BSU Catalog Home | Physics Program | All-University Courses and Descriptions

Physics (PHYS)

Check with department for semester when these courses are offered. Read each course description for prerequisites.

1102 GENERAL PHYSICS II (4 credits) Continuation of a survey of introductory physics, with laboratory. Topics include mechanics, vibrations, fluids, waves, heat, electricity, magnetism, DC circuits, optics. Elementary algebra and trigonometry are employed as needed. (Not for Physics or Engineering majors.) Liberal Education Category 3 (LC)

1230 INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING (2 credits) Overview of career prospects and issues in engineering. Students research career paths in light of their own personal inventories and prepare plans for professional development. Employment statistics, qualifications, disciplinary tools, the design process, team building, professional associations, licensure, ethics. Visits to industrial engineering departments provide a first-hand look and networking/internship opportunities.

2101 PHYSICS I (5 credits) An applied physics sequence, with laboratory, for Physics and Engineering majors. Topics include mechanics, vibrations, waves, fluids, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, DC and AC circuits, optics. Prerequisite/corequisite: MATH 2471. Liberal Education Category 3 (LC)

2102 PHYSICS II (5 credits) Continuation of an applied physics sequence, with laboratory, for Physics and Engineering majors. Topics include mechanics, vibrations, waves, fluids, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, DC and AC circuits, optics. Prerequisite/corequisite: MATH 2472. Liberal Education Category 3 (LC)

2150 ACQUISITION AND CONTROL WITH G PROGRAMMING (3 credits) In-depth introduction to laboratory electronics and computer data acquisition/process control using National Instruments’ LabVIEW programming language. Measurement transducers, instrumentation, interface hardware and communications protocols, A/D and D/A conversion, signal conditioning, and data analysis covered in hands-on laboratory format. Prerequisite: One or more basic science courses.

2210 STATICS AND STRENGTH OF MATERIALS (3 credits) Analysis of loads and moments borne by non-accelerating bodies and structures, considering distribution of forces and moments, material deformation, and prediction of material failure. Prerequisite: PHYS 2101.

2220 DYNAMICS (3 credits) Dynamics force and moment systems, including applications to systems of particles and rigid bodies, with an engineering emphasis. Prerequisite: PHYS 2101.

2250 MUSICAL ACOUSTICS (3 credits) Nature, production, and transmission of sound; acoustical properties of instruments; sound reproduction, room design; physical basis of tones, intervals, scales. Liberal Education Category 3 (Might not be offered every year)

2500 ELECTRONICS I (4 credits) Use and analysis of digital ICs, with application to computer circuitry and interfacing. Intensive laboratory. Corequisite: PHYS 1101 or PHYS 2101, or consent of instructor.

3110 PHYSICS IN THE MODERN HIGH SCHOOL (2 credits) Topics in Physics Teaching, using new and standard curricular materials, with strong emphasis on labs, demonstrations, computer applications. Prerequisites: PHYS 1102 or PHYS 2102, and junior status.

3150 CIRCUIT ANALYSIS (4 credits) A study of electrical systems and their responses to excitations, Two-port networks, and Bode Plots; Laplace and Fourier Transforms are employed as needed. Register for separate laboratory. For Physics majors – Prerequisites: PHYS 2102. For non-Physics majors – Prerequisites: PHYS 1102; Corequisite: MATH 2172.

3230 FLUID MECHANICS (3 credits) The dynamics of fluid flow, emphasizing energy and momentum methods. Prerequisite: PHYS 2220. (Might not be offered every year)

3250 ACOUSTICS AND VIBRATIONS (3 credits) An introduction to vibrations, with applications to engineering and acoustics. Lecture and laboratory. Prerequisites: PHYS 2102, PHYS 2220 and MATH 2490 or PHYS 3400. (Might not be offered every year)

3260 DEFORMABLE BODY MECHANICS (3 credits) An extension of PHYS 2210 to stress-strain analysis, special loadings, static indeterminacy, deformation. Prerequisite: PHYS 2210. (Might not be offered every year)

3270 SYSTEMS AND CONTROLS (4 credits) Modeling and analysis of dynamic systems, with control applications. Register for separate laboratory. Prerequisites: PHYS 2220, PHYS 3150, and MATH 2490 or PHYS 3400 or consent of instructor.

3300 THERMODYNAMICS AND HEAT TRANSFER (3 credits) Study of the theory and application of the laws of thermodynamics to control volumes, including an introduction to thermodynamic cycles for power generation, refrigeration, and heat pumps. Also, a study of the transfer of energy via heat, work, and mass, and of applications for the law of entropy. Prerequisites: MATH 2472 and PHYS 2102. (Might not be offered every year)

3400 MATH METHODS FOR ENGINEERING (3 credits) Introduction to ordinary and partial differential equations with emphasis on engineering applications; Laplace and Fourier transforms, series solutions, systems of ordinary differential equations, and phasor analysis. Prerequisites: MATH 2172 or MATH 2472, PHYS 1102 or PHYS 2102. (Might not be offered every year)

3500 ELECTRONICS II (4 credits) Application of op-amps and other linear ICs and devices to instrumentation, measurement, interfacing, and control. Intensive laboratory. Prerequisite: PHYS 1102 or PHYS 2102 or consent of instructor.

3600 MODERN PHYSICS (4 credits) A first course in quantum systems. Topics include historical perspectives, classic experiments, an introduction to quantum mechanics, and applications in atomic and nuclear structure and spectroscopy. Lecture and Laboratory. Prerequisites: PHYS 2102, MATH 2472, or consent of instructor.

3720 ADVANCED LABORATORY (1 credit) A laboratory designed to supplement various pre-engineering and other advanced courses that currently have no lab component. Content varies with term, may be subtitled, and may be repeated. Prerequisite: PHYS 2102.

4120 ENGINEERING SIMULATION AND DESIGN (2 credits) Engineering design and analysis with commercial and customized software. A project is required. Prerequisite: PHYS 2102. (Might not be offered every year)

4310 MATHEMATICAL METHODS IN APPLIED PHYSICS (3 credits) Advanced topics in mathematical physics and engineering, including vector calculus, partial differential equations, Sturm-Liouville theory of orthogonal functions, and eigenfunction expansions. Prerequisite: PHYS 2102, and MATH 2490 or PHYS 3400. (Might not be offered every year)

4540 ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS AND WAVES (4 credits) A study of applied electromagnetics. Topics include Maxwell's Equations boundary value problems, static fields, media, waves, waveguides, and antennas. Prerequisites: PHYS 2102, MATH 2490 (or PHYS 3400), PHYS 3600, and PHYS 4310 (or consent of instructor). (Might not be offered every year)

4580 OPTICS (4 credits) Geometrical and Physical Optics, including Fraunhofer and Fresnel diffraction, coherence, and holography. Fourier analysis is employed as needed. Lecture and laboratory. Prerequisites: PHYS 2102, and MATH 2490 or PHYS 3400. (Might not be offered every year)

4610 QUANTUM MECHANICS (3 credits) Development and formulation of quantum mechanics, with selected applications in spectroscopy, atomic/nuclear structure, lasers, solid state. Prerequisites: PHYS 2102, PHYS 3600, MATH 2490 or PHYS 3400, and PHYS 4310. (Might not be offered every year)

4660 SOLID STATE PHYSICS (3 credits) Fundamentals of condensed matter physics, emphasizing crystalline solids. Includes transport mechanisms, band theory, semiconductors, lasers. Prerequisites: PHYS 2102, MATH 2472, and PHYS 3600. PHYS 4610 is strongly recommended. (Might not be offered every year)

4680 THEORETICAL PHYSICS (4 credits) Advanced topics in electromagnetism, classical mechanics, and quantum mechanics. Prerequisites: PHYS 2220, PHYS 4310, PHYS 4540, and PHYS 4610. (Might not be offered every year)

4720 APPLIED CONTROLS (2 credits) Calculus-based theory of feedback control systems with applications to industrial and experimental research automation systems. Includes laboratory component. Prerequisite: PHYS 1102 or PHYS 2102, and MATH 2490 or PHYS 3400.

4751 ENGINEERING DESIGN PROJECT I (2 credits) Advanced computer-based measurement and control techniques, transducers, interfacing, signal conditioning. Prerequisites: PHYS 2102, senior status or consent of instructor.

4752 ENGINEERING DESIGN PROJECT II (2 credits) Continuation of advanced computer-based measurement and control techniques, transducers, interfacing, signal conditioning. Prerequisites: PHYS 2102, senior status or consent of instructor.