Continue Learning with Course 2: Light and Materials

Learn the behaviors of electromagnetic waves.

Light and Materials is an exploration of electromagnetic waves, also known as light, and how it interacts with the most interesting and important material in the world.

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DESCRIPTION

Physics of Waves and Optics: Light and Materials (Course 2)

The second course in the Physics of Waves and Optics specialization, Light and Materials is an introduction to the physics of waves and light. Upon completion, learners will understand how mathematical laws and conservation principles describe wave propagation and light in the context of both geometrical and physical optics. This second course covers Electromagnetic Plane Waves, the Fresnel Equations, and Polarization. Inside each module, learners have access to complete video lectures, conceptual quizzes, and practice problems. This comprehensive course is similar in detail and rigor to those taught on-campus at Rice. It will thoroughly prepare learners for their upcoming introductory physics courses or more advanced courses in physics.

Who should attend:

University students looking to supplement their current physics courses with more physics practice problems and explanations.
University students who have completed their first year of university-level physics and plan to take more advanced physics courses.
People with a strong mathematical background who have an interest in general physics or the field of optics.

You will be able to:

Solve complex mathematical problems related to light and its interactions with materials including electromagnetic plane waves, reflection and refraction, light behavior at boundaries, polarization and its applications, internal reflection, and scattering.
Evaluate real-world data regarding light and its interactions with materials.
Build a foundation that prepares them for studying advanced topics in physics.

LECTURE SAMPLES

MEET YOUR RICE PROFESSOR

Professor Jason Hafner

Jason Hafner earned his Ph.D. from Rice University in 1998 under Richard Smalley for work on carbon nanotubes, and pursued postdoctoral studies at Harvard University with Charles Lieber. He returned to Rice in 2001 to join the faculty where his lab studies nanophotonics and interfacial biology. Hafner was named a Beckman Young Investigtor in 2002, and won the Norman Hackerman Award for Chemical Research from the Welch Foundation in 2011. He is currently a Professor of Physics and Astronomy and of Chemistry. Hafner is a Member of Scientia at Rice and has served as an Associate Editor for ACS Nano from 2010 - 2017. He has taught freshman and sophomore physics for the past nine years, and is a member of Rice's Center for Teaching Excellence.

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