PHY 171 - Modern Physics: Particles and Waves

Course Units: 1

Students will learn about the “particle” and “wave” descriptions of important physical phenomena. They will study in detail the “wave picture” of light and waves in general, as well as the (supposedly) contrasting behaviors of particles. Then, they will learn about the quantum revolution, and how light can also be thought of as particles, while electrons can exhibit wave properties. Finally, the course will introduce special relativity, and discuss how this deepens our understanding of the wave-particle duality. Prerequisite(s): PHY 170 or PHY 123 and MTH 115