Bulletin Archive
This archived information is dated to the 2008-09 academic year only and may no longer be current.
For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.
Registrar's Office
Stanford Bulletin, Archive 2008-09
Stanford Bulletin, Archive 2008-09
Physics Introductory Courses
PHYSICS 11N. The Basic Rules of Nature
(F,Sem) Stanford Introductory Seminar. Preference to freshmen. The development by physicists of descriptions of the behavior of matter on microscopic scales and scales characteristic of the Universe as a whole, including quantum mechanics, particle physics, and general relativity. Promising approaches that physicists are using to shed light on remaining mysteries, including string theory and M theory. Discussions are semiquantitative. Prerequisite: high school physics or equivalent. GER: DB-NatSci
3 units, Win (Susskind, L)
PHYSICS 18N. Revolutions in Concepts of the Cosmos
(F,Sem) Stanford Introductory Seminar. Preference to freshmen. The evolution of the concept of the cosmos and its origin from the Copernican heliocentric model to the current view based on Hubble's discovery of expansion of the Universe. Recent cosmological observations and the relevance of laboratory experiments in particle physics. Enrollment limited to 20 in one section. GER: DB-NatSci
3 units, Win (Roodman, A)
PHYSICS 41N. Mechanics: Insights, Applications, and Advances
(F,Sem) Stanford Introductory Seminar. Preference to freshman. Additional topics for students in PHYSICS 41 such as tidal forces, gyroscopic effects, fractal dimensions, and chaos. Corequisite: 41.
1 unit, Win (Abel, T)
PHYSICS 43N. Understanding Electromagnetic Phenomena
(F,Sem) Stanford Introductory Seminar. Preference to freshmen. Expands on the material presented in 43; applications of concepts in electricity and magnetism to everyday phenomena and to topics in current physics research. Corequisite: 43 or advanced placement.
1 unit, Spr (Laughlin, R)
PHYSICS 45N. Advanced Topics in Light and Heat
(F,Sem) Stanford Introductory Seminar. Preference to freshmen. Expands on the subject matter presented in 45 to include optics and thermodynamics in everyday life, and applications from modern physics and astrophysics. Corequisite: 45 or consent of instructor.
1 unit, Aut (Susskind, L)
PHYSICS 80N. The Technical Aspects of Photography
(F,Sem) Stanford Introductory Seminar. Preference to freshmen and sophomores with some background in photography. How cameras record photographic images on film and electronically. Technical photographic processes to use cameras effectively. Camera types and their advantages, how lenses work and their limitations, camera shutters, light meters and the proper exposure of film, film types, depth of focus, control of the focal plane and perspective, and special strategies for macro and night photography. View cameras and range finder technical cameras. Students take photographs around campus. Prerequisite: high school physics.
3 units, Spr (Osheroff, D)
PHYSICS 84Q. The Rise of the Machines
(S,Sem) Stanford Introductory Seminar. Preference to sophomores. Key experiments in the history of particle physics and astrophysics. Evolution and innovation in detector and accelerator technologies that enabled these experiments. The fundamental structure and interactions of matter. Recommended: some high school or introductory college physics.
3 units, Spr (Schindler, R)
PHYSICS 87N. The Physics of One: Nanoscale Science and Technology
(F,Sem) Stanford Introductory Seminar. Preference to freshmen. Contemporary interdisciplinary research in nanoscience and nanotechnology; the manipulation of nature's fundamental building blocks. Accomplishments and questions engendered by knowledge at the discrete limit of matter. Prerequisite: high school physics. GER: DB-NatSci
3 units, Win (Manoharan, H)
© Stanford University - Office of the Registrar. Archive of the Stanford Bulletin 2008-09. Terms of Use | Copyright Complaints