PHY-20032 - Module Specification
School of Chemical and Physical Sciences
Faculty of Natural Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2020/21

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None.

Description for 2020/21

In this module the student will be exposed to motion in a central potential and in axially symmetric potentials. Following the discussion of motion in these types of potential, a study of orbits and Rutherford scattering will be carried out.
The module will also discuss variational principles in physics and explore how such principles can be used to describe the behaviour of physical systems. Following on from this the module will cover, in a rigorous way, the concept known as ``the action" in physics, the calculus of variations, and obtain the Euler-Lagrange equations. This will lead to a study of Lagrangian mechanics, and possibly Hamiltonian mechanics, with a focus on examples from various parts of physics, e.g. optics, mechanics, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics.
The module will also cover some of the different special functions that arise in physics in a rigorous way, discuss how these can be represented, and relate them to different physical phenomenon. The module will then proceed to discuss how these functions arise from the solution of certain equations, i.e. ordinary and partial differential equations. These equations will be discussed with examples taken from gravity, optics, electromagnetism and quantum mechanics to show their relevance to physical phenomenon.

This module aims to expose the student to the study of motion in different types of force fields, to the study of analytical mechanics in a rigorous way, to variational principles in physics and the calculus of variations, and to some of the special functions that occur in physics, both in terms of how they arise mathematically and how they relate to physical phenomenon.

Intended Learning Outcomes

1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3
1,2,3

Study hours

Lectures: 24 (scheduled)
Problem classes: 12 hours (scheduled)
Assessed Problem Sheets: 45 hours (estimated; not scheduled)
Self study and revision: 67 hours (estimated; not scheduled)
Final Examination: 2 hours

School Rules

None.

Description of Module Assessment