College of Letters and Science
2-707 Physics and Astronomy Building
Box 951547
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1547
Physics and Astronomy
310-825-3440
Wesley C. Campbell, PhD, Vice Chair, Resources
Jay Hauser, PhD, Vice Chair, Academic Affairs
Alice E. Shapley, PhD, Vice Chair, Astronomy
Since the time of the ancient Greeks, a natural affinity has existed between astronomy and physics, and the intellectual development of the two disciplines has often proceeded synergistically. Newton’s discovery of the laws of mechanics and universal gravitation not only explained motion on Earth, but brought the heavens and Earth into a single quantitative framework in which both are governed by the same laws. The revolutionary discoveries of twentieth-century physics—quantum mechanics and nuclear physics—were rapidly adopted by astronomers to interpret the spectroscopic observations of the stars and to construct accurate models of stellar structure. Einstein’s general theory of relativity predicted the expansion of the universe and that most awesome compaction of matter—the black hole.
Today astronomers study the accretion of matter onto supermassive black holes in quasars and search the most distant regions of the universe to learn about the exotic physical conditions that existed when the universe’s expansion was only fractions of a second old. By measuring the gravitational interactions on distance scales from galaxies to the vast superclusters of galaxies, astronomers have concluded that most of the universe’s matter is dark or nonluminous; physicists have speculated that this dark matter may consist of yet-undiscovered exotic particles that are predicted by the most advanced theories of elementary particle physics.
Department of Physics and Astronomy faculty members and students are able to study the universe in the holistic manner that is demanded by the breadth of these two disciplines.
The department offers general courses to all UCLA students, including those who are not science oriented.
Astronomy 3 is the fundamental one-term course for students who do not major in physical sciences and should be taken in the first or second year.
Astronomy 4, 5, and 6 develop the topics covered in course 3 to somewhat greater depths but are still aimed at nonscience majors. Course 4 discusses stellar and supermassive black holes; course 5 concentrates on the problem of life in the universe; course 6 discusses the structure and evolution of the universe.
Astronomy 81 and 82 are general survey courses recommended for science majors in their second year. They systematically introduce astrophysics and require a good background in physics and mathematics (at least two terms of the Physics 1 series and two terms of the Mathematics 31and 32 series).
Students of junior and senior standing in Physics or related sciences are invited to select any of these courses: Astronomy 115, 117, 127, 140, 180.
Students who wish to use physics to satisfy part of the general education requirements in the physical sciences and who have no mathematics background beyond the high school mathematics required for admission to UCLA may take Physics 10.
Physics 1A, 1B, and 1C, or 1AH, 1BH, and 1CH form sequences of courses in general physics for majors in Physics.
The department takes into account prior preparation in physics. If students feel their background would permit acceleration, they may be exempted from one course in the 1A, 1B, 1C sequence by taking the final examination with a class at the end of any term. This serves as a placement examination. A satisfactory score on one or both parts of the College Board Advanced Placement Physics C Test may also serve as a placement examination, but placement is not automatic. Students should discuss such possibilities with their departmental adviser.
Physics 5A, 5B, 5C form a one-year sequence of courses in basic physics for students in the biological and health sciences.
Any two or more courses from Physics 1A, 1AH, and 5A, are limited to a total of 6 units of credit.
Physics and Astronomy courses are in the following subject areas:
