PHY 101T General Physics I Theory (3)
Within an algebra-based framework, this course covers topics in classical mechanics, including the kinematics in one and two dimensions, the Newton’s laws of motion, work and energy, linear momentum, rotational motion, and selected topics on vibration and waves. Three hours of lecture each week. This class must be taken with the laboratory course PHY 101L in the same semester. Successful completion of both co-requisite lecture and lab courses (PHY 101T and PHY 101L) is required. Should a student need to repeat one co-requisite, they must repeat both co-requisites. Prerequisites: MAT 120 or equivalent. Meets SUNY General Education Natural Science category or 2023 General Education Natural Sciences (and Scientific Reasoning). PHY 101T and PHY 201T cannot both be taken for credit.
PHY 101L General Physics Laboratory (1)
Laboratory section to accompany PHY 101T. Application of theoretical material from General Physics I Lecture in experimental procedures. Three hours of laboratory each week. This class must be taken with the lecture course PHY 101T in the same semester. Successful completion of both co-requisite lecture and lab courses (PHY 101T and PHY 101L) is required. Should a student need to repeat one co-requisite, they must repeat both co-requisites. Meets SUNY General Education Natural Science category or 2023 General Education Natural Sciences (and Scientific Reasoning). PHY 101L and PHY 201L cannot both be taken for credit.
PHY 102T General Physics II Theory (3)
Within an algebra-based framework, this course covers topics in electricity and magnetism, including electric forces and fields, electric potential, electric current, DC circuit, magnetism, electromagnetic induction, and selected topics from electromagnetic waves and optics. Three hours of lecture each week. This class must be taken with the laboratory course PHY 102L in the same semester. Successful completion of both co-requisite lecture and lab courses (PHY 102T and PHY 102L) is required. Should a student need to repeat one co-requisite, they must repeat both co-requisites. Prerequisite: PHY 101T and PHY 101L. Meets SUNY General Education Natural Science category. PHY 102T and PHY 202T cannot both be taken for credit.
PHY 102L General Physics II Laboratory (1)
Laboratory section to accompany PHY 102T. Application of theoretical material from General Physics II Lecture in experimental procedures. Three hours of laboratory each week. This class must be taken with the lecture course PHY 102T in the same semester. Successful completion of both co-requisite lecture and lab courses (PHY 102T and PHY 102L) is required. Should a student need to repeat one co-requisite, they must repeat both co-requisites. Meets SUNY General Education Natural Science category or 2023 General Education Natural Sciences (and Scientific Reasoning). PHY 102L and PHY 202L cannot both be taken for credit.
PHY 180 Physics Workshop (4)
A foundational Physics course for introducing students to a broad overview of Physics and prepare them for the physics program and beyond. Topics include qualitative discussion of concepts and mathematical techniques of pre-Newtonian physics and qualitative understanding of physics from the time of Newton to the present.
PHY 201T Calculus Based Physics I Theory (3)
Within a mathematical framework that includes basic geometry, trigonometry, algebra, calculus and vectors, this course covers topics in mechanics including kinematics of one, two and three dimensional motion, dynamics and Newton’s laws of motion, work, kinetic energy, potential energy, kinematics and dynamics of rigid bodies, and periodic motion. Three hours of lecture each week. This class must be taken with the laboratory course PHY 201L in the same semester. Successful completion of both co-requisite lecture and lab courses (PHY 201T and PHY 201L) is required. Should a student need to repeat one co-requisite, they must repeat both co-requisites. Prerequisite: MAT 151 or equivalent. Co-requisite: MAT 152. Meets SUNY General Education Natural Science category or 2023 General Education Natural Sciences (and Scientific Reasoning). PHY 201T and PHY 101T cannot both be taken for credit.
PHY 201L Calculus Based Physics I Laboratory (1)
Laboratory section to accompany PHY 201T. Application of theoretical material from Calculus Based Physics I Lecture in experimental procedures. Three hours of laboratory each week. This class must be taken with the lecture course PHY 201T in the same semester. Successful completion of both co-requisite lecture and lab courses (PHY 201T and PHY 201L) is required. Should a student need to repeat one co-requisite, they must repeat both co-requisites. Meets SUNY General Education Natural Science category or 2023 General Education Natural Sciences (and Scientific Reasoning). PHY 201L and PHY 101L cannot both be taken for credit.
PHY 202T Calculus Based Physics II Theory (3)
This course covers topics on electricity and magnetism, including Electric Fields and Forces, Coulomb’s Law, Gauss’s Law, Electric Potential, Capacitance and Dielectrics, Current, Resistance, Electromotive Force, Electric Circuits, Magnetic Fields and Forces, Biot-Savart’s Law, Ampere’s Law, Electromagnetic Induction, Faraday’s Law, Maxwell’s Equations, and selected topics on the Electromagnetic Waves. Three hours of lecture each week. This class must be taken with the laboratory course PHY 202L in the same semester. Successful completion of both co-requisite lecture and lab courses (PHY 202T and PHY 202L) is required. Should a student need to repeat one co-requisite, they must repeat both co-requisites. Prerequisite: PHY 201T, PHY 201L, and MAT 152 or equivalents. Meets SUNY General Education Natural Science category or 2023 General Education Natural Sciences (and Scientific Reasoning). PHY 202T and PHY 102T cannot both be taken for credit.
PHY 202L Calculus Based Physics II Laboratory (1)
Laboratory section to accompany PHY 202T. Application of theoretical material from Calculus Based Physics II Lecture in experimental procedures. Three hours of laboratory each week. This class must be taken with the lecture course PHY 202T in the same semester. Successful completion of both co-requisite lecture and lab courses (PHY 202T and PHY 202L) is required. Should a student need to repeat one co-requisite, they must repeat both co-requisites. Laboratory section to accompany PHY 202T. Application of theoretical material from Calculus Based Physics II Lecture in experimental procedures. Three hours of laboratory each week. This class must be taken with the lecture course PHY 202T in the same semester. Successful completion of both co-requisite lecture and lab courses (PHY 202T and PHY 202L) is required. Should a student need to repeat one co-requisite, they must repeat both co-requisites. Meets SUNY General Education Natural Science category or 2023 General Education Natural Sciences (and Scientific Reasoning). PHY 202L and PHY 102L cannot both be taken for credit. PHY 202L and PHY 102L cannot both be taken for credit.
PHY 203L Calculus Based Physics III Laboratory (1)
In conjunction with the theory component of this course, and within a mathematical framework that includes basic geometry, trigonometry, algebra, calculus and vectors, this lab covers experiments on mechanical, fluid and thermodynamics systems. Topics include thermal and elastic properties of matter, thermodynamics processes and experiment on gravitation. This class must be taken with the lecture course PHY 203T in the same semester. Successful completion of both co-requisite lecture and lab courses (PHY 203T and PHY 203L) is required. Should a student need to repeat one co-requisite, they must repeat both co-requisites. Prerequisite: PHY 201T, PHY 201L, and MAT 152 or equivalent. Pre-Co-requisite: PHY 202T/L, Co-requisite: PHY 203T.
PHY 203T Calculus Based Physics III Theory (3)
Covers topics of key subjects in classical physics not included in calculus-based physics I and II: material properties, thermodynamics (temperature and heat, thermal properties of matter, and the laws of thermodynamics); and gravitation (Newton’s law of gravitation, motion of satellites, Kepler’s laws and motion of planets, extended mass distribution and black holes). This class must be taken with the laboratory course PHY 203L in the same semester. Successful completion of both co-requisite lecture and lab courses (PHY 203T and PHY 203L) is required. Should a student need to repeat one co-requisite, they must repeat both co-requisites. Prerequisite: PHY 201T, PHY 201L, and MAT 152 or equivalent. Pre-Co-requisite: PHY 202T/L, Co-requisite: PHY 203L.
PHY 220 Electronics for Scientists (4)
Designed to give students who do not intend to become Electrical Engineers or Technologists a good background in the field of analog and digital electronics. Upon completion of this course, the student should have a practical understanding of test equipment and basic analog circuits such as power supplies, analog switches of operational amplifiers as well as a practical understanding of the operation and use of digital integrated circuits and their application to more complicated data acquisition systems used in modern chemical instrumentation. Three hours of lecture and three hours laboratory per week. May not be taken be electrical engineering, electrical technology or computer engineering technology students. Prerequisite: One year of high school physics or equivalent.
PHY 290 Topics in Physics (1-4)
An introductory course in selected topics in Physics not currently covered in any of the listed classes. Topics are chosen to illustrate different fields and applications which are all part of Physics.
PHY 315 Calculus Based Physics IV (4)
Within a mathematical framework that includes basic geometry, trigonometry, algebra, calculus and vectors, this course provides a broad overview and understanding of waves, their mathematical structure, interference, superposition and applications. Includes discussions of both mechanical waves and electromagnetic waves as well as connections to wave function in quantum mechanics. Applications in optics will be discussed in some detail. Prerequisite: PHY 202T, PHY 202L, and MAT 260 or equivalents.
PHY 325 Geometrical Optics (4)
Covers the topic of classical optics with both lecture and laboratory. The nature of light, the laws of reflection and refraction, mirrors, lenses, image formation as well as aberrations will be covered using geometric techniques. The structure and operation of specific optical instruments will be explored in detail. Prerequisite: PHY 202 or equivalent.
PHY 326 Physical Optics (4)
Introduces the student via lecture and laboratory to the wave properties of light as observed in such phenomena as interference, diffraction and polarization. Topics also include a review of harmonic wave motion, the principle of superposition of waves, Fraunhofer and Fresnal diffraction, interferometry, coherence, diffraction gratings, multiple reflection interference and optical boundaries. Prerequisite: PHY 325 or equivalent.
PHY 351T Modern Physics Theory (3)
Provides a broad overview of the major developments and breakthroughs in physics since the beginning of the 20th century, including Einstein’s special theory of relativity, quantum nature of light, wave nature of particles, introduction to quantum mechanics, atomic structure, molecular and condensed mater physics, nuclear physics, particle physics and cosmology. Three hours of lecture each week. This class must be taken with the laboratory course PHY 351L in the same semester. Successful completion of both co-requisite lecture and lab courses (PHY 351T and PHY 351L) is required. Should a student need to repeat one co-requisite, they must repeat both co-requisites. Prerequisites: PHY 202T, PHY 202L, and MAT 260 or equivalents.
PHY 351L Modern Physics Laboratory (1)
Laboratory section to accompany PHY 351T. Application of theoretical material from Modern Physics Theory in experimental procedures. Three hours of laboratory each week. This class must be taken with the lecture course PHY 351T in the same semester. Successful completion of both co-requisite lecture and lab courses (PHY 351T and PHY 351L) is required. Should a student need to repeat one co-requisite, they must repeat both co-requisites.
PHY 361 Intermediate Mechanics I (4)
The first course in a two-course sequence of Intermediate Mechanics. Within an advanced mathematical framework (that involved vector and tensor calculus, multidimensional integration, techniques of solving systems of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations) this course provides an in depth study of the laws of classical mechanics, their implementation and applications. Topics include oscillations, general motion of a particle in three dimensions, non-inertial reference systems and gravitation and central forces. Prerequisites: PHY 202, MAT 253 and MAT 260.
PHY 371 Electromagnetism I (4)
The first course in a two-course sequence on electromagnetism. Within an advanced mathematical framework (involving vector algebra, differential and integral calculus, curvilinear coordinates, Dirac delta function and theory of vector fields), this course covers topics on electrostatics, magnetostatics, electric and magnetic fields in matter, and electrodynamics. Prerequisites: PHY 202, MAT 253 and MAT 260.
PHY 381 Quantum Mechanics I (4)
The first course in a two-course sequence of quantum mechanics. Covers topics on time-Independent Schrodinger Equation (including the Infinite Square Well, the Harmonic Oscillator, the Free Particle, the Delta-Function Potential,…) Schrodinger Equation in three dimensions, the Hydrogen Atom, Angular Momentum, Spin, and Identical Particles. Prerequisites: PHY 351T, PHY 351L, MAT 253, MAT 260.
PHY 390 Special Topics in Physics (1-4)
A detailed examination of a topic in physics not treated extensively in other physics courses. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
PHY 442 Thermal Physics (4)
Develops side-by-side the two main physical theories of thermal phenomena: thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. The topics covered include temperature, heat, macroscopic energy conservation (the first law of thermodynamics), entropy and the second law of thermodynamics, physical modeling of engines and refrigerators, chemical thermodynamics, Boltzmann classical and quantum statistics of simple systems, blackbody radiation, the specific heat of crystalline solids, superfluidity and superconductivity. Prerequisites: PHY 361, MAT 253 and MAT 260. Pre/Corequisite: PHY 381.
PHY 462 Intermediate Mechanics II (4)
Second course in a two-course sequence of Intermediate mechanics and continuation of PHY 361 (Intermediate Mechanics I). Within an advanced mathematical framework (that involves vector and tensor calculus, multidimensional integration, techniques of solving systems of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations), this course covers topics of dynamics of many body systems, general dynamics of rigid bodies in three dimensions, Lagrangian mechanics and dynamics of oscillating systems. Prerequisites: PHY 361, MAT 253, MAT 260.
PHY 472 Electromagnetism II (4)
The second course in a two-course sequence of electromagnetism. Starting from the most general form of the Maxwell’s equations in partial differential form, this course develops advanced theoretical and computational techniques for obtaining their time-dependent solutions that are needed in the studies of the propagation and creation of the electromagnetic waves and radiation. Prerequisites: PHY 371, MAT 253 and MAT 260.
PHY 482 Quantum Mechanics II (4)
The second course in a two-course sequence of quantum mechanics and the continuation of Quantum Mechanics I (PHY 381). Covers topics on time dependent and time independent perturbation theory, variational principle, WKB approximation and scattering theory. Prerequisites: PHY 381, MAT 253, MAT 260.
PHY 490 Special Topics in Physics (4)
A detailed examination of a topic in physics not treated extensively in other physics courses. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
PHY 491 Independent Study (Variable 1-4)
Extensive study and research on a particular topic of student interest under the supervision of a faculty member. The student is required to submit a written proposal which includes a description of the project, its duration, educational goals, method of evaluation, and number of credits to be earned. Prerequisite: Matriculated students only, permission of instructor and dean of subject area.