Physics (MPhys)

Bachelor's degree

In Coventry

Price on request

Description

  • Type

    Bachelor's degree

  • Location

    Coventry

  • Duration

    4 Years

  • Start date

    Different dates available

Optional modules provide opportunities to see how the basic concepts can explain the phenomena we observe.

For the final year project, you’ll work as a member of one of the research groups on a year-long project to explore aspects of the research area that are not yet fully understood. We encourage you to apply for summer placements and projects, which enable you to complete a small research project supervised by a member of academic staff.

The four-year course is ideal if you intend to make direct use of your knowledge of physics after you graduate. The fourth year includes modules on all the main areas of physics. It will encourage you to reflect more on some of the unsolved problems in physics than is possible in the first three years.

Facilities

Location

Start date

Coventry (West Midlands)
See map
University Of Warwick, CV4 7AL

Start date

Different dates availableEnrolment now open

About this course

Forensic Data Analyst
IT Consultant
Hedging Analyst
Operations Manager
Research Engineer
Scientific Programmer
Software Developer
Structural Engineer

A level:A*AA to include A in Mathematics (or Further
Mathematics) and Physics

IB:38 to include 6 in Higher Level Mathematics and Physics

Degree of Bachelor of Science (BSc)

Questions & Answers

Add your question

Our advisors and other users will be able to reply to you

Who would you like to address this question to?

Fill in your details to get a reply

We will only publish your name and question

Reviews

Subjects

  • IT Law
  • Mathematics
  • Mechanics
  • Calculus
  • Law
  • Project
  • Programming
  • GCSE Mathematics
  • Electrons
  • GCSE Physics
  • Magnetism

Course programme

Year 1

Mathematics for Physicists

All scientists use mathematics to state the basic laws and to analyse quantitatively and rigorously their consequences. The module introduces you to the concepts and techniques, which will be assumed by future modules. These include: complex numbers, functions of a continuous real variable, integration, functions of more than one variable and multiple integration. You will revise relevant parts of the A-level syllabus, to cover the mathematical knowledge to undertake first year physics modules, and to prepare you for mathematics and physics modules in subsequent years.

Classical Mechanics and Relativity

You will study Newtonian mechanics emphasizing the conservation laws inherent in the theory. These have a wider domain of applicability than classical mechanics (for example they also apply in quantum mechanics). You will also look at the classical mechanics of oscillations and of rotating bodies. It then explains why the failure to find the ether was such an important experimental result and how Einstein constructed his theory of special relativity. You will cover some of the consequences of the theory for classical mechanics and some of the predictions it makes, including: the relation between mass and energy, length-contraction, time-dilation and the twin paradox.

Physics Foundations

You will look at dimensional analysis, matter and waves. Often the qualitative features of systems can be understood (at least partially) by thinking about which quantities in a problem are allowed to depend on each other on dimensional grounds. Even though the results are universal, the simplest way to introduce this topic to you is via the ideal gas, whose properties are discussed and derived in some detail. You will also cover waves. Waves are time-dependent variations about some time-independent (often equilibrium) state. You will revise the relation between the wavelength, frequency and velocity and the definition of the amplitude and phase of a wave.

Electricity and Magnetism

You will largely be concerned with the great developments in electricity and magnetism, which took place during the nineteenth century. The origins and properties of electric and magnetic fields in free space, and in materials, are tested in some detail and all the basic levels up to, but not including, Maxwell's equations are considered. In addition the module deals with both dc and ac circuit theory including the use of complex impedance. You will be introduced to the properties of electrostatic and magnetic fields, and their interaction with dielectrics, conductors and magnetic materials.

Physics Programming Workshop

You will be introduced to the Python programming language in this module. It is quick to learn and encourages good programming style. Python is an interpreted language, which makes it flexible and easy to share. It allows easy interfacing with modules, which have been compiled from C or Fortran sources. It is widely used throughout physics and there are many downloadable free-to-user codes available. You will also look at the visualisation of data. You will be introduced to scientific programming with the help of the Python programming language, a language widely used by physicists.

Quantum Phenomena

This module begins by showing you how classical physics is unable to explain some of the properties of light, electrons and atoms. (Theories in physics, which make no reference to quantum theory, are usually called classical theories.) You will then deal with some of the key contributions to the development of quantum physics including those of: Planck, who first suggested that the energy in a light wave comes in discrete units or 'quanta'; Einstein, whose theory of the photoelectric effect implied a 'duality' between particles and waves; Bohr, who suggested a theory of the atom that assumed that not only energy, but also angular momentum, was quantised; and Schrödinger who wrote down the first wave-equations to describe matter.

Key Skills for Physics

This is a composite module made of 2 components; physics problems (6 CATS) and five worksheets (6 CATS). Problem solving forms a vital part of your learning process and therefore, each lecturer issues a set of problems on their module which you are expected to make serious attempts to solve. A subset of these problems is marked for credit. These problems are discussed in your weekly Examples Classes. You will cover background mathematical material assumed by other modules, to give you experience of learning by self-study and to develop the habit of keeping up with the problem sheets handed out in physics modules.

Year 2

Electromagnetic Theory and Optics

You will develop the ideas of first year electricity and magnetism into Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism. Maxwell's equations pulled the various laws of electricity and magnetism (Faraday's law, Ampere's law, Lenz's law, Gauss's law) into one unified and elegant theory. The module shows you that Maxwell's equations in free space have time-dependent solutions, which turn out to be the familiar electromagnetic waves (light, radio waves, X-rays, etc.), and studies their behaviour at material boundaries (Fresnel Equations). You will also cover the basics of optical instruments and light sources.

Mathematical Methods for Physicists

You will review the techniques of ordinary and partial differentiation and ordinary and multiple integration. You will develop you understanding of vector calculus and discuss the partial differential equations of physics. (Term 1) The theory of Fourier transforms and the Dirac delta function are also covered. Fourier transforms are used to represent functions on the whole real line using linear combinations of sines and cosines. Fourier transforms are a powerful tool in physics and applied mathematics. The examples used to illustrate the module are drawn mainly from interference and diffraction phenomena in optics. (Term 2)

Quantum Mechanics and its Applications

In the first part of this module you will use ideas, introduced in the first year module, to explore atomic structure. You will discuss the time-independent and the time-dependent Schrödinger equations for spherically symmetric and harmonic potentials, angular momentum and hydrogenic atoms. The second half of the module looks at many-particle systems and aspects of the Standard Model of particle physics. Introducing you to the quantum mechanics of free fermions and discussing how it accounts for the conductivity and heat capacity of metals and the state of electrons in white dwarf stars.

Thermal Physics II

Any macroscopic object we meet contains a large number of particles, each of which moves according to the laws of mechanics (which can be classical or quantum). Yet, we can often ignore the details of this microscopic motion and use a few average quantities such as temperature and pressure to describe and predict the behaviour of the object. Why we can do this, when we can do this and how to do it are the subject of this module. The most important idea in the field is due to Boltzmann, who identified the connection between entropy and disorder. The module shows you how the structure of equilibrium thermodynamics follows from Boltzmann's definition of the entropy and shows you how, in principle, any observable equilibrium quantity can be computed.

Year 3

Quantum Physics of Atoms

The basic principles of quantum mechanics are applied to a range of problems in atomic physics. The intrinsic property of spin is introduced and its relation to the indistinguishability of identical particles in quantum mechanics discussed. Perturbation theory and variational methods are described and applied to several problems. The hydrogen and helium atoms are analysed and the ideas that come out from this work are used to obtain a good qualitative understanding of the periodic table. In this module, you will develop the ideas of quantum theory and apply these to atomic physics.

Electrodynamics

You will revise the magnetic vector potential, A, which is defined so that the magnetic field B=curl A. We will see that this is the natural quantity to consider when exploring how electric and magnetic fields transform under Lorentz transformations (special relativity). The radiation (EM-waves) emitted by accelerating charges will be described using retarded potentials and have the wave-like nature of light built in. The scattering of light by free electrons (Thompson scattering) and by bound electrons (Rayleigh scattering) will also be described. Understanding the bound electron problem led Rayleigh to his celebrated explanation of why the sky is blue and why sunlight appears redder at sunrise and sunset.

Physics Group Project

The researching, evaluation and presentation of scientific information are important skills that you used in the 2nd year Physics Skills module. This project is designed to further develop these skills. Your class will be divided into groups, each of about six members. Each group will then be assigned a topic to be researched and reported on, and they will also each be allocated a member of Academic Staff who will act as a both a mentor and an assessor. The project will provide you with the chance of studying in-depth some particular field of physics at the research level.

Physics Laboratory

You will further develop the experimental skills you have acquired over the first two years. The experiments are less structured than in earlier years, more open ended and performed in groups. This is to encourage you to take responsibility for the planning and direction of experiments and prepare you for independent research within a team.

Mathematical Methods for Physicists III

One third of this module is on the calculus of variations and two thirds on complex variables. The calculus of variations is concerned with the minimisation of integrals over sets of differentiable functions. Such integrals crop up in many contexts. For example, the ground state wave function of a quantum system minimises the expectation value of the energy. The classical equations of motion for both particles and fields can often be obtained by minimising what is called the action functional. This module aims to help you develop your mathematical skills and cover material needed in 4th year physics modules.

Year 4

Physics Project

The project will provide you with experience of working on an extended project in a research environment in collaboration with a supervisor and partner. You will work, normally in pairs, on an extended project which may be experimental, computational or theoretical (or indeed a combination of these). Through discussions with your supervisor you will establish a plan of work which you will frequently review as you progress. In general, the project will not be closely prescribed and will contain an investigative element.

Selection of optional modules that current students are studying
  • Astronomy
  • Particle Physics
  • Computational Physics
  • Geophysics
  • Hamiltonian Mechanics
  • Physics of Electrical Power Generation
  • Physics of Fluids
  • Stars
  • Statistical Physics
  • Plasma Electrodynamics
  • Nuclear Physics
  • Cosmology

Physics (MPhys)

Price on request