Title: A new course in the Physics Department at KFUPM The physics of how things work
1A new course in the Physics Department at
KFUPMThe physics of how things work
- Justification and Motivation
- KFUPM is essentially an Engineering school. It
is unfortunate that many students graduate
without understanding the reality of how many
technological devices work. For example, with
the exception of EE, COE and physics students,
KFUPM BSc. graduates do not formally learn how a
transistor works! With the exception of ME and
CHEME, most KFUPM students do not know how a
boiler or heat exchanger works lasers are just a
source of light, and microwaves are produced in
the microwave oven! nor do most of them know on
their own!
2Course Objective
- To introduce KFUPM students to the physics of
how many devices, systems or phenomena work and
behave.
- To emphasize how different disciplines of science
and engineering are interrelated.
- To stimulate students to learn how to generate
ideas for new and special tools and appliances.
3Course Description
Part (I) The first three weeks are spent
reviewing the major laws of physics (e.g.
conservation of momentum and angular momentum,
energy-mass, conservation of charge, etc.) in
the fields of mechanics, thermodynamics,
electricity and modern physics.
Part (II) Each semester, at the discretion of the
instructor(s), a number of topics are chosen from
a pool of suggested fields and topics. The major
fields of study include Natural systems,
Mechanical and Chemical systems, Energy,
Electronics design, Biological systems, Optical
and Communication systems, and Equipment.
4Main topics
Natural systems Terrestrial volcanoes, winds,
rain, heat, tides, white clouds and rainbows.
carbon dating Celestial stars, solar system,
black holes, blue sky, red sun, eclipse of the
sun, red shift of stars
Mechanical and Chemical systems aerodynamics of
cars and planes, the elevator (mechanics and
control), anti-brake system (ABS), electric
motors, the analog watch, planes and rockets, the
flywheel, glue, vacuum pumps, pressure cookers,
boilers and heat exchangers, the thermostat
5Energy systems chemical batteries, fossil fuel
power generators, nuclear power plants, levitated
trains (superconductivity applications)
Electric and Electronic systems household/ city
electricity circuits door bells, relays and
circuit breakers, digital clocks, amplifiers/
transistors, tape recorders, fuses, radar,
microwave oven, electro-optic readers, bar
readers, infra-red doors openers, speed
detectors, remote control, Xerographic copiers,
transducers, electric power supplies, shift
registers, counters and adders, Analog-Digital
cards
6Biological systems breathing, healing of wounds,
heart and brain, pace-makers, eye sight
Optical systems lasers and applications, fiber
optics, the simple bulb, sunglasses, infrared
thermometer, temperature and light sensors,
photography and holography, x-ray vision
Communication systems radio/ TV, phone dialing,
digital transmission, fiber optics, communication
satellites
Equipment ink jet and laser printing
oscilloscope, ultra sound, camera, microscope,
telescope, MRI, camera and telescope, x-rays
machines
7Other Universities and the physics of how things
work
1- University of Virginia http//howthingswork.vi
rginia.edu/ 2- Harvard http//www.courses.fas.har
vard.edu/phys125/ 3- Stanford
http//www.stanford.edu/group/Fisher/teaching/Ph19
/Ph19.html 4- University of Illinois at
Urbana/Champaign http//www.how-why.com/ph140/cou
rseinfo.html 5- California State University at
Stanislaus http//plabpc.csustan.edu/physics/HowTh
ingsWork/ 6- Tennessee http//electron4.phys.utk.
edu/141/frmain.htm 7- University of North
Carolina http//www.physics.unc.edu/rsuper/physi
cs16
8References Books
How Things Work The Physics of Everyday Life,
2nd Edition (2000) by Louis A. Bloomfield
Conceptual Physics A Practical and Conceptual
Approach, 9th Edition (2001 ) by Paul G.
Hewitt Scientific American How Things Work Today,
(2000) edited by Michael Wright and M. N.
Patel Everyday Things and How They Work, (1991)
by Mary Jane Wilkins The Physics of Everyday
Phenomena, (2001) by W.T Griffith The
Illustrated Book of Questions and Answers, (1996)
by Andrew Langley Electricity and Magnetism in
Biological Systems, (2001 ) Donald Edmonds
Books are relevant and modern
9!!??Questions??!!
One instructor or more than one?
Full course or special topics course (for the
time being).
Junior or sophomore level junior or sophomore
numbering?!
How should we seek feedback from Engineering
departments.
The course is descriptive for the most part how
and where can we (or do we??) make it any more
quantitative with equations, numbers, etc.
Do we want to add projects, or just exams and
term papers?
Should there be lab? Should (or can) there be
displays, demos?
For it to pass the academic committee, we need to
define the course more rigidly, not at the
consent of the instructor.
10I will send this out to everyone for review and
suggestions.
Any comments??!!!