The courses PHY 117 - Honors Physics I, PHY 118 - Honors Physics II, and PHY 217 - Honors Physics III are intended for University Honors Scholars. The syllabi for these courses are essentially the same as PHY 107 - General Physics I, PHY 108 - General Physics II, and PHY 207 - General Physics III, however because of the intended audience the topics are covered in much greater depth. Also, the small class sizes allow for much more interaction between the faculty and students. Typically these classes have fewer than 20 students. Honors students wishing more information on these courses should contact the Undergraduate Director for Physics, Professor Michael G. Fuda. His office is in 333 Fronczak Hall and he can be reached via phone at (716) 645-3043 or e-mail at fuda@acsu.buffalo.edu. All three courses are calculus based.
This course is an introduction to the area of physics known as Classical Mechanics, which developed primarily from the insights and work of Galileo and Newton, in fact it is often referred to as Newtonian Mechanics. Newton’s three laws of motion are developed, and their consequences are worked out and illustrated. In this context one first encounters the important conservation laws of physics; namely, conservation of energy, conservation of linear momentum, and conservation of angular momentum. Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation is combined with Newton's laws of motion in order to understand the motion of the planets. The laws of motion are also used as a basis for understanding rotational motion and oscillations.
This course is an introduction to the subject of Electricity and Magnetism. The founders of this field include Ampere, Oersted, Faraday, and Maxwell. Here the important concept of a field is introduced. It is now widely believes that fields and their particle manifestations are the fundamental entities in the physical world. The topics include the electric field, Gauss’ law for the electric field, the concept of electric potential, capacitance, DC circuits, the magnetic field, Faraday’s law, inductance, LR circuits, AC circuits, and Maxwell’s equations.
This course deals with sound waves, electromagnetic waves, geometrical and physical optics, and modern physics. The propagation, interference, and diffraction of waves are discussed in detail. The modern physics part of the course covers the electron, the photon, wave-particle duality. The Bohr model of the hydrogen atom, the Schroedinger equation, quantum numbers, the Pauli principle and the periodic table, and lasers. The modern physics part of the course has a pronounced historical tinge to it, in that it outlines the revolution that occurred in the beginning of the twentieth century which led to the overthrow of the classical world picture that has developed from Newton’s laws of motion and Maxwell's equations. It is here that one meets such giants of physics as Bohr, Heisenberg, Schoedinger, and Einstein.
The Honors Physics sequence begins in the spring semester with PHY 117.