Undergraduate Course: Soft Condensed Matter Physics (PHYS10097)
Course Outline
| School | School of Physics and Astronomy |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | Soft Condensed Matter Physics studies complex fluids in which intermediate level structures with length scale between small molecules and the macroscopic world exist: colloidal particles, polymers, and aggregates spontaneously formed by soap-like (surfac- tant) molecules. This course emphasises the generic features of these systems (most im- portantly, Brownian motion), and develops simple models to account for their behaviour. It will also look at how the principle of soft matter physics can give insight into biological problems. |
| Course description |
* Material properties of gases, liquids and solids; atomic and molecular interactions
* Phase transitions and phase diagrams
* Viscous, elastic and viscoelastic behaviour of materials
* Glasses and the glass transition
* Liquid-liquid demixing and the regular solution model
* Interfaces and the kinetics of phase transitions: spinodal decomposition; homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation
* Colloidal dispersions: Brownian motion of colloids; intercolloidal forces; colloidal phase behaviour
* Polymeric materials
* Statistics of polymer chains
* Polymer viscoelasticity
* Self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules
* Self-assembly of polymers
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Electromagnetism (PHYS09060)
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 16,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 11,
Summative Assessment Hours 3,
Revision Session Hours 3,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
65 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
50% exam and 50% coursework |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | Soft Condensed Matter Physics | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Upon successful completion of this course it is intended that a student will be able to:
1) demonstrate an understanding of phase behaviour and phase transitions in soft matter;
2) explain Brownian motion in the framework of the Einstein equation;
3) discuss the behaviour of interacting colloidal particles;
4) discuss the properties of polymers and derive the main models to describe their behaviour;
5) demonstrate an understanding of self-assembly;
6) demonstrate a grasp of the order of magnitude of the central quantities and develop confidence with "intuitive" estimates as well as calculations based on concepts presented in this course.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | SoftCMP |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Paul Clegg
Tel: (0131 6)50 5295
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Rebecca Thomas
Tel: (0131 6)50 7218
Email: |
|
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