PX3A0/PX3A1/PX402/PX452: Physics Final Year Projects

You will work, normally in pairs, on an extended project which may be experimental, computational or theoretical (or indeed a combination of these). Through discussions with your supervisor you will establish a plan of work which you will frequently review as you progress. In general, the project will not be closely prescribed and will contain an investigative element. Over the Christmas vacation you will independently write an interim report which will be marked and returned (with feedback) by your supervisor. At the end of the second term, you will again independently write a final report, which will be assessed by two independent members of academic staff. You will also prepare a poster describing your project to be presented at an open poster session along with other project posters, at which you will also be required to defend it.

PX376: Communicating Science

You will analyse short articles in a number of scientific publications of different levels to see how the selection of material and style of writing has to be tailored to suit the intended audience. You will be asked to prepare a number of communication pieces, including a summary sheet, a talk and a poster presentation. These will be assessed for the accuracy of the science, the appropriateness of the level of the presentation and how well you interact with your audiences. The module will also include some group working.

PX151/152: Physics Laboratory

The module introduces experimental science and teaches the skills required for successful laboratory work. These include how to work with apparatus, how to keep a laboratory notebook, how to handle data and quantify errors and how to write scientific reports. The module also asks you to think critically and to solve problems. Initial experiments build core skills while later experiments explore important areas of physics.

PX275: Mathematical Methods for Physicists

The module reviews the techniques of ordinary and partial differentiation and ordinary and multiple integration. It develops vector calculus (Term 1). The theory of Fourier transforms and the Dirac delta function are also covered. Fourier transforms are used to represent functions on the real line using linear combinations of sines and cosines and are the basis for describing many interference and diffraction phenomena in optics (Term 2).

PX161: Tutorial (Physics)

This is a composite module made of 2 components: physics problems (5 credits) and five worksheets (5 credits). Problem solving forms a vital part of the learning process and therefore each lecturer issues a set of problems on their module which you are expected to make serious attempts to solve. A subset of these problems is marked for credit. These problems are discussed in the weekly Examples Classes.