Program Overview

Program Overview

The University of Cape Town offers a comprehensive physics program for engineering students. The program is designed to provide students with a solid foundation in physics, with a focus on electromagnetism, waves, and optics.

Course Details

PHY1013S: Physics B for Engineers

This is the first-year, second semester electromagnetism, waves and optics half course for engineering students.

Coordinator

The course coordinator is Dieter Geduld, located in RW James 3.05.

Entrance Requirements

Entrance requirements for the course can be found in the engineering handbook.

Course Outline

The course covers the following topics:

• Electric charge
• Electric field
• Gauss's law
• Electric potential
• Capacitance
• Current
• Current density
• Emf
• Resistance
• Resistivity
• Networks
• The magnetic field
• Biot-Savart law
• Ampere's law
• Electromagnetic induction
• Inductance
• Simple harmonic motion
• Oscillations
• The wave model
• Travelling waves
• Sound and light
• The Doppler effect
• Superposition
• Standing waves
• Light and optics
• Interference of light
• Diffraction

Lecturers

The course lecturers are:

• Dieter Geduld, RW James 3.05
• Gregor Leigh, RW James 4T7

Course Resources

The course information sheet is available for students.

Research Areas

The Department of Physics at the University of Cape Town is involved in various research areas, including:

• High Energy Physics
  • ATLAS
  • ALICE
• Nuclear Physics
• Solid State Physics
• Physics Education Research
• Metrological and Applied Sciences University Research Unit (MeASURe)
• Centre for Theoretical and Mathematical Physics
  • Research
  • Connections
  • People
• UCT-CERN Research Centre
  • Members
  • Publications
  • Conferences and Workshops
  • Graduate Students

Other Courses

The Department of Physics offers a range of other courses, including:

• PHY1004W: Matter and Interactions
• PHY1012F: Physics A for Engineers
• PHY1012S: Physics A for Engineers
• PHY1023H: Principles of Physics
• PHY1025F: Physics for Health Science Students
• PHY1031F: General Physics A
• PHY1032F: General Physics B
• PHY1032S: General Physics B
• PHY2004W: Intermediate Physics
• PHY2010S: Electromagnetism for Engineers
• PHY3004W: Advanced Physics
• PHY4000W: BSc(Honours) Physics
• PHYLAB1: Course I Laboratory
• PHYLAB2: Course II Laboratory
• PHYLAB3: Course III Laboratory
• EEE4106Z: Introductory Nuclear Physics for Nuclear Power
• EEE4109Z: Theory and Design of Nuclear Reactors