Teaching and assessment for Mathematics and Physics BSc (Hons)

This module introduces you to statistics and probability. Statistics is the science of collecting, analysing, and interpreting data, and is used to draw conclusions from data. Probability is the study of chance and randomness which can be used to predict the likelihood of an event occurring.

This module helps you develop the practical skills needed as a physics student and future professional physicist. It also provides an insight into cutting-edge research problems and the industrial value of physics. It explores the definition of physics itself, and what makes science distinct from opinion.

This module introduces the nature of light as both waves and particles, which form the foundations of quantum mechanics and special relativity.

Electromagnetism and light describes the physics of electric and magnetic fields and how they they are connected. This module explores electricity, electromagnetism, and light to provide you with an understanding of the physics underpinning most technology.

The microscopic and sub-atomic world is described by quantum mechanics, and nuclear and particle physics.

This module explores how materials behave in thermal physics and condensed matter physics.

This module explores vector calculus, which is an area of mathematics that combines 3D geometry with calculus. Vector calculus is concerned with differentiation and integration of functions in 3D space. It can apply to either scalar-valued functions or vector-valued functions.

Scientific computing offers tools, techniques, and theories that enable computer-assisted solutions to complex problems.

This introductory module explores numerical linear algebra and how computations work in practice. You will use MATLAB to develop algorithms for the numerical solution of important scientific problems.

This module explores calculus, specifically to find derivatives of functions. Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) are equations involving derivative terms.

Very few ODEs can be solved exactly, so methods have been developed to find approximate solutions. In this module, you will learn the basic numerical methods for calculating these approximate solutions.

This module allows you to undertake project work that is mostly supervised. The project will be laboratory-based, computational, theoretical, or a combination thereof.

A part of your project will likely be embedded in an active research group. Project topics include medical physics, microscopy, astrophysics, condensed matter physics, and computational biophysics.

The study of light is at the very centre of physics, especially relativity and quantum physics. This module covers contemporary optics and photonic systems.

It explores laser physics, polarisation, diffraction, interference, and all the optics concepts expected for a physics graduate.

This module explores recent photonic innovations, as well as the physics underpinning them. It covers lasers, nonlinear optics, optical imaging, optical microscopy, and fluorescence microscopy.

Scotland has a thriving optics and photonics industry, and this module provides a solid basis to enter the industry or do your own PhD research.