PHYSICS
@
AVE
MARIA
UNIVERSITY
Last revision: March 28th, 2008.
Prior revision: January 14th, 2008.
Previous revision: November 06th, 2007.
Current Physics Classes
Forthcoming Physics Classes [Fall 2008]
The Physics Minor Programme
The minor in Physics consists of (at least) six
courses in physics along with (at least) two mathematics prerequisites
MATH 151, 250, Calculus I & II.
Three Courses are prescribed:
The remaining three may be chosen from among the following:
Q: So, what good is a minor in Physics?
A: This is like asking, "What good is breathing?"
But seriously, there are several reasons to earn a minor in Physics
as part of one's studies.
-
One may wish to study physics as a cognate area for a
technical or quantitative field such as mathematics or economics.
The mathematical modelling of physical systems is an efficacious
means of skills-building and preparation for advanced work in
the particular discipline.
-
One may wish to study physics as a cognate area for
philosophy or theology.
The modern sciences grew from Natural Philosophy and,
of the sciences, Physics remains most close in spirit to these disciplines.
Both the content — Nature's wonder and economy —
and the process — model building — can be of considerable
worth and utility to those who study philosophy and theology.
Those whose sights are set on obtaining advanced degrees will find
the study of physics especially beneficial.
-
Some intend to proceed from Ave into a technical career,
perhaps engineering or one of the many applied sciences.
Persons with these intentions should take the minor in order to acquire
the content knowledge and training which will facilitate their further
studies or direct entry into technical fields.
- An often overlooked, but rewarding, career is Patent Law.
[There was a fella who worked as
a patent clerk in Bern (Switzerland) about a hundred years ago.
Things turned out rather well indeed for that chap.]
-
There is strong demand for secondary school teachers of mathematics and
the physical sciences.
The minor programme in physics prepares and equips one to
teach the content of high school and AP physics courses.
-
Students intending to go to graduate school in biology will do well to
take as many of the physics course offerings as their schedule permits.
Modern biology relies heavily on experimental techniques and equipment,
as well as theoretical and computational tools, that were originally
designed and constructed to advance physics investigations.
-
Music is nothing more than the propagation of correlated wavelike
disturbances through a fluid medium.
Music majors, take note!
- And finally, there are those who just think that
Physics is really cool.
These people should take PHYS classes for the sheer joy of it!
The FINE PRINT
The physics minor programme can augment most degree programmes at AMU
with few scheduling repercussions.
The conventional best strategy is the
"SLOW and STEADY" approach,
wherein one takes Calculus I and II in the Freshman year,
University Physics I and II to satisfy one's Core Science
(with lab) requirement in the Sophomore year, and then continues to take
one upper year physics class in each semester of the Junior and Senior
years.
At most this might require a minor bit of juggling to open up an elective
slot in the final semester of the Senior year, i.e.,
pushing a major elective forward to the Junior year, or redistributing
the PHIL/THEO 400 classes across the Fall and Spring terms.
The canonical means of inserting Calculus II into the Spring semester
of the Freshman year which involves sliding the THEO 105/205 sequence back one
term and taking HIST/POLT 203 in either semester of the Junior year.
An alternative and less desirable strategy is to overload —
Who needs sleep, anyway?
More juggling - and some overload - is required of Biology and Music majors.
Our recommendation is to take as many physics classes as your schedule
allows and not worry about getting the minor.
If your heart is set on getting the minor, then start planning early.
[Transfer or AP credit will certainly help.]
Biologists: Push BIOL 211/212 into your freshman year and take both
CHEM 211/212, and PHYS 221/222 in your second year.
It might prove necessary to overload in one (or more) term(s) to meet all
of the AMU Core, Biology major, and Physics minor requirements.
Music majors: Please consult with your advisor (and PK) about how we
might push the Core Science (Physics) classes forward into the Sophomore
year, and shift music electives from the Junior to the Senior year.
Physics Phun Stuph
2007 Nobel Prize in Physics
The 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics was shared equally by Fert and Gruenberg for
their independent discoveries of the phenomenon of
Giant Magnetoresistance.
Giant Magnetoresistance has had tremedous technological spin-off by enabling
ever-increasing bit density in magnetic storage devices.
Equally important, it constitutes an application of both
nanotechnology and spintronics.
2006 Nobel Prize in Physics
The 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics was shared equally by Mather and Smoot for
their leading contributions to cosmology through the COBE precision
observations of the Cosmic Microwave Background.
The ONE internet site that makes it worth suffering through
the rest of it
is the PHYSICS (now math, computer science, and others too) PRE-PRINT ARCHIVE:
www.arxiv.org
Another fun one is the
Physics News Update
compiled by members of the American Institute of Physics.