Motivations

The ubiquity of vibratory and wave phenomena in our world is reflected in the depth to which such solutions of classical mechanics and electromagnetic equations have been studied, and in the breadth of the language and tools we have formed around them.  In Physics 360, you will learn the techniques essential for efficiently solving real-world problems in which oscillation of some form is a dominant component.

As you progress through your physics, engineering, or more generally your STEM curriculum, you will find that the tools you learned in Physics 360 are a foundation for your future exploration.  Our studies of materials such as crystals and protein structure involve scattering light or electron beams through them, and interpreting the resulting patterns in terms of their microscopic structure.   The probabilities associated with outcomes of experiments that push into the quantum regime are calculated via solutions to a particular wave equation.  The fundamental particles of our world are currently best understood in terms of quantized waves in fields that permeate our universe.

Regardless of your future career trajectory, a deep knowledge of wave phenomena is of extraordinary value.

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