PHYS 2208

PHYS 2208

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

PHYS 2208 follows PHYS 2207 in the two-semester introduction to physics intended for students majoring in biological science, physical science, or mathematics. PHYS 2208 provides a rich exposure to the methods of physics and to the basic analytical and scientific skills required by all scientists. Lectures are highly interactive and illustrated with applications from the sciences, medicine, and everyday life. Labs highlight lecture topics via a hands-on environment. Recitation sections reinforce the lecture topics via cooperative problem-solving. The course content includes electricity and magnetism, electric circuits, waves, optics, and topics from quantum mechanics, atomic physics, nuclear physics, and particle physics. The course is taught at the level of "College Physics" by Knight, Jones, and Field. If you have not had calculus, or do not feel confident with calculus, you are likely to still be able to succeed in this course. We encourage anyone who is unsure to reach out to the instructor to discuss the math level of the class.


Prerequisites PHYS 2207 or PHYS 1112 or PHYS 1101; and MATH 1110 or MATH 1106 or high school calculus.

Forbidden Overlaps AEP 2170, PHYS 1102, PHYS 2208, PHYS 2213, PHYS 2217

Enrollment Priority Discuss with the lead instructor or an academic advisor if you plan to take this course after PHYS 1101, as materials covered may differ from PHYS 2207.

Distribution Requirements (CHPH-AG, OPHLS-AG), (PHS-AS), (SCT-IL)

Last 4 Terms Offered 2025FA, 2025SP, 2024FA, 2024SP

Learning Outcomes

  • Define fundamental physics principles, quantities, and relationships between quantities associated with electricity and magnetism and waves in words, using diagrams, and with mathematical symbols.
  • Generate, make sense of, evaluate, and apply mathematical models to describe the world around you, including familiar and novel contexts. Mathematical models can be symbolic and graphical representations, as well as models of experimental data.
  • Use a small set of tools together to solve a wide variety of unfamiliar problems flexibly; make a plan and solve problems for which there is no single correct, or obvious, procedure to use.
  • Describe the interdisciplinary nature of science and draw connections between physics, biology, chemistry, and other sciences as well as everyday life.

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session.  Choose one lecture, one discussion, and one laboratory.

  • 4 Credits Stdnt Opt

  •  5538 PHYS 2208   LEC 001

    • MWF
    • Jan 20 - May 5, 2026
    • Liepe, M

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    For Physics course enrollment help, please see: https://physics.cornell.edu/enrollment-guide.

  •  5539 PHYS 2208   LEC 002

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    For Physics course enrollment help, please see: https://physics.cornell.edu/enrollment-guide.

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