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Physics: from classical to quantum

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This module teaches general physics with an emphasis on the important concepts, their basic mathematical description and application. After a short maths revision unit, the module covers mechanics; electric and gravitational fields and potentials; electromagnetism and relativity; waves and optics; thermal and statistical physics; quantum physics and an introduction to its applications to solids, atoms and nuclei. You’ll also develop your problem-solving skills throughout. Animated diagrams, interactive graphs, online practical activities and audio/video clips support the materials.

What you will study

In this wide-ranging online module you will learn, among other things:

  • How classical mechanics allows us to, for example, describe the motion of roller coasters, athletes and pendulums; predict the motion of satellites, pulleys and downhill skiers using Newton’s laws.
  • How to apply the concepts of work and energy to launching rockets and shock absorbers and many other processes.
  • How energy and momentum conservation laws are used to understand collisions, from those of subatomic particles to car crashes.
  • What electric and gravitational forces, fields and potentials are and how they explain lightning storms, cling film, planetary motion, and the life and death of stars.
  • How to describe electric currents and circuits, from the domestic electricity supply to electrocardiograms.
  • How to describe magnetic fields and their role in radios, electric motors and electric generators.
  • How special relativity explains why moving fast propels you into the future.
  • How an understanding of sound waves and electromagnetic waves explains why musical instruments emit a range of noises and why butterfly wings display a range of colours.
  • How telescopes and microscopes work allowing us to see the very distant and the very small.
  • How the properties of gases and solids are described, both from a macroscopic and a microscopic perspective, to explain, for example, hot air balloons and the structure of diamonds.
  • Why, in physics, you can’t win, you can only break even; you can break even only at absolute zero; but you can’t reach absolute zero!
  • Why unsolved problems in the interaction of light and matter led to the development of quantum physics in the early 20th century
  • How Schrödinger’s cat can be both dead and alive at the same time.
  • How quantum physics allows us to understand the structure of atoms and how electrons behave like particles and waves.
  • How statistical thermodynamic explains the formation of Bose-Einstein condensates
  • What semiconducting materials are, how they work and what they are used for
  • What nuclei are made of, what makes them stable and how they break.
  • What leptons, hadrons and quarks are and how they interact.

Entry requirements

There are no formal entry requirements for this module.

At The Open University, we believe education should be open to all, so we provide high-quality university education to anyone who wishes to realise their ambitions and fulfil their potential.

Even though there are no entry requirements, there are some basic mathematical, scientific and study skills that you’ll need to study the module successfully.

You should be familiar with:

  • basic algebraic manipulation (rearranging and combining equations etc.)
  • addition and multiplication of fractions
  • scientific notation
  • logarithms
  • elementary geometry and trigonometry
  • scientific uses of statistics and probability.

You should also be able to:

  • plot and interpret graphs
  • use a scientific calculator
  • understand the use of unit (dimensional) analysis.

It would be advantageous to be familiar with the elementary concepts of:

  • vectors
  • trigonometric functions
  • calculus (differentiation).

Preparatory work

What's included

We designed Physics: from classical to quantum (S217) for online delivery – you’ll access all the study material from the module website, which includes:

  • a week-by-week study planner
  • course-specific module materials
  • audio and video content
  • assessment details and submission section
  • online tutorial access.

While the module is designed to be studied online, we supply printed books containing all the study units. The books feature QR codes you can scan using a smart phone or tablet for quick access to the audio, video and interactive activities on the module website. You can also download PDFs of every unit to use offline. Note that we don’t supply printed versions of resources outside the study units, such as the study planner and the assignments.

You will need

A scientific calculator.

Computing requirements

You’ll need broadband internet access and a desktop or laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11) or macOS Ventura or higher.

Any additional software will be provided or is generally freely available.

To join in spoken conversations in tutorials, we recommend a wired headset (headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone).

Our module websites comply with web standards, and any modern browser is suitable for most activities.

Our OU Study mobile app will operate on all current, supported versions of Android and iOS. It’s not available on Kindle.

It’s also possible to access some module materials on a mobile phone, tablet device or Chromebook. However, as you may be asked to install additional software or use certain applications, you’ll also require a desktop or laptop, as described above.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

Throughout your module studies, you’ll get help and support from your assigned module tutor. They’ll help you by:

  • Marking your assignments (TMAs) and providing detailed feedback for you to improve.
  • Guiding you to additional learning resources.
  • Providing individual guidance, whether that’s for general study skills or specific module content.
  • Facilitating online discussions between your fellow students, in the dedicated module and tutor group forums.

Module tutors also run online tutorials throughout the module. Where possible, recordings of online tutorials will be made available to students. While these tutorials won’t be compulsory for you to complete the module, you’re strongly encouraged to take part.

Assessment

The assessment details for this module can be found in the facts box.

If you have a disability

The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying S217 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.

Future availability

Physics: from classical to quantum (S217) starts once a year – in October.

This page describes the module that will start in October 2024.

We expect it to start for the last time in October 2024.

Course work includes:

6 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs)
Examination

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