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  Undergraduate Calendar 2013-2014
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2013-2014 Undergraduate Calendar
HOME COURSES Physics (PCS)

Physics (PCS)
PCS 40A/B Medical Physics - Thesis
A laboratory or theoretical research project in medical physics or related topics under the supervision of a faculty member. A thesis document is required. Students must be in the 4th year of the Medical Physics program to register in this course. A student may petition the Course Coordinator to have this required course replaced by two other courses to be chosen in consultation with the Program Director.
Tut: 1 hr./Lect: 4 hrs.
Course Weight: 2.00
Billing Units: 1/1
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PCS 102 Physics Answers to Everyday Questions
The physics of everyday life course is for liberal arts students who are looking to understand a connection between science and the world in which they live. This course offers a non-conventional view of physics and science that starts with whole objects and looks inside them to see what makes them work. What really keeps an airplane up? What is the sound barrier made of? Why does your shower curtain cling to you? Are smoke alarms radioactive? (May not be used as a credit towards a science degree) (Formerly SCI 104).
Lect: 3 hrs.
Antirequisites: PCS 120, PCS 130
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 106 Physics for the Health Sciences
An introduction to the physical ideas related to the fields of environmental and occupational health; mechanics, work/energy, fluids, sound, thermodynamics, basic electricity, the electromagnetic spectrum and nuclear quantities.
Tut: 0.5 hrs./Lect: 3 hrs./Lab: 0.5 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 107 The Natural Context
This course offers an introduction to the application of basic physical concepts and processes in the physical world to the built environment. Basic concepts of physics are introduced in the context of the building project: gravitation, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, waves, and properties of materials. Structural concepts of applied loads balanced by structural resistance are also considered. The concept of natural versus controlled environments is introduced and implications are discussed.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 110 Physics
Units and vectors. Motion: linear, projectile, circular and oscillatory motion. Newton's laws: Force, mass and acceleration; work, energy and power; linear and angular momentum. Electrostatics: Electric force and field; potential and potential energy; capacitance. Electric current and DC circuits. Magnetic field and force: magnetic force on currents and charges; Hall effect; torque on current loops; Waves: classification of waves; energy transfer; light and electromagnetic waves; diffraction and interference. MAPLE used for simulation/visualization of physical phenomena and problem solving.
Lect: 3 hrs./Lab: 1 hr.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 120 Physics I
A calculus based course covering fundamental physics concepts: units, vectors, linear motion, circular motion, force and motion, work and energy, collisions, gravitation, electrostatics, capacitance, and simple DC circuits.
Tut: 1 hr./Lect: 3 hrs./Lab: 1 hr.
Antirequisites: PCS 125 and PCS 211
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 125 Physics: Waves and Fields
Simple harmonic motion; motion of mechanical waves, wave speed; sound, Doppler effect, interference, standing waves, beats and resonance; gravitational fields and potential energy; electric fields and potential energy; electric potential; magnetic fields.
Tut: 1 hr./Lect: 3 hrs./Lab: 1 hr.
Antirequisites: PCS 120 and PCS 130
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 130 Physics II
A continuation of Physics I, calculus-based course. An introduction to oscillations, mechanical waves, magnetism, electromagnetism, optics and nuclear physics. The laboratory is an essential and autonomous part of the course.
Tut: 1 hr./Lect: 4 hrs./Lab: 1 hr.
Prerequisite: PCS 120; Antirequisites: PCS 125 and PCS 211 and PCS 102
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 181 Introduction to Astronomy
This course will examine astronomical ideas both in relation to their times and in the light of current scientific theory and technical data. Application of the scientific method will be emphasized in evaluating these data and theories. Method of collection and analysis of data will be presented to help the nontechnical student in asking fundamental questions about scientific theories. Topics covered include cosmology, origin of the stars and galaxies, evolution of stars, the solar system, exobiology, death of stars, stellar remnants and the age of the universe.
LL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Not available to Faculty of Engineering and Architecture Students (with the exception of Architecture) nor Faculty of Science Students.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 182 Life in the Milky Way Galaxy
The scientific method of investigation will be emphasized in topics relevant to the search for extraterrestrial life, from microbes to self-cognizant entities. The course presents current ideas concerning the origin of the atomic elements, star and planetary formation, environmental requirements and constraints, early cell formation and evolution, habitable zones, extremophiles, the potential for life in our solar system, exoplanets and their spectra, the Drake equation, intelligence, Kardashev classification, the Fermi paradox and related subjects.
LL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 211 Physics: Mechanics
Vector forces: forces along a line, coplanar force systems - essentials of vector algebra in two and three dimensions. Moment of a force; moment of a couple; principle of moments. Free body diagrams and equilibrium conditions. Centre of mass and centroids of bodies. Rectilinear and curvilinear motion kinematics. Newton's laws and equations of motion. Friction. Work and Energy; Linear momentum and angular momentum.
Tut: 1 hr./Lect: 3 hrs./Lab: 1 hr.
Antirequisites: PCS 120 and PCS 130
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 213 Physics: Light and Modern Physics
Ray and wave models of light; reflection, refraction and interference; lenses and mirrors; diffraction and polarization of light; Planck's hypothesis, Bohr's atomic model, photoelectric effect, uncertainty principle, Schrödinger's equation; nuclear properties and binding energy; radioactivity; nuclear reactions.
Lect: 3 hrs./Lab: 1 hr.
Prerequisite: PCS 125
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 224 Solid State Physics
Quantum mechanics and quantum nature of solids, properties of materials. Band theory in metals and semiconductors. Conduction processes, the p-n junction, transistors and other solid state devices.
Lect: 3 hrs./Lab: 1 hr.
Prerequisite: PCS 110 or PCS 125 or PCS 130
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 227 Biophysics
Biomechanics principles. Physics of hearing and vision. Fluid mechanics and human circulatory system. Viscosity and viscoelasticity in biological fluids. Thermodynamics of biochemical reactions and metabolism. Random molecular motion in gases and solutions. Electrolytes. Molecular and ionic interactions in solutions. Membrane's structure and properties. Diffusion and osmosis in biological organisms. Electrochemistry of cells. Action potential and electrical activity of neurons.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisites: (PCS 130 and MTH 131) or (PCS 125 and PCS 211 and MTH 140 and MTH 141)
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 228 Electricity and Magnetism
Fundamentals of Classical Electromagnetism. Electrostatics: charges, electrostatic force, electric field, electric flux, Gauss?s law, electric potential, electrostatic energy, properties of conductors. Magnetostatics: Magnetic field, magnetic flux, electric current and Ampere?s Law. Faraday?s Law of electromagnetic induction. Maxwell equations: electromagnetic waves and the nature of light.
Lect: 3 hrs./Lab: 1.5 hrs.
Prerequisites: (PCS 130 and MTH 330) or (PCS 125 and PCS 211 and MTH 312) or (PCS 125 and PCS 211 and MTH 425)
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 229 Introduction to Medical Physics
Applications of physics in medicine. This survey course will address basic concepts of medical imaging, nuclear medicine and radiation isotopes, radiation therapy, gamma spectroscopy and trace element analysis, and biomedical laser applications.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: PCS 130 and MTH 131, Antirequisite: BME 229
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 230 Photonics and Optical Devices
This course is designed to provide students with direct experience in the operation of optical devices that find widespread use in the technology sector. Emphasis is placed on geometric optics, laser systems, image formation, fiberoptics, diffraction and interference.
Lect: 3 hrs./Lab: 1.5 hrs.
Prerequisites: (PCS 130 and MTH 231) or (PCS 125 and PCS 211 and MTH 141 and MTH 240)
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 300 Modern Physics
Special Relativity: simultaneity, time dilation, length contraction, Lorentz transformations, velocity addition, rest mass, energy. Blackbody radiation: Boltzmann's and Wien's Laws, Planck's quantization. Photoelectric effect. Compton effect. Atomic spectra. Rydberg's formula. Thompson's and Rutherford's atomic models. Bohr's model of the atom.
Lect: 3 hrs./Lab: 1 hr.
Prerequisites: (MTH 231 and PCS 130) or (PCS 125 and PCS 211 and MTH 141 and MTH 240)
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 335 Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
Thermodynamics zeroth law and temperature: thermodynamic systems, variables, state equations, thermometry. First law of Thermodynamics: work, heat, phase transformations. Second law of Thermodynamics: irreversible processes, entropy. Kinetic theory of gases. Introduction to statistical mechanics.
Tut: 1 hr./Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisites: (PCS 130 and MTH 380) or (PCS 125 and PCS 211 and MTH 410)
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 350 Computational Methods in Medical Physics
This course covers the basics of scientific programming and introduces the student to common computational methods with examples from medical and biological physics. It will cover topics such as random number generation, Monte Carlo methods, random walks, numerical solutions to ordinary and partial differential equations for initial-value and boundary-value problems, modelling/parameter fitting of real systems, and cellular automata. When time permits, this course also covers the Ising spin model and fractals.
Lect: 3 hrs./Lab: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: MTH 510 or (MTH 501 and MTH 430)
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 352 Nuclear Physics/Radiation Protection
Introduction to nuclear physics. Nuclear structure and binding energy. Nuclear decays, radioactivity and nuclear reactions. Interaction of radiation with matter. Introduction to dosimetry and dose calculations.
Tut: 1 hr./Lect: 3 hrs./Lab: 1.5 hrs.
Prerequisites: PCS 300 and (CHY 223 or MTH 380 or MTH 410)
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 354 Radiation Biology
Introduction to basic physics and chemistry of radiation interactions, free radicals, oxidation and reduction. Subcellular and cellular effects: killing, repair, sensitization and protection. Measurement methods. Survival curves and their significance. Modification of the radiation response. Tissue effects, genetic and carcinogenic effects, mutations, hazards. Effects of heat on tissue. Thermal dosimetry. Biology of Thermal Potentiation of Radiotherapy. High temperature thermal therapy.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisite: PCS 229 and BLG 311
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 358 Mechanics
This course will cover topics relevant to Medical Physics on dynamics of particles and of rigid bodies: Center of mass. Three dimensional motion of particles. Kinematics and dynamics of rotational motion. Motion of rigid bodies. Mechanical oscillations and waves. Coupled oscillations. Introduction to fluid dynamics. Motion in resistive fluids.
Lect: 3 hrs./Lab: 1 hr.
Prerequisites: (PCS 120 and MTH 330) or [PCS 211 and (MTH 312 or MTH 425)]
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 400 Quantum Physics I
Bohr's model of the atom. De Broglie, wave-particle duality. The Schrödinger Equation in one dimension. The wave function. Stationary states. Quantization of energy. Eigenfunctions and Eigenvalues. Square wells and barriers, tunnelling. The harmonic oscillator. Heisenberg's uncertainty relations. Measurement in Quantum Mechanics. Schroedinger equation in three dimensions. Central potentials and the hydrogen atom.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisites: (PCS 300 or CHY 344) and (MTH 312 or MTH 330 or MTH 425)
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 405 Medical Imaging
Diagnostic radiology with X-rays, X-ray transmission computed tomography. The physics of radioisotope imaging, emission computed tomography, clinical applications of radioisotope imaging. Diagnostic ultrasound, clinical applications and biological aspects of diagnostic ultrasound. Nuclear magnetic resonance, nuclear magnetic resonance pulse sequences and relaxation processes and their measurement; image acquisition and reconstruction. The mathematics of image formation and image processing.
Tut: 1.5 hrs./Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisites: PCS 229 and PCS 352 and MTH 430
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 406 Radiation Protection/Health Physics
External radiation protection. Internal dosimetry and radiation protection. Radiation exposure from background and man-made sources. Radiation levels and regulations.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisites: PCS 229 and PCS 352
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 407 Radiation Therapy
Introduction to radiation therapy physics. Radiation therapy units. Interaction of radiation with tissue. Dosimetry of a single beam of x-ray. Beam calibration and patient dose calculation. Combination of beams and treatment planning. Brachytherapy. Radiation detection. Measuring radiation and radiation protection.
Lect: 3 hrs./Lab: 1.5 hrs.
Prerequisites: PCS 229 and PCS 352
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 450 Directed Project I
This course makes it possible for one or more students to work under the guidance of a faculty member on a project in a specific area of Physics not covered in depth in any other course. The work done for this course must result in an oral or written presentation and may contain an element of originality. Enrollment in this course requires approval by the Program Director.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Departmental consent required
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 510 Fundamentals of Astrophysics
This course presents a mathematical and conceptual treatment of basic astronomical ideas, stressing observations and theoretical principles. Phenomena which currently enjoy mass appeal (black holes, extraterrestrial life, etc.) will be explored from the scientific point of view. Topics include: electromagnetic spectrum, cosmology, galaxies, star formation, stellar properties, star death, and exobiology.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisites: PCS 110 or PCS 130 or (PCS 125 and PCS 211)
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 550 Directed Project II
This course makes possible for one or more students to work under the guidance of a faculty member on a project in a specific area of Physics not covered in depth in any other course. The work done for this course must result in an oral or written presentation and may contain an element of originality. Enrollment for this course requires approval by the Program Director.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Departmental consent required
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 581 Advanced Topics in Astronomy
The scientific method of investigation will be applied to an in-depth presentation of contemporary astronomical research on cosmology,parallel universes, white dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes, wormholes, Dark Matter, galaxy formation and evolution, Dark Energy, exobiology, the Drake equation and related topics.
UL
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisites: PCS 181 or PCS 510
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 700 Quantum Physics II
Operators. Commuting and non-commuting observables. The Heisenberg uncertainty relations. Measurement in Quantum Mechanics. Collapse of the wave-function. Angular momentum - eigenvalues and eigenfunctions. Matrix representations of operators and wave functions. Stern-Gerlach experiment. Spin. Time-independent perturbation theory. Fine structure. The Zeeman effect. Identical particles, atoms and solids. Variational calculations. The helium atom. Finite basis set calculations.
Lect: 3 hrs.
Prerequisites: PCS 400 and (MTH 309 or MTH 312 or MTH 425 or MTH 430)
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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PCS 724 Condensed Matter Physics/Materials
Properties of materials, crystal structure, types of bonding, crystal vibrations. Dielectrics, metals and semiconductors. Free-electron model and conductivity in metals. Band theory in metals and semiconductors. The p-n junctions, transistors and other solid state devices. Phase transitions in ferromagnetic, ferroelectric and other materials. Surface properties. Biomaterials and nanostructures.
Lect: 3 hrs./Lab: 1 hr.
Prerequisites: PCS 300 and (MTH 312 or MTH 330 or MTH 425)
Course Weight: 1.00
Billing Units: 1
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