Physics

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  • CAS PY 104: Physics of Health Sciences
    PY104 is a one semester introduction to the basic physics of the health sciences. Topics include Kinematics and Dynamics, Newton's Laws, Statics, Momentum, Work and Energy, Mechanical Waves, Electric Charge and Force, Capacitance and Resistance, Electric Circuits, and Properties of Electromagnetic Waves, Atomic and Nuclear Physics, Medical Imaging. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning I, Critical Thinking.
    • Scientific Inquiry I
    • Quantitative Reasoning I
    • Critical Thinking
  • CAS PY 105: Physics 1
    The CAS PY 105/106 sequence satisfies premedical requirements. PY105 covers some of the basic principles underlying the physics of everyday life, including forces and motion, momentum and energy, harmonic motion, rotation, and heat and thermodynamics. Carries natural science divisional credit (with lab) in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning I, Critical Thinking.
    • Scientific Inquiry I
    • Quantitative Reasoning I
    • Critical Thinking
  • CAS PY 106: Physics 2
    The CAS PY 105/106 sequence satisfies premedical requirements. PY106 covers some of the basic principles underlying the physics of everyday life, including electricity and magnetism, direct-current circuits, waves, optics, and modern physics. Carries natural science divisional credit (with lab) in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Quantitative Reasoning II, Critical Thinking.
    • Scientific Inquiry II
    • Quantitative Reasoning II
    • Critical Thinking
  • CAS PY 107: Physics of Food and Cooking
    Physical science concepts of thermal / soft matter physics and molecular biophysics such as phase transitions and gelation, viscosity, elasticity illustrated via cooking. Labs and demos using molecular gastronomy methods of sous-vide cooking, pressure cooking, making desserts, cheese, emulsions, foams, gels, ice creams. Carries natural science divisional credit (with lab) in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning I, Critical Thinking.
    • Scientific Inquiry I
    • Quantitative Reasoning I
    • Critical Thinking
  • CAS PY 195: Freshman Seminar for Physicists
    Seminar where freshman physics majors learn successful strategies for studying physics and become familiar with BU's policies, procedures, resources, and extracurricular activities. Exploration of research and career opportunities through invited speakers, book discussions, and laboratory tours.
  • CAS PY 211: General Physics I
    Calculus-based introduction to basic principles of physics, emphasizing Newtonian mechanics, conservation laws, and thermodynamics. For science majors and engineers, and for premedical students who seek a more analytical course than CAS PY 105/106. Interactive, student-centered lectures, discussion, and laboratory. Carries natural science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning I, Critical Thinking, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Scientific Inquiry I
    • Quantitative Reasoning I
    • Critical Thinking
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS PY 212: General Physics 2
    Calculus-based introduction to basic principles of physics, emphasizing electromagnetism, circuits, and optics. For science majors and engineers, and for premedical students who seek a more analytical course than CAS PY 105/106. Interactive, student-centered lectures, discussion, and laboratory. Carries natural science divisional credit in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Quantitative Reasoning II, Critical Thinking, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Scientific Inquiry II
    • Quantitative Reasoning II
    • Critical Thinking
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS PY 231: The Physics in Music
    An introduction to musical acoustics, which covers vibrations and waves in musical systems and sound production, intervals and the construction of musical scales, tuning and temperament, the percussion instruments, the piano, the string, woodwind and brass instruments, room acoustics, the human ear and psychoacoustical phenomena important to musical performance and perception. Examples from the musical literature that illustrate various acoustical effects are covered. Some aspects of electronic music are also discussed. Satisfies CAS natural science divisional credit. Effective Spring 2020, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning I, Scientific Inquiry I.
    • Scientific Inquiry I
    • Quantitative Reasoning I
  • CAS PY 241: Principles of General Physics 1
    Calculus-based introduction to principles and methods of physics. Mechanics, heat, light, electricity and magnetism, atomic and nuclear physics, and relativity are treated. Topics relevant to medical science are emphasized. Ideal for premedical students. Lectures, discussions, and laboratory. Carries natural science divisional credit (with lab) in CAS.
  • CAS PY 242: Principles of General Physics 2
    Calculus-based introduction to principles and methods of physics. Mechanics, heat, light, electricity and magnetism, atomic and nuclear physics, and relativity are treated. Topics relevant to medical science are emphasized. Ideal for premedical students. Lectures, discussions, and laboratory. Carries natural science divisional credit (with lab) in CAS.
  • CAS PY 251: Principles of Physics 1
    Introduction to mechanics, conservation laws, heat, and thermodynamics. Primarily for physics, mathematics, and astronomy majors, but open to other students with a strong background in mathematics. Carries natural science divisional credit (with lab) in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry I, Quantitative Reasoning I, Critical Thinking, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Scientific Inquiry I
    • Quantitative Reasoning I
    • Critical Thinking
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS PY 252: Principles of Physics 2
    Introduction to electromagnetic radiation and geometrical optics. Primarily for physics, mathematics, and astronomy majors, but open to other students with a strong background in mathematics. Carries natural science divisional credit (with lab) in CAS. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Quantitative Reasoning II, Critical Thinking. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Quantitative Reasoning II, Critical Thinking, Teamwork/Collaboration.
    • Scientific Inquiry II
    • Quantitative Reasoning II
    • Critical Thinking
    • Teamwork/Collaboration
  • CAS PY 313: Waves and Modern Physics
    Waves and physical optics, relativistic mechanics, experimental foundations of quantum mechanics, atomic structure, physics of molecules and solids, atomic nuclei and elementary particles. Along with CAS PY 211, 212, PY 313 completes a three-semester introductory sequence primarily intended for students of engineering. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Scientific Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
    • Scientific Inquiry II
    • Critical Thinking
  • CAS PY 351: Modern Physics 1
    This course traces the historical and intellectual developments that led to the formulation of modern physics. It introduces students to special relativity, quantum mechanics, classical and quantum statistics, emphasizing scientific inquiry and critical thinking. Labs are a required course component. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Scientific Inquiry II, Critical Thinking.
    • Historical Consciousness
    • Scientific Inquiry II
    • Critical Thinking
  • CAS PY 352: Modern Physics II
    Continuation of CAS PY 351. An introduction to modern physics including quantum mechanics of atoms and molecules, condensed matter physics, nuclear physics, and elementary particle physics. Labs are a required course component.
  • CAS PY 355: Methods of Theoretical Physics
    Survey of mathematical and computational methods used in modern theoretical physics. Vectors, fields, differential and integral vector calculus. Matrices, matrix transformations, rotations, eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Function spaces, orthonormal functions, Fourier analysis, bras and kets. Basics of ordinary and partial differential equations with solutions by series and numerical methods. Complex variables and analytic functions. Scientific programming in python, computational visualization and numerical methods complementing each of the analytic topics. Effective Fall 2019, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Digital/Multimedia Expression.
    • Quantitative Reasoning II
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
  • CAS PY 371: Electronics for Scientists
    A survey of practical electronics for all College of Arts and Sciences science students wishing to gain a working knowledge of electronic instrumentation, and in particular, its construction. Two four-hour laboratory-lecture sessions per week. Effective Spring 2020 this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Digital/Multimedia Expression, Creativity/Innovation, Research and Information Literacy.
    • Digital/Multimedia Expression
    • Research and Information Literacy
    • Creativity/Innovation
  • CAS PY 401: Senior Independent Work
  • CAS PY 402: Senior Independent Work
  • CAS PY 405: Electromagnetic Fields and Waves I
    Vector analysis; Gauss's law; electric field intensity; energy and potential; conductors, dielectrics, and capacitance; Poisson's and Laplace's equations; steady magnetic fields;

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