物理系的目标第1页

核心

我们希望学生们会这样做

be inspired by the elegance and simplicity of the physical laws that govern the natural world;
be inspired by their own ability to understand everyday phenomena from first principles;
appreciate developments beyond classical physics, including the counterintuitive yet understandable and enormously successful theories of
special relativity and quantum mechanics, and the extraordinary precision with which their predictions have been verified;
understand that reasoning from first principles is required to generate new discoveries.

学习目标

Throughout the core physics courses, students will develop their skill at

applying 数学 to describe motion and other aspects of the physical world;
solving multistep physics problems by applying fundamental principles;
运用量纲推理;
estimating quantities and scaling behavior;
使用适当的近似;
communicating their understanding clearly using sketches, 图, 英语, 还有代数.

In the laboratory course, students will learn

设计和进行实验;
记录:保存详细的记录;
to compare observations to a theoretical model; and
to limit their conclusions to those justified by the data, taking into account systematic and random uncertainties;
to effectively communicate their findings in an oral report.

物理专业的目标

Harvey Mudd College offers a physics major with both depth and breadth in classical and modern physics, 理论与实验, 基础及应用. The program constitutes a rigorous foundation for graduate work or employment in physics and other technical fields. We have a vigorous student-faculty research program in a wide variety of fields in experimental and theoretical physics. Our goal is to help produce exceptionally able students with a strong understanding of and deep interest in physics, and with an unusually broad background in science, 数学, 技术, 人文学科, 以及社会科学, as provided by the Harvey Mudd College curriculum.

Upon completing our physics program, ideally a graduate should be able to:

A. 物理-Specific知识

演示 the ability to apply fundamental, 物理学的交叉主题, 包括守恒定律, 对称, 系统, 模型及其局限性, 物质的微粒性, 波, 的相互作用, 和字段.
演示 competency in applying basic laws of physics in classical and quantum mechanics, 电与磁, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics and special relativity, and the applications of these laws in areas such as optics, 凝聚态物理学, 以及材料的性质.
Represent basic physics concepts in multiple ways, including mathematically (including through estimations), 从概念上讲, 口头上, 绘画般的, 计算, 通过仿真, 和实验.
Solve problems that involve multiple areas of physics.
Solve multidisciplinary problems that link physics with other disciplines.
演示 knowledge of how basic physics concepts are applied in modern 技术 and apply this knowledge to the solution of applied problems.

B. 科学技术技能

Solve complex, ambiguous problems in real-world contexts.
Independently identify and learn new material relevant to the problem at hand.
Show how results obtained relate to the original problem, 确定后续调查, and place the results in a larger perspective.
演示 competency in basic experimental technologies.
演示 basic competency in using computational software and in writing and executing software programs to explore, 模拟, 或者模拟物理现象.
演示 数据分析能力分析数据的能力, including with statistical and uncertainty analysis; distinguishing between models; and presenting those results with appropriate 表 and charts.

C. 沟通技巧

Communicate with many different audiences from many different cultures and scientific backgrounds, understand each audience and its needs, and make the communication relevant and maximally impactful for that audience.
Obtain information and evaluate its accuracy and relevance through reading (print and online), 听, 和讨论.
Articulate one’s own state of understanding and be persuasive in communicating the worth of one’s own ideas and those of others.
Communicate in writing about scientific and technical concepts concisely and completely, using grammatically-correct and logically-constructed arguments.
Organize and communicate ideas using words, 数学方程, 表, 图, 图片, 动画, 图, 以及其他可视化工具.

D. 专业/工作技能.

演示 critical professional and life skills, 包括按时完成工作, 时间管理, 责任, 尊重, 毅力, 独立, 完整性, 以及文化和社会能力.