This course seeks to equip students with standard information retrieval skills, data presentation and scientific report/research proposal writing. It would allow students to acquire experience and general research skills essential for academic and research study. Specific aims of this course include gathering and critically evaluating information which addresses a specific research question and critiquing published scientific papers. The skills learnt would be key to project work later in the degree program. 

This calculus-based course is designed for students majoring in the Physical Science programmes. It is centered on the Newton’s laws and deals with the motion or the change in motion of physical objects with speeds much less than that of light (<<c). It considers kinematics, dynamics and statics.  Other topics include central forces, planetary motion, work, energy and momentum of particles. 

The detailed breakdown of the above topics are as follow:

Scalars and vectors, vector algebra, Laws of vector algebra, Unit vectors, Components of a vector, Dot or scalar product, Cross or vector product, Triple products, Derivatives of vectors. Integrals of vectors, Velocity, Acceleration. Relative velocity and acceleration, Tangential and normal acceleration. Notation for time derivatives, Gradient, divergence and curl, Line integrals.

Newton’s laws, Definition of force and mass, inertial frames of reference. Absolute motion, Work, Power, Kinetic energy, Conservative force fields, Potential energy or potentials, Conservation of energy, Impulse, torque and angular momentum, Conservation of momentum, Conservation of angular momentum, Non-conservative forces 

Uniform force fields, uniformly accelerated motion. Weight and acceleration due to gravity, freely falling bodies. Projectiles, Potential and potential energy in a uniform force field, Motion in a resisting medium, constrained motion. Friction, statics in uniform gravitational fields 

Central forces, some important properties of central force fields, Equations of motion for a particle in a central force field, important equations deduced from the equations of motion. Potential energy of a particle in a central force field, Conservation of energy, Determination of the orbit from the central force. Determination of central force from the orbit. 

This course introduces students to the science of materials.  It considers the understanding of forces of interaction between atoms of solids, basic crystal structures and how they relate to the mechanical properties of Engineering materials.  Topics treated include crystal imperfections, diffusion mechanisms, strength of materials, types of corrosion and corrosion control.

This course would lay emphasis on wave theory of light, its properties including superposition of light waves. Light properties in matter would be discussed. Students would learn the concepts of light such as scattering, refraction, interference, diffraction, polarization and various forms of interferometers. The basic concepts of lasers would also be introduced. This course applies the principles of Optics in instrumentation and engineering.