Physics
The Physics program offers a full set of Physics classes, ranging from General Education courses to university transfer classes for science and engineering majors.
Physics Programs
Physics AS-T
The Associate in Science in Physics for Transfer will be awarded after completion of 60 CSU transferable semester units of coursework consisting of 30 semester units in the major and 30 units of General Education (9 units from the major preparation may be double counted to meet the 39 units of General Education courses required by CSUs for transfer).
Physics AS
The Associate of Science in Physics program is comprised of a sequence of courses, with 43 units in the major, typically required as lower division preparation for transfer in a science or engineering major at a four-year school. Students wishing to enter the program of study should have completed precalculus level math and are encouraged to consult with a counselor as transfer institutions may have additional lower-division major preparation requirements.
Physics Courses
The student learns the basic principles of physics: mechanics, forces, Newton’s laws, fluids, oscillations, heat, optics, sound, electricity and magnetism, and relativity, by applying them to analyses of popular movie scenes to gauge their level of physical plausibility and realism.
Students learn a practical and historical overview of basic physics, including laws of motion, properties of matter, heat, sound, electricity and magnetism, light, atomic and nuclear physics, and relativity, and is reminded of their role in technology and culture today. No mathematical preparation is needed.
The student will learn to use basic laboratory techniques to understand and apply simple physical laws and concepts, including the use of graphs, calculators and simple measurements to understand and measure the speed of sound, forces, densities, velocities, indexes of re