Student Learning Outcomes for Physics
PHYS 1401 (Updated Fall 2014)
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate techniques to set up and perform experiments, collect data from those experiments, and formulate conclusions from an experiment.
- Record experimental work completely and accurately in laboratory notebooks, and communicate experimental results clearly in written reports.
- Determine the components of linear motion (displacement, velocity, and acceleration), and especially motion under conditions of constant acceleration.
- Apply Newton’s laws to physical problems including gravity.
- Solve problems using principles of energy.
- Use principles of impulse and linear momentum to solve problems.
- Solve problems in rotational kinematics and dynamics, including the determination of the location of the center of mass and center of rotation for rigid bodies in motion.
- Solve problems involving rotational and linear motion.
- Demonstrate an understanding of equilibrium, including the different types of equilibrium.
- Discuss simple harmonic motion and its application to quantitative problems or qualitative questions.
- Describe the components of a wave and relate those components to mechanical vibrations, sound, and decibel level.
- Solve problems using the principles of heat and thermodynamics.
- Solve basic fluid mechanics problems.
PHYS 1402 (Updated Fall 2014)
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Develop techniques to set up and perform experiments, collect data from those experiments, and formulate conclusions from an experiment.
- Demonstrate the collections, analysis, and reporting of data using the scientific method.
- Record experimental work completely and accurately in laboratory notebooks, and communicate experimental results clearly in written reports.
- Solve problems involving the inter-relationship of fundamental charged particles, and electrical forces, fields, and currents.
- Apply Kirchhoff's Rules to analysis of circuits with potential sources, capacitance, inductance, and resistance, including parallel and series capacitance and resistance.
- Solve problems in the electrostatic interaction of point charges through the application of Coulomb's Law.
- Solve problems involving the effects of magnetic fields on moving charges or currents, and the relationship of magnetic fields to the currents which produce them.
- Use Faraday's and Lenz’s laws to determine electromotive forces and solve problems involving electromagnetic induction.
- Articulate and solve problems applying the principles of reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference, and superposition of waves.
- Solve practical problems involving optics, lenses, mirrors, and optical instruments.
- Describe the characteristics of light and the electromagnetic spectrum.
PHYS 1405
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of the nature of science and scientific methods and how science differs from other ways of understanding the world.
- Demonstrate knowledge of Newton's Laws of Motion, and conceptually apply those laws to simple physical systems.
- Demonstrate knowledge of physical conservation laws, and conceptually apply those laws to simple physical systems.
- Demonstrate knowledge of wave motion, oscillations, and sound and conceptually apply that knowledge to simple physical systems.
- Demonstrate knowledge of thermal physics and conceptually apply that knowledge to simple physical systems.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the nature of matter, e.g., atomic structure, elasticity, and fluids.
- Demonstrate the ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data.
- Demonstrate the ability to communicate findings in terms of fundamental physical concepts.
PHYS 1407
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate understanding of the nature of science and scientific methods and how science differs from other ways of understanding the world.
- Demonstrate knowledge of electrostatics (e.g., electric charges, forces, fields, and energy) and conceptually apply that knowledge to simple physical systems.
- Demonstrate knowledge of electrical circuits and apply that knowledge to simple electrical circuits.
- Demonstrate knowledge of electromagnetism (e.g., electric currents, magnetic fields, and magnetic forces) and conceptually apply that knowledge to simple physical systems.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the nature of light and the electromagnetic spectrum.
- Demonstrate knowledge of optics (geometric and physical) and conceptually apply that knowledge to optical systems.
- Demonstrate knowledge of principles of modern physics, such as relativity, quantum mechanics, basic atomic and nuclear structure, and cosmology.
- Demonstrate the ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data.
- Demonstrate the ability to communicate findings in terms of fundamental physical concepts.
PHYS 1410 (Updated 09/08/2015)
- Demonstrate the ability to translate common language descriptions into multiple physical representations (e. g. diagrams, mathematical equations, physical models) and vice versa.
- Demonstrate the ability to collect, analyze, and interpret data.
- Demonstrate the ability to communicate findings in terms of fundamental physical concepts.
- Demonstrate knowledge of Newton's Laws of Motion, and quantitatively solve problems through the application of those laws to simple physical systems
- Demonstrate a basic understanding of physical conservation laws, and quantitatively solve problems through the application of those laws to simple physical systems (charge, energy & momentum)
- Demonstrate a basic understanding of circular motion, and solve uniform circular motion problems.
- Demonstrate understanding of elastic forces and define properties of matter (charge, density, tension, and compression)
- Demonstrate a basic understanding of the properties of fluids (e.g., pressure, buoyancy, and Bernoulli’s Principle) to solve quantitative problems regarding simple physical systems
- Demonstrate a basic understanding of wave motion and oscillations and related properties to solve quantitative problems regarding simple physical systems. (Doppler shift, standing waves, harmonics, reflection, refraction, transmission & reflection coefficients)
- Demonstrate a basic qualitative understanding of properties of light and optics (e.g., electromagnetic spectrum, converging & diverging lenses, diffraction, & thin film interference)
- Demonstrate a basic understanding of the relationship between temperature and heat.
- Demonstrate a basic understanding of the properties of electrical circuits to solve quantitative problems involving simple electrical circuits.
- Demonstrate a basic qualitative understanding of the properties of electromagnetism (e.g., electric & magnetic forces, and electric currents in magnetic fields)
PHYS 2425 (Updated Fall 2014)
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Prepare laboratory reports that clearly communicate experimental information in a logical and scientific manner.
- Conduct basic laboratory experiments involving classical mechanics.
- Relate physical observations and measurements involving classical mechanics to theoretical principles.
- Evaluate the accuracy of physical measurements and the potential sources of error in the measurements.
- Design fundamental experiments involving principles of classical mechanics.
- Identify appropriate sources of information for conducting laboratory experiments involving classical mechanics.
- Determine the components of linear motion (displacement, velocity, and acceleration), and especially motion under conditions of constant acceleration.
- Solve problems involving forces and work.
- Apply Newton's laws to physical problems.
- Identify the different types of energy.
- Solve problems using principles of conservation of energy.
- Define the principles of impulse, momentum, and collisions.
- Use principles of impulse and momentum to solve problems.
- Determine the location of the center of mass and center of rotation for rigid bodies in motion.
- Discuss rotational kinematics and dynamics and the relationship between linear and rotational motion.
- Solve problems involving rotational and linear motion.
- Define equilibrium, including the different types of equilibrium.
- Discuss simple harmonic motion and its application to real-world problems.
PHYS 2426 (Updated Fall 2014)
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
- Prepare laboratory reports that clearly communicate experimental information in a logical and scientific manner.
- Conduct basic laboratory experiments involving electricity and magnetism.
- Relate physical observations and measurements involving electricity and magnetism to theoretical principles.
- Evaluate the accuracy of physical measurements and the potential sources of error in the measurements.
- Design fundamental experiments involving principles of electricity and magnetism.
- Identify appropriate sources of information for conducting laboratory experiments involving electricity and magnetism. (Agreed this means identify valid sources for accepted values)
- Articulate the fundamental concepts of electricity and electromagnetism, including electrostatic potential energy, electrostatic potential, potential difference, magnetic field, induction, and Maxwell's Laws.
- State the general nature of electrical forces and electrical charges, and their relationship to electrical current.
- Solve problems involving the inter-relationship of electrical charges, electrical forces, and electrical fields.
- Apply Kirchhoff's Laws to analysis of circuits with potential sources, capacitance, and resistance, including parallel and series capacitance and resistance.
- Calculate the force on a charged particle between the plates of a parallel-plate capacitor.
- Apply Ohm’s law to the solution of problems.
- Describe the effects of static charge on nearby materials in terms of Coulomb's Law.
- Use Faraday's and Lenz's laws to find the electromotive forces.
- Describe the components of a wave and relate those components to mechanical vibrations, sound, and decibel level.
- Articulate the principles of reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference and superposition of waves.
- Solve real-world problems involving optics, lenses, and mirrors.
Last updated:
September 25, 2017