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Physics
College of Natural Sciences
Interim Dean: Margaret A. Owens
Department of Physics
Physical Science Building 106A
530-898-6259
e-mail:
phys@csuchico.edu
http://www.csuchico.edu/phys/
Chair: Chris Gaffney
Undergraduate Advisor:
Credential Advisor:
Program
Physics Course Offerings
Please see the section on "Course Description Symbols and Terms" in the University Catalog for an explanation of course description terminology and symbols, the course numbering system, and course credit units. All courses are lecture and discussion and employ letter grading unless otherwise stated. Some prerequisites may be waived with faculty permission. Many syllabi are available on the Chico Web.
A non-mathematical General Education lecture, laboratory-activity course with opportunities for discussion. Topics include
Newtonian Mechanics, properties of matter, heat, wave motion, sound, electricity, and light. Not intended for students who
have completed high school physics. 2.0 hours discussion, 2.0 hours activity. This is an approved General Education course.
Prerequisites: High school physics or faculty permission. High school trigonometry and second-year high school algebra or equivalent (MATH 051 and MATH 118 at CSU, Chico).
Mechanics, properties of matter, wave motion, sound, heat. Science majors are encouraged to take PHYS 204A instead of this
course. 3.0 hours laboratory, 3.0 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. Special fee required; see
the Class Schedule.
Prerequisites: PHYS 202A.
Light, electricity, magnetism, selected topics in modern physics. Science majors are encouraged to take PHYS 204B instead
of this course. Algebra and trigonometry are used. 3.0 hours discussion, 3.0 hours laboratory. Special fee required; see the
Class Schedule.
Prerequisites: Concurrent enrollment in PHYS 202A.
Designed to supplement PHYS 202A with additional applications of introductory physics. Provides the student with the opportunity
for additional assistance in developing problem-solving abilities. 2.0 hours activity. You may take this course more than
once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading only.
Prerequisites: PHYS 202A. Concurrent enrollment in PHYS 202B.
Designed to supplement PHYS 202B with additional applications of introductory physics. Provides the student with the opportunity
for additional assistance in developing problem-solving abilities. 2.0 hours activity. You may take this course more than
once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading only.
Prerequisites: High school physics or faculty permission. Concurrent enrollment in or prior completion of MATH 121 (second semester of calculus) or equivalent.
Vectors, kinematics, particle dynamics, friction, work, energy, power, momentum, dynamics and statics of rigid bodies, oscillations,
gravitation, fluids. Calculus used. A grade of C- or higher is required before progressing to either PHYS 204B or PHYS 204C.
3.0 hours laboratory, 3.0 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. Special fee required; see the Class
Schedule.
Prerequisites: MATH 121, PHYS 204A with a grade of C- or higher.
Charge and matter, electric field, Gauss' law, electric potential, capacitors and dielectrics, current and resistance, magnetic
field, Ampere's law, Faraday's law of induction, magnetic properties of matter, electromagnetic oscillations and waves. Calculus
used. 3.0 hours laboratory, 3.0 hours discussion. Special fee required; see the Class Schedule.
Prerequisites: MATH 121, PHYS 204A with a grade of C- or higher.
Temperature, first and second law of thermodynamics, and kinetic theory. Waves in elastic media, standing waves and resonance,
and sound. Ray and wave optics, reflection, refraction, lenses, mirrors, diffraction, and polarization. Selected topics in
modern physics. Calculus used. 3.0 hours discussion, 3.0 hours laboratory. Special fee required; see the Class Schedule.
Prerequisites: Concurrent enrollment in PHYS 204A.
Designed to supplement PHYS 204A with additional applications of introductory physics. Provides the student with the opportunity
for additional assistance in developing problem-solving abilities. 2.0 hours activity. You may take this course more than
once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading only.
Prerequisites: PHYS 204A. Concurrent enrollment in PHYS 204B.
Designed to supplement PHYS 204B with additional applications of introductory physics. Provides the student with the opportunity
for additional assistance in developing problem-solving abilities. 2.0 hours activity. You may take this course more than
once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading only.
Prerequisites: PHYS 204A. Concurrent enrollment in PHYS 204C.
Designed to supplement PHYS 204C with additional applications of introductory physics. Provides the student with the opportunity
for additional assistance in developing problem-solving abilities. 2.0 hours activity. You may take this course more than
once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading only.
Prerequisites: PHYS 204A, PHYS 204B, PHYS 204C, or PHYS 202A and PHYS 202B and calculus with faculty permission.
This course focuses on the radical changes in our conception of the physical world that emerged in the early 20th century.
The course begins with the theory of special relativity, which altered our understanding of the nature of space, time, matter,
and energy. The course's middle section is devoted to the early experimental work that spurred the birth of the first quantum
theories. The last section introduces the formal quantum dynamics of Schrodinger's equation and applies it to several important
physical cases.
Prerequisites: PHYS 300A.
Application of quantum mechanics to atomic, nuclear, molecular, and solid state physics. Introduction to classical and quantum
statistical mechanics. 3.0 hours laboratory, 2.0 hours discussion.
Prerequisites: MATH 260, PHYS 204A, PHYS 204B, PHYS 204C.
Newton's laws of motion, particle dynamics, accelerated reference systems, central force problems, conservation laws, and
celestial mechanics.
Prerequisites: PHYS 301A.
Many body systems, rotational motion, rigid body dynamics, Euler's equations, Lagrange's and Hamilton's formulations, oscillating
systems and waves.
Prerequisites: MATH 260, PHYS 204A, PHYS 204B, PHYS 204C.
Vector analysis; electrostatic fields and potentials: Poisson's equation, boundary value problems and multipole expansions;
dielectrics and magnetostatics.
Prerequisites: PHYS 302A or faculty permission.
Magnetic fields in matter, Maxwell's equations, field energy and momentum, Fresnel equations, propagation of electromagnetic
waves in dispersive media, waveguides and coaxial cables, radiating systems.
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
See description below. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading only.
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
See description below. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading only.
Prerequisites: PHYS 204A, PHYS 204B, PHYS 204C, or PHYS 202A and PHYS 202B, with grade of C- or higher and faculty permission.
PHYS 308 - PHYS 310: Student participation in the instructional and professional activities of the Physics Department, particularly
related to personalized modes of instruction. Responsibility for some assignments, consultation with students, preparation
and conduction of demonstrations, tutoring and evaluation of student learning. Not a research-oriented activity. You may take
this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading only.
Prerequisites: PHYS 300A. No previous computer experience necessary.
This course prepares physics majors to be self-sufficient in personal computer use to solve experimental and theoretical physics
problems. Topics include, but are not limited to, analysis of experimental data, projectile motion, random processes, vector
fields and potentials, vibrating systems, and electric circuits. 2.0 hours discussion, 3.0 hours laboratory. Formerly PHYS
250.
Prerequisites: Completion of lower-division Area B General Education.
An upper-division General Education Thematic course that explores concepts in relativity, quantum physics, and chaos. The
course will emphasize both the conceptual essentials of these theories and the philosophical implications arising from them.
Topics will include the nature of space and time, the interplay of measurement and our conception of "reality," the difference
between predictability and determinism, and the tension between human understanding and mathematical description.
Prerequisites: GEOS 141; or PHYS 100; or PHYS 202A and PHYS 202B; or PHYS 204A, PHYS 204B, and PHYS 204C.
This course builds on concepts developed in the introductory physics course in greater mathematical and representational sophistication.
There is a significant emphasis on participation in and reflection on scientific inquiry. Topics addressed include kinematics,
electrostatics and electrodynamics, simple machines, and wave phenomena.
Prerequisites: Upper-division standing.
An upper-division General Education thematic course giving an appreciation of Einstein's theory of relativity and his other
contributions, including his impact on history, philosophy, politics, art, religion, etc. A 3-unit lecture-discussion course
at the conceptual level, with emphasis on writing and critical thinking.
Application of basic principles of physics to a study of acoustics. Topics include measurement of sound, acoustics of musical
instruments, electric production of sound, room acoustics, and environmental noise pollution. Especially recommended for music
and speech pathology majors. This is an approved General Education course.
An appreciation of Darwin's theory of evolution, Einstein's theory of relativity, and quantum theory as basic intellectual
sources of Modernism, along with an understanding of their relationship to other foundational themes of Modernism, such as
Marx's socialism, Nietzsche's perspectivism, and Freud's theory of the unconscious.
Properties of nuclei, nuclear systematics, nuclear forces, radioactivity, nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, reactors, weapons,
biological effects, waste disposal, nuclear medicine, and the impact of nuclear technology on society. This is an approved
General Education course.
This course is for special topics offered for 1.0-3.0 units. Typically the topic is offered on a one-time-only basis and may
vary from term to term and be different for different sections. See the Class Schedule for the specific topic being offered.
This course is an independent study of special problems offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising
faculty member. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading only.
Prerequisites: MATH 361, PHYS 300A.
Statistical mechanics, the laws of thermodynamics, kinetic theory, states of matter.
Prerequisites: PHYS 300B.
Nuclear forces, two-nucleon system, nuclear models, nuclear reactions, radioactive decay, nuclear spin, and magnetism.
Prerequisites: PHYS 204B, PHYS 204C.
Crystal structure, x-ray diffraction, constants of crystals, lattice vibrations, domains, free electron models, band theory
of solids, semi-conductors, transistors, superconductivity, and dislocations.
Prerequisites: ENGL 130 (or its equivalent) with a grade of C- or higher, PHYS 300B.
Experiments involving x-rays, radioactivity, Compton effect, photoelectric effect, velocity of light, lasers, nuclear magnetic
resonance, electron spin resonance, Mossbauer effect, including data analysis by high speed computer. 2.0 hours discussion,
3.0 hours laboratory. This is a writing proficiency, WP, course; a grade of C- or better certifies writing proficiency for
majors.
Prerequisites: PHYS 450 or PHYS 451.
Review light wave transmission in dielectric media; study the components of fiber optic communication, investigate analog
and digital, and multiplexing techniques; examine the system performance criteria, measurements, and design. 2.0 hours discussion,
3.0 hours laboratory.
Prerequisites: MATH 361, PHYS 300A.
Plane waves, wave packets, De Broglie waves, Schrodinger's equation, probability, simple harmonic oscillator, angular momentum,
and hydrogen atom.
Prerequisites: PHYS 435A.
Operator methods, matrix mechanics, approximation methods, multielectron atoms, and scattering theory.
Prerequisites: PHYS 204A, PHYS 204B, PHYS 204C.
Geometrical and physical optics, interference, diffraction, reflection, dispersion, resolution, polarization, fiber optics,
laser optics, and holography. 3.0 hours laboratory, 2.0 hours discussion. This course is also offered as EECE 450.
Prerequisites: PHYS 204C. Recommended: EECE 450 or PHYS 450.
The theory and mechanism of laser action, various types of lasers and their applications and future use. Laboratory involves
measurements with lasers, fiber optics, data transmission, and holography. 3.0 hours laboratory, 2.0 hours discussion. This
course is also offered as EECE 451.
Prerequisites: MATH 260, PHYS 204B.
Circuit review, solid state devices, charged particle dynamics, analog and digital integrated circuits, applications. 3.0
hours laboratory, 2.0 hours discussion.
Prerequisites: MATH 260, PHYS 204A, PHYS 204B, PHYS 204C, faculty permission.
Advanced topics in theoretical physics appropriate to needs of students.
Prerequisites: PHYS 300B and faculty permission.
This is a supervised internship in professional physics. This internship may take place at a university, government laboratory,
or private sector company. This course may be taken more than once. It cannot be used for the minor in physics. You may take
this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading only.
Prerequisites: PHYS 300B and faculty permission.
This is a supervised internship in physics teaching which will take place in a local high school physics classroom. This course
may be taken more than once, but a maximum of 3 units of any PHYS 289 may be counted toward the degree. This course cannot
be used for the minor in physics. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. Credit/no credit grading
only.
Prerequisites: Upper-division standing in physics.
Presentation and discussion of reports based on current physics literature and/or special studies of students and faculty.
You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units.
Prerequisites: Upper-division standing in physics, faculty permission.
This course is for special topics offered for 1.0-3.0 units. Typically the topic is offered on a one-time-only basis and may
vary from term to term and be different for different sections. See the Class Schedule for the specific topic being offered.
This course is an independent study of special problems and is offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with
a supervising faculty member. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading
only.
This course is a graduate-level independent study offered for 1.0-4.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising
faculty member. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units.
This course is offered for 1.0-6.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. You may take this
course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units.