The structure and content of the second year physics course is significantly different from first year. Using the strong essentially classical foundation provided in the first year course, you are in a position to tackle the fundamentals of a wide range of topics in modern physics. This is a challenge, in that you will be developing new ways to think about the world around you, which is really governed by quantum physics rather than classical physics. Our experience is that students respond well to this challenge. The reward is real insight into the rich vista of physical phenomena from atomic and nuclear scales right through to cosmological scales.

Second Year Timetable

Second Year Modules

For information on units avaiable at Level 2 and the requirements at Level 2 for a Physics Major, see the see the Level 2 Units page and the Physics Major page.

Second year lecture courses are offered in modules consisting of thirteen lectures (Quantum Mechanics and Many-Particle Systems are 26 lecture courses, each counting as two modules). The number and choice of modules is dictated by the particular unit taken. The lecture courses are complemented by a modern physics laboratory component. Modules available are:

Assessment

PHYS2201

PHYS2212

PHYS2202

PHYS2220

The Second Year Computer Lab

This is a facility within the School of Physics which is available exclusively to second year students. Accounts are available to all second years on fast and well equipped machines, and students are encouraged to use the facility for general computing purposes (including email and web access). The facility houses Mathematica based packages have been designed to assist with the understanding and visualization of lecture and assignment material for the quantum mechanics, electromagnetism, and chaos modules. Lecture material and assignment solutions for many other modules are also available via this facility, and the astronomy module makes extensive use of the web. The computing facility is adjacent to the second year laboratory, and students are encouraged to use graphical and data analysis packages in the analysis and presentation of experimental results. Instruction in the use of these packages is provided.

Course Advice

If you require more information or advice about the options available to you in second year Physics, please contact the second year course coordinator.