33-151 Matter and Interactions I
12 units, Carnegie Mellon University
For students with a strong physics background who are interested in using calculus-based mechanics to learn about topics such as dark matter, particle physics, and quantum phenomena, Matter and Interactions I provides an excellent alternative to Physics for Science Students. This course places great emphasis on constructing and using physical models, with a special focus on computer modeling to solve problems. Throughout the course, both traditional analytics techniques and scientific computing will be used to solve mechanical problems going from planetary systems, spring-based systems and nuclear scattering. Topics covered include Newton's Laws, microscopic models of solids, energy, energy quantization, mass-energy equivalence, multi particle systems, collisions, angular momentum including quantized angular momentum, kinetic theory of gases and statistical mechanics. Students conduct team research projects that will be presented at a departmental poster session at the end of the semester. This course has a co-requisite of 21-122.
Prerequisites: 21-120
Offered: Fall 2026, Fall 2025
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