Structure of our physics courses

The first year course consists of a number of components designed to deliver the necessary physics concepts, to allow you to develop a comprehensive understanding of these concepts, to gain practice in problem solving, to develop skills associated with research reading and report writing and to gain experience in laboratory techniques.

Essentially, the 20-credit modules PHY101 and PHY102 focus on introducing and developing new concepts, while PHY113, PHY114 and their equivalents in Dual Honours programmes concentrate on the associated professional skills.

PHY101 and PHY102 are lecture-based, and deliver material through:

Lectures

You will have four 50 minute lectures per week. These provide the main forum in which the course material is delivered.

Tutorials

Tutorials are held once a week and consist typically of around seven students and one academic tutor. Their main purpose is to cover questions set by the lecturers and at each tutorial the working and solution to several specified questions must be submitted. These questions will be marked by the tutor and returned to you at the following tutorial. The marks obtained for these questions will contribute 12.5% to the total module mark. Tutorials also provide opportunities to discuss more general physics questions and, towards the end of a semester, to prepare for the examinations. Please note that you will only obtain the full benefit of the tutorial if you have attempted the relevant questions beforehand. At the end of the year a short report on each student is prepared by tutors and is entered on to the departmental records, attendance and submission of work will also be recorded.

Problem solving

Each week you will be set a number of problems which have to be completed online. Some of these problems allow you to practise techniques and give immediate feedback but a subset are assessed and the marks will contribute towards your total module mark.

PHY113 and PHY114 are laboratory-based, and deliver material through Laboratories

You will attend one three-hour laboratory session per week. Working in pairs, you will initially gain experience in the use of basic laboratory equipment before moving on to more complicated experiments. The main aims of the laboratory sessions are to develop skills in the taking of good quality data, data analysis (including correct treatment of experimental uncertainties), and the keeping of clear and concise records of your work in the form of a laboratory diary. In addition to the formal laboratory work some of the sessions are spent in the computing laboratory developing relevant skills.

Preparatory sessions

When you move on from the basic laboratory skills training to more advanced experimental work, each 3-hour laboratory session will be preceded by a 50-minute preparatory session in the morning. During this session you should make sure you understand the underlying theory, plan your measurements, and consider possible sources of experimental uncertainties. It is very important that you use the preparatory session effectively, as otherwise you will not work efficiently in the afternoon session and may not be able to complete the experiment.

Short courses

In the first semester, the Professional Skills module includes a series of short courses introducing skills you will need when taking and analysing data, solving problems, and communicating scientific results. These courses are delivered through lectures and/or workshop sessions, and are assessed through homework exercises. The topics covered include Experimental Errors and Data Analysis, Problem Solving Techniques, and Scientific Writing.