Department of Physics and Astronomy

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Department of Physics and Astronomy
Michigan State University
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Physics is a branch of science
pure knowledge obtained from research
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Science (pure knowledge) leads to technology
(applied knowledge).
Technology Electric motors Science The
magnetic force on an electric current
Technology Electric generators Science Faraday
s law of electromagnetic induction
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Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State University

• Main research groups
• Nuclear Physics, the NSCL
• High-Energy Physics at Fermilab and CERN
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Many students get involved in research projects
  as part of their education.
• www.pa.msu.edu

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Nuclear physics National Superconducting
Cyclotron Lab
Chart of the Nuclides
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High-energy physics experiments at Fermilab
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Condensed Matter Physics
Keck Microfabrication Facility
The SQUID
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SOuthern Astrophysical Research (SOAR)
Telescope
The SOAR telescope is a 4.2-meter
aperture telescope funded by a partnership
between the US National Optical Astronomy
Observatories (NOAO), the Country of Brazil,
Michigan State University, and the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The project is
fully funded and under construction atop Cerro
Pachón at the Cerro Tololo Interamerican
Observatory (CTIO) in the Chilean Andes. The
telescope is being designed to support science in
both high quality imaging and spectroscopy in the
optical and near infrared wavelengths. The f/16
Ritchey-Chrétien optical design shall deliver a
12-arcmin diameter field of view with a tip/tilt
stabilized image through a telescope with 0.18
arcsec image quality.
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A Physics Major as the Preparation for a Career

• Examples of career choices of MSU physics majors
• Scientific research
• Education (college or high school)
• Industrial research
• Engineering
• Computing (software, hardware, or networks)
• Law, medicine, business ?
• Some of these require graduate or professional
  school.
• Physics is a good preparation for many career
  options.

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A typical schedule of courses for a first-year
student majoring in physics
Fall Semester Fall Semester Spring semester Spring semester
PHY 170 3 credits PHY 183 4 credits
PHY 101 1 PHY 102 1
MTH 132 3 MTH 133 4
CEM 151 4 CEM 152 3
ATL 4 BIO 4
PHY 183 Physics for Scientists I PHY 102 Physics
computations I MTH 133 Calculus II BIO A
course on biology
PHY 170 Investigations in Physics PHY 101
Concepts in Physics MTH 132 Calculus I CEM
Chemistry ATL Writing course