Physics

This course provides an introduction to astronomy, from the earliest theories through to the most current scientific knowledge of the universe. Topics include the solar system, extrasolar planets, the sun, stars and their evolution, black holes, gravitational waves and the Big Bang. There is an emphasis on the role of space-based technology in our understanding of the formation and evolution of the universe and its contents. This course is not highly mathematical or quantitative and is probably not appealing to students seeking a rigorous mathematical introduction to the subject.

The Individual Research Training Senior (IRT Senior) Course is an advanced course of the Individual Research Training A (IRT A) course in the Tohoku University Junior Year Program in English (JYPE) in the fall semester. Though short-term international exchange students are not degree candidates at Tohoku University, a similar experience is offered by special arrangement. Students are required to submit: an abstract concerning the results of their IRT Senior project, a paper (A4, 20-30 pages) on their research at the end of the exchange term, and an oral presentation on the results of their IRT Senior project near the end of the term.

This course provides fundamental physical concepts and basic mathematical tools necessary for undergraduate students of the Department of Nuclear Engineering to take core courses offered in this department successfully. The course covers the most essential parts of classical mechanics; electricity and magnetism; thermodynamics and statistical physics, and fluid mechanics. A background in college-level freshman physics and mathematics is required. 

This course studies the scientific aspects of Western (or European) music particularly focusing on its mathematical and physical aspects. The first half of the course reviews the history of European musical scales since Pythagoras, and thereby discusses how mathematics played important roles in their development. The course also covers the concept of harmony as it evolved through the intimate relations between science and music until the Renaissance. 

The second half of the course studies the physics of vibrational motions and sound waves using high-school level mathematics. Based on these, the course exposes how various musical instruments produce their characteristic sounds.  The course also provides opportunities to learn how scientific and technological advances have influenced European classical music.

This is an intermediate course in quantum mechanics with a focus on how to formulate quantum mechanical calculations. The course starts with the Dirac-notation and the fundamental postulates, then several important exactly solvable systems are treated. Finally, the course introduces various approximation methods.

This course provides an introduction to numerical methods for solving problems in physics and chemistry, including methods for solving ordinary and partial differential equations, matrix operations and eigenvalue problems, numerical integration, Monte Carlo methods, and modeling. The course also covers a short and hands-on introduction to programming in C++ and version control with git, and provides training in how to write a scientific report.

This course in astronomy is designed for students with no physics background. Key topics include introduction to our Universe; observation in astronomy; origin of modern astronomy. Newton's law of motions; gravity; light, atoms and telescope. The Sun; stellar formation and evolution; white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes. The Milky Way Galaxy; Normal galaxies, active galaxies and supermassive black holes. Foundation of modern cosmology; dark matter, dark energy and the fate of the Universe; and the beginning of time.

This course explores how physicists developed quantitative reasoning to deepen the understanding of natural phenomena and to escape from scientific absurdity. It focuses on Newtonian Mechanics in three dimensional Euclidean space. The course also covers quantitative approaches begining with elementary algebraic methods to reach differential Calculus invented by physicists, Newton, and Leibniz independently. Finally, the course investigates the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian versions of classical mechanics that are equivalent to the Newtonian version.

This course introduces a variety of central algorithms and methods essential for studies of statistical data analysis and machine learning. It is project-based and through the various projects it exposes fundamental research problems in these fields to reproduce state-of-the-art scientific results. The course provides an opportunity to develop and structure large codes for studying these systems, get acquainted with computing facilities, and learn how to handle large scientific projects. Throughout the course, good scientific and ethical conduct is emphasized.