This course is intended for students in the life sciences, or in pre-professional programs such as pharmacy, and for students who do not qualify for Physics 1050. It may be taken by students who have no background in physics.

Although the subject matter in Physics 1020 is similar to that in Physics 1050, the treatment of topics in Physics 1020 is not in the same depth.  The laboratory portion of the course also has major differences; 1020 gives an introduction to laboratory work and supports understanding fundamental concepts introduced in the lectures.  Physics 1050 is intended for students who plan to continue in the physical sciences - physics, geophysics, engineering, chemistry, biochemistry, etc. The lab work in 1050 introduces data handling techniques and serves as a basis for continuing in experimental work.

P1020 is not an appropriate choice for future engineering or physical science students (including biochemistry).  Students in these areas who are also ready to take Math 1000 are strongly recommended to take Physics 1050 as a prerequisite to Physics 1051. (See important 1st yr Registration Info.) Students whose program requires Physics 1050/51, but who take 1020/1021/1051, may have difficulties and will need extra time to finish their program.

The 1st yr Physics Lab is equipped with 14 Pentium D 820s (2.8 GHz dual-core processors, 1.0 GB RAM) for student use, a dedicated printer, 14 Vernier LabPro or LabQuest Mini computer interfaces for data collection with various sensors including motion, force, sound, light, temperature and radiation.

Office Hours: TBA