PHYS3100

Vibrations and Waves

Name: Vibrations and Waves
Rating: 3.65 (77 reviews)

This course is an introduction to the phenomena of vibrations and waves that span most of the areas in physics. The basic subject matter includes the following: mechanical vibrations and waves, free and forced vibrations and resonances, coupled oscillations and normal modes, vibration of continuous systems, propagation of mechanical and electromagnetic waves, phase and group velocity, interference and diffraction. The course also covers the basic concepts in first and second order differential equations, matrices, eigenvalues and eigenvectors and Fourier series.

Course overview

Department: Physics
School: MCAS
Credits: 4

Requirements fulfilled

No source-backed degree requirement is attached to this course yet.

Official evaluation summary

3.65 / 5

Based on 77 aggregate responses from BC Avalanche/Blue evaluations.

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-07-23. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors

David Broido
Fall 2026, Fall 2025, Fall 2024, Fall 2023 · Official rating 3.90/5
Kenneth Burch
Fall 2022, Fall 2021 · Official rating 3.52/5

Sections

Section 01
Fall 2026 · David Broido · Experiment instructions given Mondays at 4PM. Sign up required for two-hr slot to perform experiments.;Higgins Hall 225 TuTh 12:00 Noon-01:15PM;Higgins Hall 250 M 04:00PM-05:00PM · Offered