PHYS 2903

PHYSICS TOWARDS THE FUTURE

An on-line course based on the

Open Physics Education Module

OVERVIEW

This course is intended for students with little or no background in Science. It introduces physics through a set of modules that are closely connected to our everyday life and future.

This course is only available online via Brightspace.

Please note that Faculty of Science students may only take this course as a free elective.

COURSE LEVEL LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the course, students should be able to:

1.  Explain physics related phenomenon using basic physics principles and terminology

2.   Perform. basic calculation/estimations to solve simple physics related problems

3.   Make correct judgement/decisions on physics related issues in their daily life based on basic physics principles

TEXTBOOK

The optional text-book for the course is “Physics Beyond the Comfort Zone” by Peter Watson.  This textbook has a number of relevant sections relating to material for this course but does not cover some areas.  The lectures and supplementary materials are intended to cover the course with this textbook as a useful but optional additional aid. This is an e-text book available from Amazon or IBooks for $9.99. If you have any difficulties purchasing the textbook, please contact me.

CONTENT

The following thematic modules will be covered in this course. Each module will help you answer a series of questions listed below.

1. Sound and Music

In many ways, music might be viewed as one of the most human of inventions. What is the nature of sound and what are the relationships between pitch, loudness, musical scales, and the fundamental properties of sounds?  How are sounds generated, from different types of instruments, that create a musical performance?

2. Light and Colour

What is light exactly? What is radiation and electromagnetic waves? How do eyes and lenses work? How do we see colours? How do we communicate with EM waves?

3. Cell Phone

It has become commonplace, almost anywhere one travels in the world, to see people using cell phones for conversations, texting, accessing the internet, listening to music, and taking photos.   What are the physics principles behind the manufacture and operation of cell phones?

4. The Solar System and Beyond

The nature of the universe beyond our planet has always fascinated humans. How do we use rockets to place satellites in orbit and send missions out into the solar system?  What is the structure of our solar system…of our galaxy…of the universe?

5. Medical Physics

Medical physics is about using physical approaches to diagnose and treat diseases. What is x-

ray? How does it “see” through our body? What is MRI? Why do doctors always order MRI instead of x-ray if you have a joint pain? How does ultrasound scan work?

6. Recent Advances

Some of the most interesting questions in science are being tackled by physicists around the world.  What are dark matter and dark energy?  What are gravitational waves?  Why is discovery of the Higgs particle important and what does it tell us?  What are neutrinos and how do we observe them?

MODULE COMPLETION DATES AND PHYSICS TOPICS COVERED

Please note that All the lecture videos are interactive with questions to be answered during the lecture. You must achieve 75% or higher from the interactive video before you can move on to the next lecture. The skipping forward on the video navigation bar is disabled in the first watch. Once you completed the lecture, you can rewatch the videos without any limits.

EVALUATION

1. (50%) Module quizzes

At the end of each thematic module, there will be an online quiz of 15 multi-choice questions.

Quizzes will always open on Thursdays and must be completed before Wednesday's midnight (11:59 pm). Each quiz accounts for 8% of the final mark.

2. (32%) Two writing projects

Each thematic module has suggested essay topics and/or a lab you can perform using materials or devices that are available in your home.

You are required to write one essay and one lab report on two of the five topics of your choice. The lab must be chosen from the first two thematic Modules (Sound and Music or Light and Colour). The essay must be chosen from the four modules (Cell Phone, Medical Physics, Solar System and Beyond, or Recent Advances).

The due dates at listed in this table:

For the lab report, a write up template will be provided. The essay has to be 800-1000 words.

Both the essay and lab reports must be written using word processing software. Handwritten essays will NOT be accepted and will be given zero mark. Essays or lab reports should be uploaded via Brightspace.