Bulletin Year: 2023 - 2024 Undergraduate Bulletin | View the current NMU Catalog.

Courses

Search for courses listed in this bulletin. To find a semester course schedule (including instructors, meeting times and locations), go to mynmu.nmu.edu.

PE 444 Perceptual-Motor Learning 2 cr.
  • Offered: On demand
  • Prerequisites: Junior standing or instructor's permission.
Development of an understanding of perceptual-motor phenomena in learning. Intended for physical educators and persons responsible for conducting programs for children with learning disabilities. Emphasis is on the scientific foundations of program development and activities that enhance perceptual-motor development.
PE 450 Theory of Sport 3 cr.  (3-0-0)
  • Offered: Fall
  • Prerequisites: PE 250, PE 340, Senior standing or permission of instructor.

This course is designed to help students develop their knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of their chosen sport. The student will research the past and present day era of the game through coaching philosophy and systems. The principles of the sport from offense, defense, special teams (plays), strategy, individual skills, recruiting, rules, and regulations will be researched and analyzed.

PE 489 Related Arts: Dance, Music, Art 2 cr.
  • Offered: On demand
  • Prerequisites: Junior standing or instructor's permission.
Introduction to the elements of basic design in the three arts, with special emphasis on the relationship of music and art to dance. The course is intended for prospective and practicing teachers of school arts and humanities programs; for leaders of creative, therapeutic and recreational programs; and for upper-level students desiring interdisciplinary study in the fine and performing arts.
PE 491 Workshop in Physical Education 1-2 cr.
  • Offered: On demand
  • Prerequisites: Junior standing or instructor's permission.
Opportunities for concentrated study on selected professional content offered in a practical workshop format.
PH 101 Eureka: Einstein, the Universe and Everything 3 cr.
  • Offered: Fall
Great ideas of physics emphasizing major concepts, their development and their affect on our understanding of the natural world. Concepts include cause and effect, conservation laws, fields, relativity, cosmology, and quantum mechanics. A descriptive approach, although high school algebra is useful for some mathematical aspects. Notes: This course may not be taken for credit toward the physics major or minor.
PH 102 Physics of Sound and Music 3 cr.  (2-0-2)
  • Offered: Winter
  • Prerequisites: High school algebra (freshman year).
A diverse look at the analysis of sound and its production, wave properties, resonance, musical instruments, concert hall acoustics, electronics, recording, speech and hearing. Laboratory exercises will supplement many of the ideas. Faculty in music; speech, language and hearing sciences and performance studies participate. Notes: This course may not be taken for credit toward the physics major or minor.
PH 201 College Physics I 5 cr.  (4-0-3)
  • Offered: Fall Winter Summer
  • Prerequisites: MA 111 with a grade of “C” or better, or placement into MA 115 or higher on the math placement exam.

A first semester, general introductory physics course. Topics include vectors, particle motion, Newton’s laws of motion, conservation laws, gravitation, rotation, harmonic motion, sound, thermodynamics and fluids.

Notes: This course may not be taken for credit toward the physics major or minor.
PH 202 College Physics II 5 cr.  (4-0-3)
  • Offered: Fall Winter
  • Prerequisites: PH 201 with a "C" or higher.

Topics include electricity, magnetism, DC and AC circuts, light, optical instruments, and if time permits atomic structure and spectra, nuclear physics and radiation.

Notes: This course may not be taken for credit toward the physics major or minor.
PH 220 Introductory Physics I 5 cr.  (4-0-2)
  • Offered: Winter
  • Prerequisites: MA 161 with a “C” or equivalent.

The first semester of the introductory physics sequence designed for students majoring in physics, a physical science or engineering. Topics include vectors, kinematics, Newton’s Law, dynamics, conservation laws, heat, thermodynamics, sound and fluids.

PH 221 Introductory Physics II 5 cr.  (4-0-2)
  • Offered: Fall
  • Prerequisites: PH 220 with a "C" or higher and MA 163 with a "C" or higher, or instructor's permission.

Continuation of PH 220. Topics include electrostatics, fields, potentials, current, magnetism, DC and AC circuits, electrical waves and geometrical and physical optics.

PH 295 Special Topics in Physics 1-4 cr.
  • Offered: On demand
  • Prerequisites: Instructor's permission.

Topics reflecting the special interests and needs of students. Designed for freshman, sophomores and non-physics majors.

PH 320 Physical Electronics 4 cr.  (3-0-3)
  • Offered: Every other winter, odd years
  • Prerequisites: PH 221 with a "C" or higher.

A course on electronic circuits with primary emphasis on basic building blocks of electronic instruments used in physical research. Topics include solid state devices, operational amplifiers, feedback, pulse-forming networks, digital circuits and practical construction.

PH 322 Modern Physics 4 cr.  (3-0-3)
  • Offered: Winter
  • Prerequisites: PH 221 with a "C" or higher and MA 163 with a "C" or higher, or instructor's permission.

Topics include the special theory of relativity, atomic physics, atomic spectra, nuclear physics, introductory quantum ideas and particle physics.

PH 330 Optics 4 cr.  (3-0-3)
  • Offered: Every other winter, even years
  • Prerequisites: PH 221 witn a "C" or higher and MA 163.

An intermediate lecture, problem and laboratory course dealing with geometrical and physical optics, physical principles underlying modern optical instruments and introductory quantum optics.

PH 360 Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics 3 cr.
  • Offered: Every other winter, even years
  • Prerequisites: PH 221 with a "C" or higher. MA 361 is recommended.

A lecture and problem course on thermodynamics and statistical physics dealing with the laws of thermodynamics, kinetic theory, ensemble theory, and the partition functions including applications to chemical kinetics, phase transitions and low temperature processes.

PH 370 Mathematical Methods of Physics 3 cr.
  • Offered: Every other fall, even years
  • Prerequisites: MA 163 and PH 221 with a "C" or higher.

Advanced mathematical techniques used extensively in physics will be presented. Examples include vector operators, tensors, complex numbers and functions, special linear and partial differential equations and Fourier analysis.

PH 375 Analytical Mechanics 3 cr.
  • Offered: Every other fall, even years
  • Prerequisites: PH 220 with a "C" or higher, concurrent or prior enrollment in MA 361 recommended. PH 370 recommended.

A classical (Newtonian) mechanics course covering particle motion in several dimensions, motions of systems of particles, rigid body motion, moving coordinate systems and mechanics of continuous media. Uses vector methods extensively.

PH 380 Intermediate Electricity and Magnetism 3 cr.
  • Offered: Every other fall, odd years
  • Prerequisites: PH 221 with a "C" or higher and MA 265 with a "C" or higher. MA 361 and PH 370 recommended.

A course in classical electrodynamics. Topics include the development of Maxwell's equations and their solutions including boundary value problems and radiation.

PH 393 Experimental Instrumentation and Analysis 4 cr.  (3-0-3)
  • Offered: Every other fall, odd years
  • Prerequisites: A natural science laboratory class; CS 120 or equivalent; MA 115 or DATA 109 or equivalent.

Experimental data measurement and analysis techniques are presented including data acquisition, calibration, validity and graphical and statistical analysis procedures. Particular emphasis will be given to computer interfacing for experiment control, data acquisition and analysis and display. For students planning careers in natural science beyond the technician level.

PH 410 Introductory Quantum Mechanics 3 cr.
  • Offered: Every other winter, odd years
  • Prerequisites: PH 322 with a "C" or higher, PH 375 with a "C" or higher and MA 361. PH 375 may be taken concurrently; PH 370 is recommended, junior standing or instructor's permission.

An introduction to quantum mechanics. Topics include physical quantity determination in quantum physics, photons, material particles, quantum statistics, Schrodinger’s equation and applications to simple systems, the eigenvalue-eigenvector equation of quantum physics, and field quantization concepts.