This course is designed to provide students with a good understanding of direct current circuits, and to introduce them to the use of alternating current. Some of the topics covered are: circuit diagrams and standard symbols, resistors in series and parallel, resistivity and conductivity, potential divider circuits, the potentiometer, capacitors in d.c. and a.c. circuits, alternating currents, rectification and smoothing.
This course enables students to acquire sufficient understanding of modern electronics to become confident citizens in an increasingly technological world. It also makes students aware of the contributions of Physics to other subject areas such as communications and computer science. Some of the topics covered are: operational amplifier circuits, truth tables, binary arithmetic, design of logic gate circuits, transmission of music/speech by digital methods, multiplexing, fibre optics.
This course emphasizes the application of physics to problems in the natural and man-made environment. It seeks to provide students with a good understanding of the pollution, energy and natural resources issues of the 21st century, including: energy resources and reserves, energy consumption and conservation, global warming, heat transfer, solar energy, nuclear energy, hydroelectric power, wind generating technology, harnessing wave energy, geothermal energy, heat engines and the second law of thermodynamics, pollution from heat engines, noise pollution, noise measurements.
This introductory course in mechanics provides students with the opportunity to improve their understanding of Newtonian mechanics whilst developing their problem-solving skills. Topics covered include: SI units and prefixes, scientific notation for numbers, measurement techniques, precision and accuracy, errors and uncertainty, scalars and vectors, energy, power and efficiency, potential and kinetic energy, Archimedes’ principle, kinematics, projectiles, Newton’s laws, circular motion, dynamics, momentum and collisions.
This course provides students with a good understanding of waves and emphasizes the importance of wave theory in modern physics and engineering. Some of the topics covered are simple harmonic motion, reflection and refraction of light as wave phenomena, the action of thin lenses, progressive and stationary waves, transverse and longitudinal waves, polarization of transverse waves, superposition and interference, two-source interference patterns, diffraction of waves, the diffraction grating, the electromagnetic spectrum.
This course helps students to understand the fundamental principles of physics at work in the functioning of the human body. Students explore the application of physics in instruments and processes used in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. Topics covered include production and use of X-rays, production and use of ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and its use in medicine, computer aided tomography, use of lasers in medicine, radiotherapy, biological effect of radiation, the physics of hearing and the physics of sight.
- Teacher: Francis Sutherland
This course provides sufficient knowledge of the physics of the atom and the nucleus to enable students to discuss issues related to radioactivity and nuclear energy. It also make students aware of the history of the change from classical physics to modern physics and acquaint them with some of the major figures associated with Physics in the twentieth century. Topics covered include the structure of the atom, binding energy, radioactivity, nuclear reactions, deflection of electron beams, the mass spectrometer, determination of e/m, Millikan’s experiment, photoelectric effect, wave particle duality, line spectra and energy levels, principle of the laser.
This course provides an overview of the way in which field theory pervades the discipline of physics. Special reference is made to gravitational fields and forces, gravitational potential, satellite motion, simple electrostatic phenomena, electric fields and forces, electric potential, magnetic flux and magnetic flux density, magnetic force on a current carrying conductor, magnetic force on a moving charge, magnetic fields due to currents in wires, coils and solenoids, laws of electromagnetic induction, and applications of electromagnetic induction.
- Teacher: Francis Sutherland
This is a general introductory course to lay the groundwork for further study of Thermodynamics and Material Science. Some of the topics covered are thermometers and temperature scales, heat capacity, latent heat, internal energy, gas laws and the equation of state, kinetic theory of gases, first law of thermodynamics, transfer of thermal energy, density, pressure in fluids, deformation of solids and Young’s modulus.