Physics 1180

Physics of the Modern Era: From Quarks to Cosmos

The goal of this course is for students to enhance their view of the physical world by allowing them to acquire a basic understanding of the physical concepts involved with special relativity, quantum mechanics, atomic and nuclear physics, elementary particles and cosmology.  Classical foundations of kinematics, dynamics, conservation laws, and wave properties will be presented.

This course will focus on conceptual understanding rather than mathematical manipulation. However, as mathematics is the language of science, it is expected that you can perform basic algebraic calculations and recognize basic geometric relations throughout the course.

Class Announcements

Welcome to Physics 1180 (Spring 2025)

Please continue to monitor this space for important information and course and updates. This page will be updated on a regular basis. (Last update: April 23rd, 2025.)

  • EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY: The College of DuPage STEMcon will take place on Saturday, April 26th from 10:00 AM-4:00 PM in the PE Building.  Attend the STEMcon stop by the Physics booth, explore the hands-on activities, sign-in, and be eligible for up to 10 extra credit points!  Come get your GEEK ON!
  • Your next lecture for will take place on Tuesday, April 29th in BIC-3E07 starting prompty at 1:00 PM.
  • Quiz #14 covering Section 4.1 will take on Tuesday, April 29th place near the start of class.  Afterwards, it is expected that we will vist teh VR lab to "build atoms."
  • Be sure to review Chapter 12 and read Chapter 13 of Gamow's text for class on Tuesday, April 24th.
  • Be sure to review Sections 4. and read Section 4.3 of Griffith's text for class on Tuesday, April 24th.
  • Lecture notes are available for specified sections.  Scroll down and click on the topic of interest.
  • The MyOpenMath Homework 11: Atoms will be due on Friday, April 25th by 12:30 PM.  Note that there are TWO parts to the homework: (Part 1: Multiple-choice & Part 2: Numeric Exercises.). After the cut-off time you will no longer be any to make changes to Part 1.  However, you can still get 50% credit for correctly answering any part of any part of Part 2 within 24-hours after the cut-off time.

Class Resources

Lecture Notes

Exam 1 Resources

Exam 2 Resources

General Resources