McGill.CA / Science / Department of Physics

200 level courses

Classroom locations have changed recently. Please consult your MINERVA course schedule for up-to-date information.

Not all courses are offered every year. Please see the current academic schedule on Minerva.

PHYS 200 Space, Time and Matter
  • This course has been replaced by PHYS 180
  • 3 credits
A nonmathematical, conceptual look at physics, beginning with the idea of space and time, continuing with the historical development of Newtonian mechanics of celestial motion, electricity and magnetism, ether and light, Einstein's special and general theories of relativity, quantum mechanics, matter and antimatter, cosmology and the big bang.
PHYS 204 Planets, Stars and Galaxies
  • This course has been replaced by PHYS 182
  • 3 credits
An elementary astronomy course for non-science students (see "Science for Arts Students" in the Arts section) and for science students not taking a Physics program.
PHYS 205 Our Evolving Universe
  • This course has been replaced by PHYS 182
  • 3 credits
An elementary course on astronomy and astrophysics. Positional astronomy and finding your way about the sky. Our evolving picture of the universe. Properties and origins of the solar system. The Big Bang and modern cosmology.
PHYS 206 The Milky Way Inside and Out
  • This course has been replaced by PHYS 183
  • 3 credits
An elementary course on astronomy. Star origins and star formation, supernovae, white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. Galaxies, their structure and their interactions. Stellar clusters, the interstellar medium. Galactic classification and galaxy evolution.
PHYS 214 Introductory Astrophysics
An introduction to astrophysics with emphasis placed on methods of observation and current models. Stellar radiation and detectors, quasars, black holes. Galaxies, large scale structure of the universe, cosmology.

PHYS 224 Physics of Music
  • Fall term
  • 3 credits
  • 3 hours lectures
  • Designed for students in the Faculty of Music but suitable for students with an interest in music and its physical basis.
  • Restriction: Not open to students who have taken PHYS 225
An introduction to the physics of music. Properties of sound and their perception as pitch, loudness, and timbre. Dissonance, consonance, and musical intervals and tuning. Physics of sound propagation and reflection. Resonance. Acoustic properties of pipes, strings, bars, and membranes, and sound production in wind, string, and percussion instruments. The human voice. Room reverberation and acoustics. Directional characteristics of sound sources.
Instructor for 2024/25: J. Sankey (Childress) (Fall)
PHYS 225 Musical Acoustics
  • This course is no longer offered
Physical acoustics with applications to music. Resonators and radiators, acoustic impedance. Acoustic properties of strings, bars, membranes, pipes and horns. Application to selected musical instruments. Direction characteristics of sound sources. Room acoustics.
PHYS 228 Energy and the Environment
  • This course replaces PHYS 184
  • Winter term
  • 3 credits
  • Prerequisites: CEGEP Physics or PHYS 102 or PHYS 142 or permission of the instructor
  • Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken PHYS 184.
Energy fundamentals, generation of electricity, heat engines, fossil fuel production and consumption, local and global effects, economic impact, transportation, and pollution and environmental impact of energy use. Non-renewable energy sources (fossil fuels, nuclear) and renewable sources (solar, wind, hydro, geothermal).
Instructor for 2024/25: S. Lovejoy (Winter)
PHYS 230 Dynamics of Simple Systems
  • Fall term
  • 3 credits
  • 3 hours lectures
  • Prerequisite: CEGEP Physics or PHYS 131.
  • Corequisite: MATH 222
  • Restriction: Not open to students taking or having passed PHYS 251
Translational motion under Newton's laws; forces, momentum, work/energy theorem. Special relativity; Lorentz transforms, relativistic mechanics, mass/energy equivalence. Topics in rotational dynamics. Noninertial frames.
Instructor for 2024/25: H. Guo (Fall)
PHYS 232 Heat and Waves
  • Winter term
  • 3 credits
  • 3 hours lectures
  • Prerequisites: CEGEP Physics or PHYS 142, and CEGEP chemistry or CHEM 120, and PHYS 230.
  • Restriction: Not open to students taking or having passed PHYS 253
The laws of thermodynamics and their consequences. Thermodynamics of P-V-T systems and simple heat engines. Free, driven, and damped harmonic oscillators. Coupled systems and normal modes. Fourier methods. Wave motion and dispersion. The wave equation.
Instructor for 2024/25: M. Hilke (Winter)
PHYS 241 Signal Processing
  • Winter term
  • 3 credits
  • 2 hours lectures; 3 hours laboratory alternate weeks
  • Prerequisite: CEGEP physics or PHYS 142.
Linear circuit elements, resonance, network theorems, diodes, transistors, amplifiers, feedback, integrated circuits.
Instructor for 2024/25: J. Hessels (Winter)
PHYS 242 Electricity and Magnetism
  • Fall term
  • 2 credits
  • 2 hours lectures
  • Prerequisites: CEGEP Physics, MATH 222
Properties of electromagnetic fields, dipole and quadropole fields and their interactions, chemical binding of molecules, electromagnetic properties of materials, Maxwell's equations and properties of electromagnetic waves, propagation of waves in media.
Instructor for 2024/25: R. Rutledge (Fall)
PHYS 251 Honours Classical Mechanics 1
  • Fall term
  • 3 credits
  • 3 hours lectures
  • Prerequisite: CEGEP physics or PHYS 131.
  • Corequisite: MATH 222
  • Restriction: Not open to students taking or having taken PHYS 230.
Newton's laws, work energy, angular momentum. Harmonic oscillator, forced oscillations. Inertial forces, rotating frames. Central forces, centre of mass, planetary orbits, Kepler's laws.
Instructor for 2024/25: H. Chiang (Fall)
PHYS 253 Thermal Physics
  • Fall term
  • 3 credits
  • 3 hours lectures
  • Prerequisites: CEGEP physics or PHYS 131, and CEGEP chemistry or CHEM 120.
  • Corequisite: MATH 222
  • Restriction: Not open to students taking or having taken PHYS 232.
Energy, work, heat; first law. Temperature, entropy; second law. Absolute zero; third law. Equilibrium, equations of state, gases, liquids, solids, magnets; phase transitions.
Instructor for 2024/25: P. Grutter (Fall)
PHYS 257 Experimental Methods 1
  • Fall term
  • 3 credits
  • 6 hours of laboratory and classroom work
  • Corequisite: PHYS 230 or PHYS 251
Introductory laboratory work and data analysis as related to mechanics, optics and thermodynamics. Introduction to computers as they are employed for laboratory work, for data analysis and for numerical computation. Previous experience with computers is an asset, but is not required.
Instructor for 2024/25: B. Vachon (Fall)
PHYS 258 Experimental Methods 2
  • Winter term
  • 3 credits
  • 6 hours of laboratory and classroom work
  • Prerequisite: PHYS 257
Advanced laboratory work and data analysis as related to mechanics, optics and thermodynamics. Computers will be employed routinely for data analysis and for numerical computation, and, particularly, to facilitate the use of Fourier methods.
Instructor for 2024/25: D. Cooke (Winter)
PHYS 260 Modern Physics and Relativity
  • Fall term
  • 3 credits
  • 3 hours lectures
  • Prerequisite: CEGEP physics or PHYS 142.
  • Corequisite: MATH 222
History of special relativity; Lorentz transformations: kinematics and dynamics; transformation of electric and magnetic forces; introduction to topics in modern physics.
Instructor for 2024/25: A. Liu (Fall)
PHYS 271 Introduction to Quantum Physics
  • Not offered in 2024/25
  • 3 credits
  • (3-0-6)
  • Prerequisite: PHYS 251 or CIVE 281
  • Restriction: This course is not available to any student enrolled in any Majors or Honours program involving Physics.
The observed properties of atoms and radiation from atoms. Electron waves. The Schroedinger Equation in one dimension. Quantum mechanics of the hydrogen atom. Angular momentum and spin. Quantum mechanics of many electron systems. Basic ideas of electrons in solids and solid state physics.
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