| Physics Society for Prospective Students |
Interested
in becoming a physicist?!
For
those of you in your first year, or looking at coming to Mount Allison
to
indulge in the wonderful realm of physics, you have located the right
page to
help YOU out. Below you will find some courses that are needed, and
recommended
to take within your first year of study here at MTA. Sorted by semester
they
are:
| First (fall) Semester: | Second (winter) Semester: |
That
seems like it won’t be easy…
To
be straight with you, your first year will probably be an adjustment
from high
school; you will not only cover more material at a faster pace, but
you’ll have
accompanying labs to put some of what you learned into use. Don’t
fret though,
and don’t think this is foreign to people ONLY studying physics
-university is
a lot of work regardless of what you study! Now that your really scared
I’m
here to re-assure you that all of this is MANAGEABLE, and if you have a
keen
interest into learning how exactly the material world around us from
the cosmos
to the sub-atomic level, it is definitely worth it. This brings me to
my next
point:
TALK
TO EVERYONE
Yes,
the very simple and fundamental rule that we at the Physics Society
have,
ourselves, learned. Should you take a course? Ask a friend, ask another
friend,
ask a prof, then ask another prof. By that time you will have spoken
with
enough people to allow your mind to organize the facts. Talking to
everyone ensures
that your decisions are made wisely. In fact, if you can think of any
questions
right now, e-mail PhysSoc@mta.ca with a question or comment. Go ahead,
we dare
ya!
Some Course Descriptions (and a little more)
Everyone here at the Physics department has been through that difficult 'choosing first year courses' stage, trying to decide which course to take and with which professor. We're going to give you a hand. Read the following vague descriptions, then drop us an email at PhysSoc@mta.ca with some general (or not so general) questions.
PHYS 1051 GENERAL PHYSICS I (Prereq:
None)
This is your basic ‘meat and potatoes’ Physics
course. It
covers topics quite quickly, going into very little detail but covering
a wide array of subjects. “…This algebra based
introductory physics course will cover kinematics, dynamics, work and
energy, momentum in one dimension, fluid mechanics, waves and sound, DC
circuit electricity, geometrical and physical optics, and an
introduction to modern physics…” (MTA Academic Calendar 2009).
It is definitely algebra-oriented, but a little Calculus goes a long
way. The course utilizes an ‘experimental’ interface,
guiding the students through individual, hands-on experiments during
most classes.
PHYS 1551 GENERAL PHYSICS II (Prereqs:
PHYS1051 and MATH1111)
This is the next level in basic Physics. Again, detail is
sacrificed
for a breadth of topics, but calculus is far more critical.
“…This calculus based introductory physics course will
cover rotational motion, angular momentum, simple harmonic motion,
gravitation, electric fields forces and potentials, capacitors,
magnetism, electromagnetic induction, AC circuits, introductory
thermodynamics, nuclear reactions…” (MTA Academic Calendar 2009).
The course utilizes an ‘experimental’ interface, guiding
the students through individual, hands-on experiments during most
classes.
MATH 1111 INTRODUCTION TO CALCULUS I
Just like math in high school, Cal 1 will start with the
basics and go
from there. “…Derivatives of the algebraic and exponential
functions are developed. Applications include curve sketching, related
rates, and optimization problems…”(MTA Academic Calendar 2009)
Maybe with the addition of “exploring and utilizing
theorems” this description would be complete.
Prereq: A passing score on the
Mathematics
Placement Test, or MATH 1011; or permission of the Department. Students
enrolling in Mathematics 1111 should normally have completed a
university preparatory course in Mathematics designed to prepare them
for University calculus
MATH 1121 INTRODUCTION TO CALCULUS II
This is a lot more calculus than Cal 1, diving into
integrals of all
kinds. “…various techniques of integration studied and
some applications presented. Among these applications are: area between
curves, volume, work and elementary differential
equations…” (MTA Academic Calendar 2009).
Volume snagged a
few people, but these are standard applications in a standard cal
course.
Prereq: MATH 1111; or permission of the
Department
CHEM 1001 INTRODUCTORY CHEMISTRY 1
“…Atomic theory will be introduced followed
by discussion
about the periodic table. Chemical bonding will be developed leading to
the three-dimensional nature of matter. Thermodynamics, intermolecular
forces and solution properties will be covered…” (MTA Academic Calendar 2009).
I’m going to be brutally honest on this
one: many Grade 12 high school Chemistry classes cover the vast
majority of what you’ll find in here, with the exception of that
little bit of Quantum Chemistry at the end. However, greater depth is
certainly achieved and any student is given the opportunity to expand
his/her education.
Prereq: None
CHEM 1021 INTRODUCTORY CHEMISTRY II
Round two of first year Chemistry.
“…discussion of gases
followed by consideration of kinetics and equilibrium. The
thermodynamics introduced in the first term will be expanded together
with a brief discussion of redox properties and
electrochemistry…” (MTA Academic Calendar 2009).
Prereq: CHEM 1001; or permission of the
Department
COMP 1631 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER
SCIENCE I
Aha, you’ve found the fundamental computer science
course! I know
that the Academic Calendar provides a really flowery, vague description
of the course. Having taken the course, I would agree that the
description is, in fact, quite accurate. However, I took the course.
Here’s the deal: you’re going to learn some JAVA while
learning how to program. “…The course is intended for
students who wish to take further courses in Computer
Science…” (MTA Academic Calendar 2009).
This is 100% true, and I will add that this
course is literally an asset to any Physics major. Covered topics:
basic JAVA syntax, debugging, arrays, various JAVA functions.
Prereq: Students enrolling in COMP 1631
should
normally have completed a university preparatory level course in
Mathematics
COMP 1731 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER
SCIENCE II
Yeah, I know this course isn’t required for Physics
majors, but it will help! This is an excellent course for anyone
working
in science because it is both mathematical and practical. Don’t
think you’ll be doing much programming? Think again; everywhere I
turn I need to write a simple program to do this or that. Besides, you
have until the end of 1631 to decide whether or not to take it. Covered
topics: data structures (simple and advanced), recursion, classical CS
problems (MTA
Academic Calendar 2009).
Prereq: COMP 1631; or permission of the Department