2010 Course Handbook
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PHYS201: Physics IIA
Harmonic oscillation and wave motion are central to many areas of physics, ranging from the mechanical vibrations of machinery and nanoscale springs, to the propagation of sound and light waves, to the probability-amplitude waves encountered in quantum mechanics. This unit is concerned with describing the properties of harmonic oscillations and wave motion. The first half of the unit covers such topics as resonance, transients, coupled oscillators, transverse and longitudinal waves. The second half looks at interference and diffraction, firstly as important properties of waves in general, but then uses the interference of matter waves as the starting point in studying the dual wave-particle nature of matter and the wave mechanics of Schrodinger, the basis of modern quantum mechanics.
| Credit Points: | 3 |
| Contact Hours: | 6 |
| When Offered: | D1 - Day; Offered in the first half-year |
| Staff Contact(s): | Physics staff |
| Prerequisites: |
PHYS140(P) and PHYS143(P) and (MATH133 or corequisite MATH136) |
| Corequisites: | |
| NCCW(s): | |
| Unit Designation(s): | |
| Assessed As: | Graded |
| Offered By: | Department of Physics and Astronomy |
Timetable Information
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