Course offerings

(Lab required) It's a crazy world; come and find out why objects fall, slide, bounce, stick, go in circles or stay straight, float or sink, glide or crash. Why don't satellites fall to the ground? What exactly does weightlessness mean anyway?

Find answers to these and other questions as you get to know Newton's and other basic laws of nature and see what makes the world go round. This course, together with the sequel PHYS 1030, is recommended for students seeking either a single, comprehensive course in Physics, or entry into health science programs.

It may also be used for entry into the Honours Physics program (" B+" or better) or the Major Physics program ("B" or better). May not be held with PHYS 1021, PHYS 1050, PHYS 1051, the former PHYS 1410, or the former PHYS 1420.

(Lab required) It's rocket science! Mechanics is the science of describing (Kinematics) and explaining (Dynamics) motion. The basic concepts of calculus together with laws of conservation of momentum and energy are used to develop the tools required to describe, analyze and predict the outcomes of linear and rotational motion in simple mechanical systems.

A brief introduction to the Einstein theory of special relativity provides a taste of modern approaches to this subject. This course develops a strong scientific foundation for students considering a program of study in engineering or the physical sciences.

May not be held with PHYS 1020, PHYS 1021, PHYS 1051, the former PHYS 1410, or the former PHYS 1420.

(Lab required) A survey of refraction, reflection, simple lens systems and optical systems, dispersion, achromatism and an elementary treatment of diffraction, interference, and polarization.

May not be held with PHYS 2261.

An intermediate course in physics with relevant applications to Medical and Biological Physics. The course will cover key topics in mechanics, fluid dynamics, exponential growth and decay, equilibrium and entropy, modeling of transport by drift and diffusion, and electricity and magnetism, as applied to the human condition; Linear and nonlinear feedback, regression and the Fourier series for signal and image analysis will also be covered. May not be held with PHYS 2270 or the former PHYS 2271

This course provides a continuation of the mathematics required for both the Honours and Major programs in Physics and Astronomy. Topics include sequences and series, an introduction to complex numbers, special functions, ordinary differential equations, Fourier series and transforms, and an introduction to probability and statistics.

May not be held with PHYS 2490.

This course provides a continuation of the mathematics required for both the Honours and Major programs in Physics and Astronomy. Topics include complex analysis, generalized coordinate systems, Sturm-Liouville theory and generalized orthogonal functions, partial differential equations, and applications in physics.

The second course in a sequence of two courses on intermediate to advanced level mechanics. Topics include calculus of variations, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian dynamics, rotational motion of rigid bodies in three dimensions, canonical equations using Poisson brackets, nonlinear oscillations and chaos, and coupled oscillations.

The course briefly covers Newtonian gravity, special relativity and Minkowski space, before moving on to relativistic electrodynamics with the focus on the energy-momentum tensor, relativistic hydrodynamics, non-inertial reference frames and the principle of covariance and Einstein's field equations, linearized field equations and gravitational waves, as well as Schwarzschild's solution with the application to a static black hole.

Principles of statistical mechanics and their applications. Topics include phase space, Liouville and Poincare theorem, statistical ensembles, entropy, ideal classical gas, photon gas, Fermi gas, Bose-Einstein condensation, models of magnetism and phase transitions. May not be held with the former PHYS 3680.

(Lab Required) Students will learn to develop and execute an observational research project. Students will choose their research topic with the constraint that the data be collected using the University of Manitoba's Astronomical Observatory at Glenlea Astronomical Observatory and the Ewen Campus Telescopes.

The optical observational data will be supplemented by archival data from professional research telescopes such as the Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory and others.

The course covers the determination of observational constraints, the use of filters, methods of data analysis and the interpretation of results. The research project will be written into a report and presented.