Physics
The Department of Physics offers courses in physics, experimental physics, mechanics, quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity, waves and optics, thermal and statistical physics, and relativity. The department also offers physics labs.
For questions about specific courses, contact the department.
Registration for First-Year Courses
The department offers two beginning sequences in physics:
- Physics F1201-F1202; with laboratory, but without calculus as a prerequisite; primarily for premedical students.
- Physics C1401-C1403 or Physics C1601-C1602-C2601; three-term sequences, using calculus; primarily for engineering and physical science students. For those students who have had Advanced Placement in physics and calculus, the two-term sequence Physics C2801-C2802 is offered.
For questions about specific courses, contact the department.
Courses
Fundamental laws of mechanics. Kinematics, Newton's laws, work and energy, conservation laws, collisions, rotational motion, oscillations, gravitation.
Course Number
PHYS 2001Points
4.5Fall 2021
Times/Location
Tu Th 10:10a - 11:25aRoom TBA Building TBA
Section/Call Number
001/00155Enrollment
25 of 100Instructor
Janna Levin, Stiliana SavinCharge, electric field, and potential. Gauss's law. Circuits: capacitors and resistors. Magnetism and electromagnetism. Induction and inductance. Alternating currents. Maxwell's equations.
Course Number
PHYS 2002Points
4.5Prerequisite
Physics BC2001 or the equivalent.Spring 2021
Times/Location
Tu Th 10:10a - 11:25aRoom TBA Building TBA
Section/Call Number
001/00525Enrollment
35 of 999Instructor
Janna LevinNonlinear pendula, transverse vibrations-elastic strings, longitudinal sound waves, seismic waves, electromagnetic oscillations & light, rainbows, haloes, the Green Flash; polarization phenomena - Haidinger's Brush, Brewster's angle, double refraction, optical activity; gravity & capillary waves; interference, diffraction, lenses & mirrors.
Course Number
PHYS 3001Points
5Prerequisite
Physics BC2002 or the equivalent.Fall 2021
Times/Location
Tu Th 10:00a - 11:30aRoom TBA Building TBA
Section/Call Number
001/00145Enrollment
16 of 15Instructor
Timothy Halpin-Healy, Margaret KayeWave-particle duality and the Uncertainty Principle. The Schrodinger equation. Basic principles of the quantum theory. Energy levels in one-dimensional potential wells. The harmonic oscillator, photons, and phonons. Reflection and transmission by one-dimensional potential barriers. Applications to atomic, molecular, and nuclear physics.
Course Number
PHYS 3006Points
3Prerequisite
BC3001 or C2601 or the equivalent.Spring 2021
Times/Location
Tu Th 10:10a - 11:25a805 ALTSCHUL HALL
Tu Th 8:40a - 9:25a
805 ALTSCHUL HALL
Section/Call Number
001/00488Enrollment
8 of 999Instructor
Reshmi MukherjeeBarnard College physics laboratory has available a variety of experiments meant to complement 3000-level lecture courses. Each experiment requires substantial preparation, as well as written and oral presentations. Elementary particle experiments: detectors, cosmic ray triggers, muon lifetime.
Course Number
PHYS 3082Points
1.5Experiments illustrating phenomenological aspects of the early quantum theory: (i) Hydrogenic Spectra: Balmer Series & Bohr-Sommerfeld Model; (ii) Photoelectric Effect: Millikan's Determination of h/e; (iii) Franck-Hertz Experiment; and (iv) Electron Diffraction Phenomena. Substantial preparation required, including written and oral presentations, as well as an interest in developing the knack and intuition of an experimental physicist. This course is best taken concurrently with PHYS BC3006 Quantum Physics.
Course Number
PHYS 3086Points
3Spring 2021
Section/Call Number
001/00489Enrollment
5 of 999Instructor
Reshmi MukherjeeClassical electromagnetic wave phenomena via Maxwell's equations, including: (i) Michaelson and Fabry-Perot Interferometry, as well as a thin-film interference and elementary dispersion theory; (ii) Fraunhofer Diffraction (and a bit of Fresnel); (iii) Wireless Telegraphy I: AM Radio Receivers; and (iv) Wireless Telegraphy II: AM Transmitters. Last two labs pay homage to relevant scientific developments in the period 1875-1925, from the discovery of Hertzian waves to the Golden Age of Radio. Complements PHYS W3008 Electromagnetic Waves and Optics.
Course Number
PHYS 3088Points
3Spring 2021
Times/Location
F 10:30a - 12:00pRoom TBA Building TBA
Section/Call Number
001/00596Enrollment
5 of 15Instructor
Stiliana SavinFall 2021
Times/Location
F 10:30a - 12:00pRoom TBA Building TBA
Section/Call Number
001/00148Enrollment
9 of 15Instructor
Stiliana SavinIntroduction to physics with emphasis on quantum phenomena, relativity, and models of the atom and its nucleus. Offered in Spring 2011 only.
Course Number
PHYS 1001Points
3Prerequisite
No previous background in physics is expected; high school algebra is required.Introduction to physics with emphasis on quantum phenomena, relativity, and models of the atom and its nucleus.
Course Number
PHYS 1002Points
3Prerequisite
No previous background in physics is expected; high school algebra is required.Course Number
PHYS 1291Points
1Course Number
PHYS 1292Points
1Prerequisite
Laboratory to accompany V1201-2, V1301-2, or V1001-2.Fundamental laws of mechanics, kinematics and dynamics, work and energy, rotational dynamics, oscillations, gravitation, fluids, temperature and heat, gas laws, the first and second laws of thermodynamics.
Course Number
PHYS 1401Points
3Electric fields, direct currents, magnetic fields, alternating currents, electromagnetic waves, polarization, geometical optics, interference, and diffraction.
Course Number
PHYS 1402Points
3Prerequisite
PHYS C1401, or the equivalent.Mechanics, heat, electricity, magnetism, and light.
Course Number
PHYS 2801Points
4Prerequisite
Advanced placement in mathematics or some knowledge of differential and integral calculus and permission of the departmental representative. (A special placement meeting is held during Orientation Week.)Mechanics, heat, electricity, magnetism, and light.
Course Number
PHYS 2802Points
4Prerequisite
Advanced placement in mathematics or some knowledge of differential and integral calculus and permission of the departmental representative. (A special placement meeting is held during Orientation week.)Mechanics, fluids, thermodynamics.
Course Number
PHYS 1201Points
3Prerequisite
This course will use elementary concepts from calculus. Students should therefore have had some high school calculus, or be concurrently enrolled in MATH V1101.Electricity, magnetism, optics, and modern physics.
Course Number
PHYS 1202Points
3Prerequisite
This couse will use elementary concepts from calculus. Students should therefore have had some high school calculus, or be cuncurrently enrolled in MATH V1101.Lectures on current areas of research with discussions of motivation, techniques, and results, as well as difficulties and unsolved problems. Each student submits a written report on one field of active research.
Course Number
PHYS 1900Points
1Prerequisite
(or corequisite) Any 1000-level course in the Physics or Astronomy departments. This course may be repeated for credit only with the instructor's permission.A review of the history and environmental consequences of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons of mass destruction (WMD); of how these weapons work, what they cost, how they have spread, how they might be used, how they are currently controlled by international treaties and domestic legislation, and what issues of policy and technology arise in current debates on WMD. What aspects of the manufacture of WMD are easily addressed, and what aspects are technically challenging? It may be expected that current events/headlines will be discussed in class.
Course Number
PHYS 1018Points
3Prerequisite
high school science and math.Classical waves and the wave equation, Fourier series and integrals, normal modes, wave-particle duality, the uncertainty principle, basic principles of quantum mechanics, energy levels, reflection and transmission coefficients, applications to atomic physics.
Course Number
PHYS 1403Points
3Prerequisite
<i>PHYS W1402</i>.Laboratory work associated with the two prerequisite lecture courses. Experiments in mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, optics, wave motion, atomic physics, and nuclear physics. Note: Students cannot receive credit for both PHYS W1493 and W1494.
Course Number
PHYS 1493Points
3Prerequisite
<i>PHYS W1401</i> and <i>W1402</i>.This course is a comprehensive, one-semester introduction to the essential ideas and mathematical structures underlying Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity. Among the topics covered will be: the relativity of simultaneity, time dilation, Lorentz contraction, velocity combination laws, time dilation over large distances, the Lorentz transformation, spacetime diagrams, the basic (seeming) paradoxes of special relativity, relativistic equations of motion and E = mc2.
Course Number
PHYS 2001Points
3Prerequisite
a working knowledge of high school algebra, trigonometry, and physics. Some familiarity with calculus is useful but not essential.Laboratory work associated with the three prerequisite lecture courses. Experiments in mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity, magnetism, optics, wave motion, atomic physics, and nuclear physics.
Course Number
PHYS 2699Points
3Prerequisite
<i>PHYS W1601</i> (or <i>W1401</i>), <i>W1602</i> (or <i>W1402</i>), and <i>W2601</i>.This course reinforces basic ideas of modern physics through applications to nuclear physics, high energy physics, astrophysics and cosmology. The ongoing Columbia research programs in these fields are used as practical examples. The course is preparatory for advanced work in physics and related fields.
Course Number
PHYS 3002Points
3.5Prerequisite
W2601 or W2802A review of the history and environmental consequences of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons of mass destruction (WMD); of how these weapons work, what they cost, how they have spread, how they might be used, how they are currently controlled by international treaties and domestic legislation, and what issues of policy and technology arise in current debates on WMD. What aspects of the manufacture of WMD are easily addressed, and what aspects are technically challenging? It may be expected that current events/headlines will be discussed in class.
Course Number
PHYS 3018Points
3Prerequisite
high school science and math.Tensor algebra, tensor analysis, introduction to Riemann geometry. Motion of particles, fluid, and fields in curved spacetime. Einstein equation. Schwarzschild solution; test-particle orbits and light bending. Introduction to black holes, gravitational waves, and cosmological models.
Course Number
PHYS 4040Points
3Prerequisite
<i>PHYS W3003</i>, <i>PHYS W3007</i> or the equivalent.Review of key concepts in quantum mechanics and special relativity. Conservation laws, decays, interactions, oscillations. Atoms, nuclei, hadrons (protons and neutrons) and quarks. Current theoertical and experimental challenges, including physics at the Large Hadron Collider.
Course Number
PHYS 4050Points
3Prerequisite
<i>PHYS W2601</i> or <i>W2802</i>, or the equivalent.This is a combined lecture/seminar course designed for graduate students and advanced undergraduates. The course will cover a series of cases where biological systems take advantage of physical phenomena in counter intuitive and surprising ways to accomplish their functions. In each of these cases, we will discuss different physical mechanisms at work. We will limit our discussions to simple, qualitative arguments. We will also discuss experimental methods enabling the study of these biological systems. Overall, the course will expose students to a wide range of physical concepts involved in biological processes.
Course Number
PHYS 4075Prerequisite
one year each of introductory physics and biology.This course is intended to provide an introduction to scientic computing for Physics and other physical science undergraduates. Methods of computing will be taught through solving a variety of physical science problems. Previous programming experience is useful, but not required. The course will introduce the C++ programming language and also make use of Python and MATLAB in class and in exercises. The first part of the course will introduce these software tools and explore basic numerical algorithms for dierential equations and matrices, emphasizing numerical stability and performance. These algorithms will then be used to explore physical phenomena, such as the equation of state for a simple gas, electromagnetic wave propgation and statistical mechanics systems. A brief discussion of parallel computing techniques will be included, with a chance to implement some parallel algorithms.