Modern Physics

Catalog description

This course introduces modern physics, i.e., the physics of the 20th century. The basic ideas that led to the formulation of quantum mechanics together with Einstein's theories of relativity provided a means to explore many new aspects of the physical world. This course examines the discovery of quanta of energy; Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity; the Bohr model of the atom; wave mechanics, angular momentum, and spin; various aspects of quantum mechanics that explain much of the subatomic world; and aspects of atomic and nuclear physics including solid-state physics and superconductivity. The course also examines several of the major experimental observations that support and confirm these new theories.