Physics Minor

Catalog Year

2024-2025

Degree

Minor

Total Credits

26

Locations

Mankato

Career Cluster

Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics

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Program Requirements

Core

Limits, continuity, the derivative and applications, transcendental functions, L'Hopital's Rule, and development of the Riemann integral.

Prerequisites: Satisfy Placement Table in this section, MATH 115 or both MATH 112 and MATH 113 with "C" (2.0) or better.

Goal Areas: GE-04

Techniques of integration, applications of integration, improper integrals, numerical integration, the calculus of parametric curves, and infinite series and sequences.

Prerequisites: MATH 121 with "C" (2.0) or better or consent

Designed for science and engineering students. Calculus-based physics. Covers elementary mechanics including kinematics, statics, equilibrium and dynamics of particles, work and energy, rotational motion, gravitation, and oscillation. Lecture and Laboratory. MATH 121 must be completed with a C or better prior to taking this course or must be taken concurrently. High school physics or PHYS 101 is also strongly encouraged. Fall, Spring

Prerequisites: none

Goal Areas: GE-02, GE-03

Designed for science and engineering students. Calculus-based physics. Covers electrical charge and field; magnetic field and its sources; current and resistance; simple DC and AC circuits; and electromagnetic induction. Lecture only. (Associated laboratory course is PHYS 232.) MATH 121 must be completed with a C or better prior to taking this course. MATH 122 must be completed before taking this course or taken concurrently. Fall, Spring

Prerequisites: MATH 121 with a "C" or better; PHYS 221 with a "C" or better.

Designed for science and engineering students. Calculus-based physics. Covers fluids, thermodynamics, mechanical and sound waves, geometrical optics, physical optics, and modern physics. Lecture only. (Associated laboratory course is PHYS 233.) Pre: MATH 121 with a Cor better; and PHYS 221 with a C or better. MATH 122 must be completed before taking this course or taken concurrently. Spring

Prerequisites: MATH 121 with a "C" or better; and PHYS 221 with a "C" or better

Special Theory of Relativity. Quantum nature of waves and particles: photons, de Broglie wavelength of matter and wave packet description of particles, Bohr model of hydrogen. Schrodinger wave equation in one-dimension: energy quantization, potential barriers, simple harmonic oscillator. One-electron atoms. X-ray and optical excitation of multielectron atoms. Lecture and laboratory. Prereq: MATH 122; (PHYS 222 and concurrently with PHYS 223) or PHYS 212.

Prerequisites: MATH 122; (PHYS 222 and concurrently with PHYS 223) or PHYS 212.

Topics include the basics of molecular structure and spectra, classical and quantum statistical physics, solid state physics, nuclear physics,and particle physics. The lab component will teach the operation of various radiation detectors, and use them to study the interaction of radiation with matter.

Prerequisites: PHYS 335

Restricted Electives

Choose 2 - 4 Credit(s).

Rectilinear motion of a particle, general motion of a particle in three dimensions, Newtonian mechanics including harmonic oscillations, forced oscillations, central forces and orbital motion, collisions, noninertial reference systems, dynamics of a system particles, rigid body motion, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics, normal coordinates.

Prerequisites: PHYS 222 or PHYS 223; and MATH 321 or consent.

Electrostatic fields, magnetostatic fields, steady currents, electromagnetic induction. Review of vector algebra.

Prerequisites: MATH 223 and MATH 321 and PHYS 222

Geometric optics, wave optics, properties of light and matter, optics of transformations, and quantum optics. Lecture and laboratory.

Prerequisites: MATH 122 and PHYS 223

Numerical solutions of physics problems and computer simulations of physical systems. Lecture and laboratory. Prereq: Familiarity with some programming language and PHYS 212 or 222, and MATH 122, or consent

Prerequisites: CIS 121, MATH 122. Select one PHYS 222 or PHYS 223

Fundamental principles of statistical physics, including theory of probability, kinetic theory of transport process, entropy, classical and quantum statistical ensembles, Bose and Fermi systems. Applications to thermodynamics and magnetic properties of solids.

Prerequisites: MATH 321 and PHYS 223

Experiments in modern physics, including solid-state physics and optics. Requires more independent work than introductory laboratories.

Prerequisites: PHYS 336 or consent

Policies

Admission is granted by the department. To be admitted to the major, a student must have a minimum of 30 earned credit hours and a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 ("C"). Contact the College of Science, Engineering and Technology Advising Center for application procedures.

GPA policy. A minimum GPA of 2.0 in physics courses is required for graduation.

P/N grading policy. All physics courses except PHYS 105 and PHYS 480 are open to P/N grading. However, a student majoring or minoring in physics must elect the grade option for all of the required courses except where P/N grading is mandatory.

Residency: A minimum of 25 percent of the required credits in physics must be taken at Minnesota State University, Mankato for both the major and the minor. Testing for credit by examination is available on a case-by-case basis as determined by the chairperson of the Physics and Astronomy department.

BS degree, double major. Students majoring in physics often find a second major in mathematics to be an attractive option. If the BS degree in physics is combined with a BS degree in mathematics, then the following math courses are recommended: MATH 345, MATH 422, MATH 425, and MATH 447.