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: nucleation and spinodal decomposition
* Polymeric materials:rubber
* Statistics of polymer chains
* Self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules
*Brownian motion
* Colloidal particles and the forces between them
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Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites | None |
High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 30 |
Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 16,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 4,
Summative Assessment Hours 3,
Revision Session Hours 3,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
72 )
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Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
50 %,
Coursework
50 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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Additional Information (Assessment) |
50% Coursework
50% Examination |
Feedback |
Not entered |
Exam Information |
Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | Soft Condensed Matter Physics | 3:180 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of phase behaviour and phase transitions in soft matter.
- explain which forces act on and between colloidal particles and derive the main equations governing them
- Discuss the properties and characterization of polymers and derive the main models to describe their behaviour.
- Demonstrate an understanding of self-assembly.
- 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 | SCMP |
Contacts
Course organiser | Dr Patrick Pietzonka
Tel:
Email: ppietzon@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Katy Brown
Tel: (01316) 505310
Email: kbrown12@ed.ac.uk |
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