Courses
To view current courses, please visit the Physics course catalog.
What to Expect
What type of readings are involved in first-and-second-year courses? (e.g. articles, textbook) How much reading should a student expect to do per week?Fall semester, Year 1: PHYS 101 or 101H - Students use the OpenStax University Physics Vol. 1 (available free online). The course covers 17 chapters, which amounts to about 900 pages of text. PHYS 101L – Each week, the student must prepare by reading the lab procedure which is about 10 pages of text and figures. The text for the course is available for free via Blackboard. This lab course is intended to be taken at the same time as PHYS 101 or PHYS 101H. PHYS 107 and 107L -- The expectations are similar for PHYS 107 and 107L, which uses OpenStax College Physics (12 chapters), but these courses are not intended for physics majors. Spring semester, Year 1: PHYS 102 or 102H - Students use OpenStax University Physics Vol. 2 and parts of Vol. 3 (both available free online). The course consists of 20 chapters, which amounts to about 900 pages of text. PHYS 102L – Similarly to 101L, the student must prepare for the weekly laboratory experiment by reading approximately 10 pages of lab procedure text. The text for the course is available for free via Blackboard. This one-credit lab course is intended to be taken at the same time as PHYS 102 or PHYS 102H. PHYS 108 and 108L -- The expectations are similar for PHYS 108 and 108L, which uses OpenStax College Physics (18 chapters), but these courses are not intended for physics majors. Fall semester, Year 2: PHYS 201: Students use Modern Physics (Serway, Moses, Moyer). Readings are approximately one chapter every two weeks (30-40 pages per week). Additionally, students read another article each week (2-5 pages) for a discussion session related to the COLL200 “reaching out” component of the course. Most of those articles come from Physics 201: Modern Physics (Leach, Jamie and Sher, Marc T.) Some weeks the students read a scientific paper or watch a podcast. PHYS 251: Atomic Physics Lab - The course has about four pages of reading per week available online. The readings consist of a description of error and data analysis techniques and descriptions of how to do the weekly experiments, along with the associated physics. There is also some reading and writing of Python code. |
What sorts of assignments should a student expect in first-and-second-year courses? (e.g. quizzes, group projects, presentations)Fall Semester, Year 1: PHYS 101 or 101H – Homework assignments are assigned every 7-10 days and submitted online. There are two to three midterm exams during the semester and one final exam during finals week. PHYS 101L – Ten weekly in-class laboratory projects with a pre-lab worksheet (five questions) and an in-class exit worksheet (two questions) as well as a post-lab write up. The prelab worksheet and post-lab write-up are submitted online. There is no final exam. PHYS 107 and 107L --The expectations are similar in PHYS 107 and 107L. Spring Semester, Year 1: PHYS 102 or 102H – Homework assignments are assigned every 7-10 days and are submitted online. There are two or three midterm exams during the semester and a final cumulative exam during finals week. PHYS 102L – Ten weekly in-class laboratory projects with a pre-lab worksheet (five questions) and an in-class exit worksheet (two questions) with post-lab write ups submitted online. There is no final exam. PHYS 108 and 108L -- The expectations are similar in PHYS 108 and 108L. Fall Semester, Year 2: PHYS 201 -- Weekly homework assignments of physics problems. Students also write up their reflections (<1page) on the readings that prepare them for the discussion. There are two midterm exams. PHYS 251 Atomic Physics Lab – Approximately every two weeks, students each turn in three assignments:
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Beyond the required course texts, are there other course materials a student should be prepared to purchase for first-and-second-year courses?A scientific calculator is expected for all physics courses. PHYS 101/101H/102/102H - Students will need to purchase access to an online homework service. PHYS 101L/102L – These courses have an associated lab fee. PHYS 201: None. PHYS 251: This course has an associated lab or course fee. |
Is there anything else that is important for first-and-second-year students to know and/or expect from their courses?It is important in any of these courses to complete reading and homework on time. To gain the most learning and retention of concepts, and to learn the skills of analysis and problem solving, frequent practice is required through homework problems, readings and writings. Do not rely solely on in-class time to fully digest the material. There are two versions of the introductory sequences: PHYS 101/102 is meant for physics or chemistry majors; PHYS 101H primarily targets physics majors who have had previously taken an honors, IB, or AP physics course. Both PHYS 101/102 and PHYS 101H/102H have three lectures per week and a “problem session” to go over homework and example problems. PHYS 101H/102H problem session is on Thursday, and registration for 101H/102H includes registration for the problem session. Students in 101/102 will need to register for a problem session, PHYS 101P/102P, of which there are several to choose from on either Wednesdays or Thursdays. PHYS 101(H) has a pre- or co-requisite of Math 111 (Calc I) and PHYS 102(H) has a pre- or co-requisite of Math 112 (Calc II). PHYS 201: Students are expected to be well versed in PHYS 101/102 and MATH 111/112. Some first-years come in with the prerequisites for this course met, but they often are not as prepared as the second-year students who took physics at W&M and can fall behind. Note that PHYS 101/102/107/18 are offered each summer (remote synchronous lectures). The corresponding laboratories are offered in hybrid lab format (online work and 2 Saturdays in person on campus). Click here for a typical couse of study for a physics major. |