Physics 1

This subject is designed for students with a sound background in physics, and aims to provide a strong understanding of a broad range of physics principles. Topics include: Mechanics: describing and explaining translational and rotational motion, for example in the contexts of human and animal movement and transport (Newton’s laws of motion, both translational and rotational; energy transfer and transformation; momentum and impulse; simple harmonic motion, equilibrium). Waves and sound: water waves; seismic waves; production and detection of sound, eg. musical instruments, hearing; ultrasound (reflection and refraction, superposition, resonance, energy transport, absorption, Doppler effect). Optics: optical imaging, sensors and optical instruments, human vision, crystallography (dispersion, lenses and mirrors, interference, diffraction, polarisation). Gravitation: weightlessness, planetary and satellite orbits, escape velocity (universal gravity, Kepler’s laws). Special relativity: particle accelerators, the ‘twin paradox’ (Einstein’s modification of Newtonian physics, relativity of time and space, equivalence of mass and energy). Vector notation, and differential and integral calculus, are used wherever appropriate.