PHY-20032 - Module Specification
School of Chemical and Physical Sciences
Faculty of Natural Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None.

Description for 2024/25

In this module, you will learn about variational principles in physics and how they describe physical systems, covering the Euler-Lagrange equations, Lagrangian mechanics, and Hamiltonian mechanics. You will explore special functions in physics, their representations, and their connections to physical phenomena. You will see how these functions arise from solving ordinary and partial differential equations, with examples from gravity, optics, electromagnetism, and quantum mechanics.

This module aims to expose the student to the study of motion in different types of force fields, to the study of analytical mechanics in a rigorous way, to variational principles in physics and the calculus of variations, and to some of the special functions that occur in physics, both in terms of how they arise mathematically and how they relate to physical phenomenon.

Intended Learning Outcomes

describe, in detail, motion using different types of coordinates, motion in central and axially symmetric potentials, the different types of orbits, and Rutherford scattering: 1,2
analyse motion in noninertial frames of reference, and be able to calculate effects such as the Coriolis effect: 1,2
describe and explain the role of variational principles in physics, and be able to utilise the calculus of variations to solve physical problems: 1,2
solve physical problems using the Lagrangian/Hamiltonian formulation of mechanics: 1,2
define, in various ways, and use the properties of, some of the different special functions that arise in various areas of physics: 1,2
solve the ordinary differential equations that have solutions in terms of Bessel and Legendre functions: 1,2
solve some of the partial differential equations that arise in physics that have solutions in terms of Bessel and Legendre functions, and be able to relate these to physical phenomenon: 1,2

Study hours

Active Learning Hours:
Lectures: 24
Tutorials: 12.5
Final Examination: 2.5
Independent Study Hours:
Assessed Problem Sheets: 45
Self study and revision: 66

School Rules

None.

Description of Module Assessment