Courses

Brian F. Donovan, Associate Professor

This is THE fundemental physics course. Every midshipmen needs to take it. It builds on your physical intuition about the world around you and allows you to become quantitative in your understanding of the mechanics of the physical world.
Topics include kinematics, force, energy, rotational motion, and wave motion
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This core physics course is required for every midshipmen at USNA. It's focus goes beyond the intutitive mechanics taught in SP211 and builds physics fundementals up so that students can tackle more complex core courses in their educational future.
Topics include electricity, magnetism, and optics
Example Syllabus (Removed for Compliance with EO)
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This is a great foundational course that every physics major needs to take. It will set you up for lots more complex physical systems in the future and fills in the gaps between the other fundemental intro physics courses. This is a lab based course that focuses on good lab skills and demonstrations of fundemental concepts.
Topics include Thermodynamics, Oscillations, Waves, and Optics
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This class is a really interesting advanced physics course where we learn about the fundemental properties that make solid materials what they are. We delve into some foundational materials science and physics concepts, build on the fundemental physics that students have gained over their education at USNA, and develop and understanding that culminates in complex semiconductor device design! This is a lab course, so students will get hands on expeirence with solid state physics characterization and fabrication techniques.
Topics include Crystallography, Phonon Thermal Transport, Electronic Transport, Semiconductor Properties, and Solid State Devices
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Example Final Project Guidelines
Example Lab Report Guidelines