Physics Honours Lectures
Overview
This unit aims to provide advance knowledge of the underlying principles and concepts in physics and the skills required for undertaking a postgraduate research program.
Requisites
26-May-2024
Learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Review, analyse, consolidate and synthesise advanced knowledge to identify and provide solutions to complex problems with intellectual independence
- Display cognitive and technical skills to demonstrate both a broad understanding of physics theoretical concepts along with advanced understanding in specialized physics areas
- Demonstrate initiative, critical thinking and judgement in developing new understanding
- Display communication skills to present a clear and coherent exposition of knowledge and ideas to a variety of audiences
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Face to Face Contact (Phasing out) Lecture | 6.00 | 12 weeks | 72 |
| Face to Face Contact (Phasing out) Tutorial | 2.00 | 12 weeks | 24 |
| Unspecified Learning Activities (Phasing out) Independent Learning | 4.50 | 12 weeks | 54 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Individual | 20 - 40% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Class Exercises | Individual/Group | 10 - 20% | 1,2,3,4 |
| Online Quizzes | Individual | 10 - 20% | 1,2 |
| Test | Individual | 40 - 60% | 1,2,3,4 |
Hurdle
As the minimum requirements of assessment to pass a unit and meet all ULOs to a minimum standard, an undergraduate student must have achieved:
an overall mark for the unit of 50% or more
Content
Students complete the following four modules:
• Classical Mechanics: Lagrangian formalism: principle of least action, constrained optimisation, generalised coordinates, Noether’s theorem and symmetries. Hamiltonian formalism: Hamilton’s equations, Liouville’s theorem, Poisson brackets, canonical transformations, dynamical systems
• Quantum Mechanics: angular momentum, identical particles, perturbation theory, scattering theory, density matrices and approximation methods.
• Statistical Mechanics: Microcanonical, canonical ensembles and grand canonical ensembles, Boltzmann and Quantum statistics
• Electromagnetism: Maxwell's equations, potentials, electromagnetic waves, classical optics, boundary value problems, radiation, antennas, and relativistic electrodynamics.
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.