PHYS2201 – Classical Mechanics
This core second year physics course develops classical mechanics. The least action formulation of classical mechanics is developed and related to quantum mechanics. Hamiltonian mechanics is also introduced, as are the tensor properties of materials. The course examines wave phenomena in continuous media, including diffraction and Fourier theory, and continuum mechanics in fluids. The course material is supported throughout by examples taken from recent research on mechanical systems, nano-optics, atomic physics, biological systems, fluid mechanics and laser physics. Computer models provide an opportunity to explore various concepts presented in lectures, including coupled linear oscillators and chaotic dynamics in driven non-linear oscillators. Complementing the lectures, this course contains a laboratory component. Some experiments are essentially qualitative and support lecture material, while others allow development of important skills in quantitative experimental physics.

EMSC2021 – Fundamentals of Climate Science
Climate change has been identified as one of the biggest challenges facing humankind. The goal of this course is to provide students with the scientific principles and empirical evidence that underpin the modern understanding of anthropogenic climate change. We will develop a quantitative understanding of the fundamental physics (radiation and surface energy balance, dynamics) governing the Earth System. We will examine the synthesis of climate observations to discern current global trends and investigate past climates. In particular, we will analyse uncertainties in the current predictions and outline ways in which the scientific community is moving to refine these predictions. Key components of the course will be informed using insights from ongoing research within the ARC Centre of Excellence in Climate Extremes (CLEx).

EMSC3039/PHYS3039 – Climate Dynamics
Understanding the weather and climate – and how it is now changing – is of vital importance to the Australian industry and society. The goal of this course is to provide students with a quantitative understanding of the ocean and atmosphere processes that underpin weather and climate. The course content begins with the fundamentals of fluid flow and how air/ocean flows are modelled (e.g., weather and climate prediction) using equations solved by computers; and as part of the course, students will learn to run and analyse their own climate system model. We will then investigate key dynamical processes in the ocean and atmosphere including planetary waves, weather fronts, convection, ocean boundary currents, swell, and ocean eddies, with student learning supported by hands-on fluid dynamics experiments in the world-class Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at the Research School of Earth Sciences. In the final part of the course, we will develop quantitative understanding of the coupled ocean-atmosphere dynamics that regulate Australian weather and rainfall, including the El Nino Southern Oscillation, Southern Annular Mode, Tropical Cyclones and the Monsoon. Key components of the course will be informed using insights from ongoing research within the ARC Centre of Excellence in Climate Extremes (CLEx) and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Weather of the 21st Century (W21C).