that of Physics 0175 and subjects are covered in greater depth. Approximately half the term is spent on classical electricity and magnetism. Other topics include Einstein's special theory of relativity and introduction to modern physics and quantum phenomena. Three hours each week are devoted to lecture-demonstration and two hours to discussion and application to problem solving. This course is especially suitable for physical science majors, engineers, or any student who seeks an in-depth treatment of introductory physics in a calculus-based course.

PREQ: A minimum cumulative QPA of 3.25, a minimum of a "C" in PHYS  0475 or a "B" in PHYS 0174

COREQ: MATH 0240 

This is an advanced laboratory course focused on the expirements first performed in the XXI century in the field of quantum computing, nanoscience and mesoscopic physics. The class will closely mimic a real physics research project, and thus it can be used as a first undergraduate research experience. This is an inquiry-based laboratory course without a laboratory manual to follow. Students will work in groups of up to five, each group will pursue a single project during the entire semester. Projects will be chosen by the students together with the instructor during the first week. During this pilot offering of the course, the project choosen by the instructor is the fabrication and experimental investigation of a semiconductor nanowire-based quantum device. 

This is a self-contained course for students not majoring in the physical sciences. Topics covered include overview of the solar system, gravitation and mechanics, the history of space flight, rocket propulsion, the Moon landings, interplanetary trajectories and planetary orbits, light, remote sensing, interstellar space travel and life in the universe. Specific examples of planetary space missions and their scientific instruments, goals and results will be discussed. Particular emphasis will be placed on current missions. At the end of the course the students will have a deeper understanding of space flight, its difficulties, and its inherent dangers. The lectures are based, in part, on a NASA WWW document available at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/basics/. It is supplemented by additional WWW material, and notes and material from the instructor. This course fulfills the Physical Science course requirement for School of Arts and Sciences students.

This is a self-contained course for students not majoring in the physical sciences. The Universe in which we live is an unimaginably vast and rich place that is understandable through the same physical laws that govern our existence here on Earth. By exploring topics from our nearest neighboring stars to the farthest galaxies newly formed after the Big Bang, this course will engage your mind to better understand our Universe and your everyday world. Through active and engaged participatory lectures, we will observe the cosmos and learn about the birth, life, and death of stars and their mysterious remnants: pulsars and black holes. From studying stars and our own Milky Way Galaxy, we will expand our vision to cosmology and investigate the origin and ultimate fate of the Universe.

This course addresses two of the great revolutions in science of the twentieth century: relativity and quantum mechanics. These revolutions were indispensable in reaching an understanding of physical phenomena at the atomic and subatomic scales. The twentieth century also involved major advances in understanding and analyzing a raft of phenomena in macroscopic systems; this course will contain a segment on thermal and statistical physics, essential for appreciating the complexities of macroscopic matter.

PREQ: A minimum of a "B-" in PHYS 0175 or a "C" in PHYS 0476

COREQ: MATH 0240

A laboratory course in analog and digital semiconductor electronics.

PREQ: A "C" or better in PHYS 0219 or PHYS 0520

This course will cover problems solving techniques using a computer. Students will learn the steps needed to solve a problem and gain familiarity with approximation schemes.

PREQ: A minimun grade of "C-" or better in PHYS 0477, PHYS 0219 and a minimum grade of a "C-" in MATH 0240 or 0245

COREQ:PHYS 0477, PHYS 0219 or PHYS 0520 or CS 0008 or ENGR 0012, MATH 0240, MATH 0290

The properties of matter as described by thermodynamics, in which atomic structure is irrelevant, and by statistical mechanics, which is based on the atomic point of view.

PREQ: A "C" or better in all courses: PHYS 0477, MATH 0240 and MATH 0290 (or MATH 1270)

An intermediate course in waves and optics which includes a laboratory.

PREQ: A "C" or better in PHYS 0219 and MATH 0240

COREQ: MATH 0280 or MATH 1180 or MATH 1185

Physics 1371 will be a continuation of the material covered in Physics 1370 with special emphasis on applications of quantum mechanics. Topics to be covered are: multi-particle systems, time-independent perturbation theory and its application to the fine-structure and hyperfine structure of atoms, time-dependent perturbation theory and its application to the absorption and emission of light, and other approximation methods.

PREQ: A "C" or better in PHYS 1370

This course will prepare you for most of the mathematical techniques required in advanced undergraduate courses and most first year physics graduate courses, at Pitt or elsewhere. The course will include: Theory and applications of analytic functions, with emphasis on contour integration and infinite series. Review of finite-dimensional linear vector spaces, leading to an introduction to Hilbert spaces. Applications to ordinary and partial differential equations, including introduction to the most commonly used special functions.

COREQ: PHYS 1370

This course provides an introductory overview of the scientific issues that arise when we attempt to extend our current knowledge of physical systems into the nano length scale. Simple one-dimensional quantum problems will be examined, and difficulties of extending these to small but signidficant arrays of particles will be discussed. Simple statistical mechanical systems will be discussed, and difficulties of bringing them down to much smaller numbers of particles will be discussed. The course will conclude with consideration of all these as applied to one nano system of interest, which may be selected differently each time the course is offered.

This course will provide an overview of modern particle physics. It will teach typical experimental techniques for particle detection and acceleration, but also basic theoretical concepts, such as the role of conservation laws and symmetries. Students will learn how to calculate the leading aspects of particle physics processes, as well as the structure of the Standard Model and theoretical ideas that go beyond this model. Furthermore, this knowledge will be related to recent experimental results from colliders and astrophysics.

PREQ: PHYS 1370.

This course is the W component option to Physics 1426.

PREQ: A declared major in Physics, Physics and Astronomy, or Astronomy

COREQ:PHYS 1426 or ASTRON 1263

There are occasional opportunities for students to work (not necessarily for pay) in a nonacademic position that has academic value.

PREQ: Departmental Consent

An opportunity for qualified students to pursue a course of study outside of the classroom, under faculty supervision.

PREQ: Departmental Consent