34 courses with the subject PH, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
Introductory calculus-based course with laboratory in Newtonian mechanics. Topics include: kinematics of motion, vectors, Newton’s laws, friction, work-energy, impulse-momentum, for both translational and rotational motion. Students may not receive credit for both PH 1110 and PH 1111.
Introductory calculus-based course with laboratory in Newtonian mechanics, at a somewhat higher level than PH 1110. Topics include: kinematics of motion, vectors and their application to physical problems, dynamics of particles and rigid bodies, energy and momentum conservation, rotational motion. Students may not receive credit for both PH 1111 and PH 1110.
A calculus-based introduction with laboratory to the theory of electricity and magnetism. Topics include:Coulomb’s law, electric and magnetic fields, capacitance, electrical current and resistance, and electromagnetic induction. Students may not receive credit for both PH 1120 and PH 1121.
A calculus-based introduction with laboratory to electricity and magnetism, at a somewhat higher mathematical level than PH 1120. Topics include: Coulomb’s Law, electric fields and potentials, capacitance, electric current and resistance, magnetism, and electromagnetic induction. Students may not receive credit for both PH 1121 and PH 1120.
An introduction to the pivotal ideas and developments of twentieth-century physics. Topics include: special relativity, photoelectric effect, X-rays, Compton scattering, blackbody radiation, DeBroglie waves, uncertainty principle, Bohr theory of the atom, atomic nuclei, radioactivity, and elementary particles.
An introduction to oscillating systems and waves. Topics include: free, clamped forced, and coupled oscillations of physical systems, traveling waves and wave packets, reflection, and interference phenomena.
This course introduces a selection of physics topics (Thermodynamics, Optics, Fluid Dynamics, Waves, and Atomic and Nuclear Physics) that are critical to students pursuing degrees in Life Sciences, Pre-Med, and Pre-Health.
Major Qualifying Project (Minimum 3/3 Unit) Each Mechanical Engineering student must complete a Major Qualifying Project.
This course emphasizes a systematic approach to the mathematical formulation of mechanics problems and to the physical interpretation of the mathematical solutions. Topics covered include: Newton’s laws of motion, kinematics and dynamics of a single particle, vector analysis, motion of particles, rigid body rotation about an axis.
PH 4201/PH 511 Advanced Classical Mechanics 1/3
PH 2501 Photonics 1/3 PH 2502 Lasers 1/3
An introduction to the use of optics for transmission and processing of information. The emphasis is on understanding principles underlying practical photonic devices. Topics include lasers, light emitting diodes, optical fiber communications, fiber lasers and fiber amplifiers, planar optical waveguides, light modulators and photodetectors. Recommended background is PH 1110, PH 1120, PH 1130 and PH 1140 (or their equivalents). This course will be offered in academic years ending in odd numbers.
An introduction to the physical principles underlying lasers and their applications. Topics will include the coherent nature of laser light, optical cavities, beam optics, atomic radiation, conditions for laser oscillation, optical amplifiers (including fiber amplifiers), pulsed lasers (Q switching and mode locking), laser excitation (optical and electrical), and selected laser applications. Recommended background is PH 1110, PH 1120, PH 1130 and PH 1140 (or their equivalents). This course will be offered in academic years ending in even numbers.
Atomic force microscopes (AFMs) are instruments that allow three-dimensional imaging of surfaces with nanometer resolution and are important enabling tools for nanoscience and technology. The student who successfully completes this course will understand the functional principles of AFMs, be able to run one, and interpret the data that are collected. Some sections of this course may be offered as Writing Intensive (WI).This course will be offered in academic years ending in even numbers.
A selective study of components of the universe (the solar system, stars, nebulae, galaxies) and of cosmology, based on astronomical observations analyzed and interpreted through the application of physical principles, and organized with the central purpose of presenting the latest understanding of the nature and evolution of the universe. Some topics to be covered include the Big Bang & Inflation; Stellar Behavior & Evolution; White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars, & Supernovae; Black Holes; Dark Matter & Dark Energy. This course will be offered in academic years ending in even numbers.
PH 2550/AE 2550 Atmospheric and Space Environments 1/3
This course provides an experimental approach to concepts covered in Photonics (PH 2501), Lasers (PH 2502), and Optics (PH 3504). Through a series of individually tailored experiments, students will reinforce their knowledge in one or more of these areas, while at the same time gaining exposure to modern photonics laboratory equipment. Experiments available include properties of optical fibers, optical fiber diagnostics, optical communications systems, properties of photodetectors, mode structure and threshold behavior of lasers, coherence properties of laser light, characterization of fiber amplifiers, diffraction of light, polarization of light, interferometry. No prior laboratory background is expected. This course will be offered in academic years ending in odd numbers.
312 WPI 2025-26 Catalog
An introduction to the basic principles of thermodynamics and statistical physics. Topics covered include: basic ideas of probability theory, statistical description of systems of particles, thermodynamic laws, entropy, microcanonical and canonical ensembles, ideal and real gases, ensembles of weakly interacting spin 1/2 systems.
Introduction to the theory and application of electromagnetic fields, appropriate as a basis for further study in electromagnetism, optics, and solid-state physics. Topics: electric field produced by charge distributions, electrostatic potential, electrostatic energy, magnetic force and field produced by currents and by magnetic dipoles, introduction to Maxwell’s equations and electromagnetic waves.
A continuation of PH 3300, this course deals with more advanced subjects in electromagnetism, as well as study of basic subjects with a more advanced level of mathematical analysis. Fundamentals of electric and magnetic fields, dielectric and magnetic properties of matter, quasi-static time-dependent phenomena, and generation and propagation of electromagnetic waves are investigated from the point of view of the classical Maxwell’s equations.
PH 3504 Optics 1/3
This course represents a continuation of PH 3401 and includes a study of three-dimensional systems and the application of quantum mechanics in selected fields. Topics include: the hydrogen atom, angular momentum, spin, perturbation theory and examples of the application of quantum mechanics in fields such as atomic and molecular physics, solid state physics, optics, and nuclear physics.
This course is designed to help the student acquire an understanding of the formalism and concepts of relativity as well as its application to physical problems. Topics include the Lorentz transformation, 4-vectors and tensors, covariance of the equations of physics, transformation of electromagnetic fields, particle kinematics and dynamics. This course will be offered in academic years ending in odd numbers.
Quantum Properties of Matter (Minimum 1/3 Unit) 318 WPI 2025-26 Catalog
PH 3504 Optics 1/3 PH 4201/PH 511 Advanced Classical Mechanics 1/3
This course provides an introduction to classical physical optics, in particular interference, diffraction and polarization, and to the elementary theory of lenses. The theory covered will be applied in the analysis of one or more modern optical instruments. This course will be offered in academic years ending in even numbers.
A continuation of PH 3301 (formerly PH 2301), this course builds on core principles of electrodynamics, represented in Maxwell's equations. Topics covered include electromagnetic fields in matter, radiation of electromagnetic waves, wave propagation in transmission lines and waveguides, absorption and dispersion of electromagnetic waves, and introduction to relativistic electrodynamics.This course will be offered in academic years ending in even numbers.
This course introduces students to qubits or two-state quantum systems, the basic unit of information storage in a quantum computer. Physical realizations of qubits are discussed and the mathematical formalism needed to perform calculations with systems of qubits is developed. The entanglement of qubits is introduced, and Bell’s theorem is proved and discussed. The basic ideas of quantum gates and circuits are introduced and developed. Among the applications discussed are quantum cloning, quantum cryptography and teleportation. Additional special topics will be introduced on a rotating basis to cover aspects of the field in which new developments occur.This course will be offered in academic years ending in even numbers.
This course provides students with hands-on laboratory experience in experimental quantum optics. Students investigate the quantum nature of light through a series of fiber-optic and free-space optics experiments. Key topics include photon counting and detection, the diffraction of light in the single-photon limit, the generation of correlated and entangled photon pairs, single photon and coincidence detection, photon bunching and indistinguishability, the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect, and the observation of Bell states, as well as special topics. Students will work with single-photon experiments, lasers, various optical components, and photon detectors. Students will also perform data and error analysis and gain experience in scientific communication.This course will be offered in academic years ending in odd numbers.
Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics Item # Title Units
Experimental Techniques or Laboratory Item # Title Units
Source: Worcester Polytechnic Institute's catalog, linked per course · table learning_unit · CourseShelf publish 61
