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Search : Index : Faculty of Science
Faculty of Science
1. Subject choices
1.1. Standard and advanced levels
1.2. 100-level subjects
1.3. 200-level subjects
1.4. 300-level subjects
2. Suggested courses of study
2.1. 100-level subjects
2.2. 200-level subjects (physics/mathematics students)
2.3. 200-level subjects (physics/chemistry students)
2.4. 300-level subjects
3. Bachelor of Science (Honours)
4. Further Information
Subject Lists
Subject descriptions
100-level subjects
200-level subjects
300-level subjects
The undergraduate subjects in the School of Physics form a study of the world at its most profound level. These subjects afford students the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the foundations and methodology of physics through both theoretical and experimental studies.
Many physics subjects are offered at standard and advanced levels. The treatment of the subject matter in the advanced subjects will be deeper and may involve more sophisticated mathematics.
Admission to advanced level subjects at 100-level is restricted to students with a strong background in physics and mathematics and preference may be given to students intending to specialise in physics. Admission to advanced level subjects in 200- and 300-level is restricted to students who continue to obtain good marks in the prerequisite subjects and in physics and mathematics as a whole (the usual requirement being an average of 70% or more in the principal physics and mathematics subjects of the previous level).
Students with adequate preparation do not disadvantage themselves by taking advanced level subjects.
Coordinator: Dr M K Livett
There are four 100-level physics subject streams lasting the entire year and each made up of two one-semester subjects normally taken together, plus optional subjects in astronomy. Physics 640-121 plus 640-122 and 640-141 plus 640-142 assume a knowledge of VCE Units 3 and 4 physics and elementary calculus. Physics 640-161 plus 640-162 assumes some prior knowledge of physics and mathematics but not necessarily to VCE Units 3 and 4. Physics for Biomedical Science 640-151 plus 640-152 are core subjects in the Bachelor of Biomedical Science course and assume some knowledge of physics and VCE Mathematical Methods Units 3 plus 4. The Solar System and the Cosmos 640-176 and Stars and Galaxies 640-177 are optional astronomy subjects.
640-121 plus 640-122 Physics (Advanced) is an intellectually rigorous stream suited to students, embarking on any career, who have a strong background in physics and mathematics.
640-141 plus 640-142 is a physics stream providing a coverage of physics suited to students wishing to specialise in any physical, technological or biological discipline.
640-161 plus 640-162 is a physics stream giving a broader and more descriptive coverage of physics. It is designed to be a well-rounded single-year treatment of physics for students who do not have a solid background in physics and mathematics. Students with sufficiently good results in Physics 640-161 plus 640-162 and mathematics may be permitted to proceed to later year physics subjects.
640-151 plus 640-152 Physics for Biomedical Science is a stream aimed at students wishing to major in the biomedical sciences. For BSc students, entry to this subject is by invitation from the head of the School of Physics, usually requiring a very high level of achievement in the final year of secondary school.
Students who have concerns about their preparation in mathematics and physics are recommended to revise their knowledge by preliminary reading of an appropriate text, e.g. R Cole, So You Want to Take Physics? A Preparatory Course with Calculus, Saunders, 1993, (for 640-121 plus 640-122 and 640-141 plus 640-142 and 640-151 plus 640-152) or R Cole, So You Want to Take Physics? A Preparatory Course, Saunders, 1993, (for 640-161 plus 640-162).
Coordinator: Dr V Gurarie
Students planning to specialise in physics must include in their courses Physics 640-223 or 640-243; 640-225 or 640-245; and 640-299; and Mathematics 620-231 (or 620-233) and 620-232 (or 620-234). These mathematics subjects are prerequisites for some 200-level and 300-level physics subjects.
Coordinator: Dr C T Chantler and Dr A Roberts
300-level subjects fall into three groups: core subjects, options and laboratory subjects. The core subjects are 640-321 or 640-341, 640-322 or 640-342, 640-323 or 640-343, and 640-353. The laboratory subjects are 640-393 and 640-394.
With the exception of 640-353, the core subjects are run at both standard and advanced levels. The subject pairs (640-321 and 640-341), (640-322 and 640-342) and (640-323 and 640-343) cover similar material though to different levels of depth. The core subjects cover those key aspects of theoretical physics required for all students specialising in physics, while the options provide students with the opportunity to increase both the breadth and depth of their knowledge of physics.
The standard laboratory sequence taken by most students specialising in physics and wishing to proceed to honours-level studies in physics totals 25 points. This is usually achieved by completing 640-393 and 640-394.
Students who are considering honours-level studies in physics should construct their 300-level courses with a view to meeting the prerequisites described in the Bachelor of Science (Honours) section of this Handbook.
Note that the book S B Palmer and M S Rogalski, Advanced University Physics, Gordon and Breach, 1996, may be a useful adjunct to the prescribed texts for the various 300-level units. This book summarises a range of theoretical physics material including classical mechanics, optics, electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, solid state physics and nuclear physics.
Note also that all students specialising in physics must enrol in 640-310 Physics Undergraduate Seminar.
Physics 640-121 plus 640-122 or 640-141 plus 640-142, mathematics 620-121, 620-122, and 620-123 or 620-141, 620-142, and 620-143, with either Scientific Programming and Simulation 620-131 or Experimental Design and Data Analysis 620-160 and one of chemistry 610-121 plus 610-122, or 610-141 plus 610-142, Earth sciences 625-101 and 625-102, biology 600-141 plus 600-142 or computer science 433-141 and 433-142.
Physics:
Quantum Mechanics and Thermal Physics 640-223 or 640-243,
Electromagnetism and Relativity 640-225 or 640-245,
Instrumentation for Scientists 640-251,
Laboratory Work 640-299; and
Mathematics:
Vector Analysis 620-231 or 620-233,
Mathematical Methods 620-232 or 620-234,
Plus two or more subjects selected from:
Further Classical and Quantum Mechanics 640-234,
Astrophysics and Optics II 640-237,
Real and Complex Analysis 620-221,
Analysis 620-252,
Linear and Abstract Algebra 620-222.
Physics:
Quantum Mechanics and Thermal Physics 640-223 or 640-243,
Further Classical and Quantum Mechanics 640-234 (optional),
Laboratory Work 640-299; and
Mathematics:
Vector Analysis 620-231 or 620-233,
Mathematical Methods 620-232 or 620-234
Chemistry:
Light, Matter and Chemical Change A 610-210,
Analysis in Chemical and Life Sciences 610-260,
Organic Chemistry 610-220,
Inorganic and Bio-inorganic Chemistry 610-240.
Please note that this combination of subjects may lead to a major in physics but would not permit entry to physics honours. It may also lead to a major in chemistry.
Quantum Mechanics 640-321 or 341;
Thermal Physics 640-322 or 640-342;
Electrodynamics 640-323 or 640-343;
Atomic, Molecular and Solid State Physics 640-353; and
Laboratory Work 640-393 and 640-394 or 50 points of 300-level mathematics and statistics subjects selected from: Metric Spaces 620-311, Linear Analysis 620-312, Algebra 620-321, Topology 620-322, Applied Partial Differential Equations 620-331, Integral Transforms and Asymptotics 620-332, Dynamical Systems of Chaos 620-341, Industrial and Applied Mathematics 620-342 with additional subjects selected from 300-level physics and, optionally, 300-level mathematics or 300-level chemistry.
For information about faculty and departmental entry requirements for Honours, please refer to Bachelor of Science (Honours) and Bachelor of Information Systems (Honours). These requirements should be considered when planning your course.
School of Physics
University of Melbourne
Victoria 3010
Tel: +613 8344 7670
Fax: +613 9347 4783
Web: http://www.ph.unimelb.edu.au
Status: Official 2002 Last Modified: Tuesday May 07 22:11 SGML to HTML Conversion: Information Technology Services Authorised by: Academic Registrar Email Enquiries: Course_Information@registrar.unimelb.edu.au
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