Modern Physics

Catalog description

Modern Physics is an intermediate (sophomore-level) course that expands on what is considered "modern physics" - physics based on two major breakthroughs in the 20th Century: special relativity and quantum mechanics. The course details the conceptual evolution of modern physics ideas and describes the struggles between classical ideas of Newtonian mechanics versus relativistic mechanics, and between the particle and wave view of light and matter. The theoretical framework is also discussed and important experiments critical to this evolution detailed. Prerequisites: PHY-222 and MAT-254 or their equivalents.