PHYS10461
Physics in Everyday Life
10
Semester 1
Undergraduate
Level 1
Albert Zijlstra
Unit coordinator
Rene Breton
Unit coordinator
Department of Physics & Astronomy
1
FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' First part HE study/Bachelors '
European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 5.0
<p>Physics in Everyday Life</p>
<p>Physics in Everyday Life</p>
<p>To use physics to explain a variety of phenomena and devices in everyday life</p>
<p>On completion successful students will be able to:</p><ol> <li>use the method of dimensions to help solve problems in physics</li> <li>use orders of magnitude and estimations </li> <li>describe and explain the physics basis of various everyday atmospheric phenomena</li> <li>describe and explain the physics underlying various aspects of the human body, including sight and hearing </li> <li>discuss how physics can be applied to sport</li> <li>explain the physics behind a number of devices in modern technology</li></ol>
<p style="margin-left:0px;">Below is a list of themes that will be covered in this course, and <strong style="box-sizing:inherit;">indicative</strong> topics/example content associated to them.</p><ol><li style="box-sizing:inherit;"><strong style="box-sizing:inherit;"> Everyday life in context</strong><ol><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Units, length, energy and time scales in physics</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">The method of dimensions</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Estimating and ordering of magnitude</li></ol></li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;"><strong style="box-sizing:inherit;">Physics of light and the Earth’s atmosphere</strong><ol><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">The Sun</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">The Earth’s atmosphere as an ideal gas</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Pascal’s Law and Archimedes’ Principle</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;"> Coriolis acceleration and weather systems</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Rayleigh scattering, the blue sky, the red sunset</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Refraction and dispersion of light, the rainbow</li></ol></li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;"><strong style="box-sizing:inherit;">Physics in technology</strong><ol><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Fluid dynamics and Bernouilli's principle</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">The physics of flight</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Microwave ovens</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Global positioning systems</li></ol></li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;"><strong style="box-sizing:inherit;">Physics in sports</strong><ol><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Aerodynamic drag</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">The Magnus effect</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Moment of inertia and the gyroscopic effect</li></ol></li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;"><strong style="box-sizing:inherit;">Physics in the human body and biological processes</strong><ol><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Locomotion in animals</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">Allometry relationships in biological systems</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">The eyes as an optical instrument and fundamentals of optics</li><li style="box-sizing:inherit;">The ear as a pressure wave detector, sound intensity and the decibel scale.</li></ol></li></ol>
1
Written exam
100%
<p>Feedback will be available on students’ individual written solutions to examples sheets, which will be marked, and model answers will be issued.</p>
N
<p>There is no single recommended text. Where appropriate, examples will be taken from Young, H.D. and Freedman, R.A. <em>University Physics </em>(Addison Wesley)</p><p><strong>Supplementary reading:</strong></p><p>Regular issues of New Scientist and Scientific American</p>
Assessment written exam
1.5
Lectures
22
0
76.5