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Kies de Nederlandse taal
Course module: UCSCIPHY31
UCSCIPHY31
Advanced Physics
Course info
Course codeUCSCIPHY31
EC7.5
Course goals

After completing this course students are able to:
  • select and apply some important analytical and problem-solving tools/skills in a creative and systematic manner,
  • analyze and present (basic) research in scientific papers,
  • undertake advanced studies in specialized fields of physics,
  • use the knowledge and insights of physics to appraise the role and impact of physics beyond the traditional boundaries of the discipline.
Content
Physics plays an important role in our lives. New technologies have caused great changes in society, from the Industrial Revolution to the ‘information age’. Our modern lifestyle would cease to exist without the technological advances that are spin-offs of understanding physical phenomena. On a different level, fundamental insights in the nature of physical reality have deep philosophical implications for man’s role and position in the universe. This course offers a systematic exploration of the fundamentals of ‘classical’ and ‘modern’ physics. The role of the ‘Hamiltonian’, closely related to the energy of a physical system, is highlighted as the universal basis for such a systematic treatment of physical phenomena in the fields of classical, quantum, and statistical physics. A number of key topics are investigated quantitatively, starting from this unifying perspective. Together with electromagnetism, these fields form the basis for insight in the role of physics in a broad perspective, as well as for further understanding of specialized areas, including applications.
 
Format
The course covers 200 hours. There are two weekly meetings during the entire period. In addition, informal meetings can be held as required, on an individual or collective basis. Part of the time during most of the course is devoted to a systematic exploration of fundamentals. There are (short) lectures, small assignments to illustrate basic points, and in-class feedback on both. In conjunction with the basic material, students work on more substantive applications in order to learn to appreciate the unity of the field and the methodological connectivity. Students work on these applications outside class hours and then receive feedback during class. Each student prepares three such ‘applications’ for a presentation in class in the course of the semester.
Moreover, preferably before the midterm break, all students choose a particular topic of interest and are guided to do their own literature research, write a manuscript in the style of a scientific review article, and present their topic at the end of the semester as a research seminar to the class. The goal here is to make the leap from well-known material (as discussed for instance in the applications above) to research level studies.
The first couple of weeks are devoted almost entirely to instruction, basic assignments, and feedback, in order to make enough progress to start on the applications and make an informed choice of a particular ‘research topic’. Between week 3 or 4 and week 13, a substantial amount of time during each class meeting is spent on student presentations. The research seminars are presented during the class hours of week 13 and 14, including discussion sessions with the audience (consisting of all fellow students and possibly experts in the field).
Each student receives a midterm evaluation of progress and standing based on active participation in class, i.e. carrying out the assignments and applications, taking part in discussions, and giving presentations. At the end of the course, a similar evaluation takes place involving the same points. Finally, there is a final written exam (open-book) in week 15 covering the technical content of the basic material studied during the whole course.
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Kies de Nederlandse taal