Program Overview

Program Overview

The University of Cape Town offers a comprehensive program in Physics, with a range of courses and research areas available to students.

Course Details

PHY1023H: Principles of Physics

This course is part of the Extended Degree programme and is constituted in week 7 as part of the Science Faculty's Extended Degree Programme. The course is by invitation only.

Entrance Requirements

• This course is by invitation only and is constituted in week 7 as part of the Science Faculty's Extended Degree Programme

Course Outline

The course covers the following topics:

• TOOLS AND SKILLS FOR PHYSICS: Essential mathematical, diagrammatic and conceptual tools and skills for Physics, coordinate systems, vectors, rates of change, the fundamental forces, mathematical techniques and their relationship with physical phenomena, problem solving strategy, explanations in physics
• MECHANICS: kinematics, forces, dynamics, momentum, impulse, work, energy, power, collisions, rotation, rotational dynamics, torque, angular momentum, static equilibrium, gravitation
• PROPERTIES OF MATTER: elasticity, hydrostatics, hydrodynamics
• VIBRATIONS AND WAVES: simple harmonic motion, damped oscillations, forced oscillations, resonance, travelling waves, superposition, standing waves, sound waves, sound intensity, Doppler effect

Lecturers

• Dale Taylor, RW James 4.05

Course Tutors

• Chad Leukes

Research Areas

The Department of Physics at the University of Cape Town has a range of research areas, including:

• High Energy Physics
• Nuclear Physics
• Solid State Physics
• Physics Education Research
• Metrological and Applied Sciences University Research Unit (MeASURe)
• Centre for Theoretical and Mathematical Physics
• UCT-CERN Research Centre

Departmental Resources

The Department of Physics has a range of resources available to students, including:

• Course information sheet
• Departmental Brochure
• Departmental Poster
• Physics Colloquium
• Physics Handbook
• Lecture demonstrations
• RW James
• Department History
• WE Frahn Library

University Resources

The University of Cape Town has a range of resources available to students, including:

• Department of Astronomy
• Department of Maths & Applied Maths
• Science Faculty
• Science Faculty | Handbook
• Staff Directory
• Admin
• HR
• ICTS
• R&I

External Collaborations

The University of Cape Town has collaborations with a range of external organizations, including:

• National Research Foundation
• SA Institute of Physics
• iThemba LABS
• CERN
• National Institute of Theoretical Physics
• SA-CERN
• SKA