Dr. Dubson's research centers on educational value of computer simulations, and the reform of undergraduate physics courses. He collaborates primarily with Profs. Steven Pollock, Katherine Perkins, and Noah Finkelstein.
keywords
physics education research, educational software, curriculum development
Teaching
courses taught
PHYS 1110 - General Physics 1
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Fall 2019 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 / Fall 2021 / Fall 2022 / Fall 2024
First semester of three-semester sequence for science and engineering students. Covers kinematics, dynamics, momentum of particles and rigid bodies, work and energy, gravitation, and simple harmonic motion. Degree credit not granted for this course and PHYS 1115.
PHYS 1115 - General Physics 1 for Majors
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2021
First semester of three semester sequence for physics, engineering physics and astronomy majors. Covers kinematics, dynamics momentum of particles and rigid bodies, work and energy, gravitation, and simple harmonic motion. Degree credit not granted for this course and PHYS 1110.
PHYS 1120 - General Physics 2
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Spring 2019 / Spring 2020 / Spring 2022 / Spring 2023 / Spring 2024
Three lect., one rec. per week, plus three evening exams in the fall and spring semesters. Second semester of three-semester introductory sequence for science and engineering students. Covers electricity and magnetism, wave motion and optics. Normally is taken concurrently with PHYS 1140. Degree credit not granted for this course and PHYS 1125.
PHYS 2020 - General Physics 2
Primary Instructor
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Summer 2020 / Summer 2021
Includes three lectures, one two-hour laboratory/recitation per week, plus three evening exams in the fall and spring semesters. Covers electricity and magnetism, light and modern physics. Designed for life science majors, including premed students. Natural science majors with a knowledge of calculus and others taking calculus are urged to take the calculus-based courses PHYS 1110, PHYS 1120, PHYS 1140 and PHYS 2130, rather than PHYS 2010 and PHYS 2020.
PHYS 2210 - Classical Mechanics and Mathematical Methods 1
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2023
Theoretical Newtonian mechanics, including position and velocity dependent forces, oscillation, stability, non-inertial frames and gravitation from extended bodies. Ordinary differential equations, vector algebra, curvilinear coordinates, complex numbers, and Fourier series will be introduced in the context of the mechanics.
PHYS 4430 - Advanced Laboratory
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2019
Two lectures, one lab per week. Experiments introduce students to realities of the experimental physics so they gain a better understanding of theory and an appreciation of the vast amount of experimental work done in the physical sciences today. Same as PHYS 5430.
PHYS 7650 - Nonlinear and Nano-Optics
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018
Covers the field of ultrafast optics including both experimental and theoretical aspects. Topics include: description of ultrashort optical pulses, propagation of pulses including dispersion and nonlinearity, their integration, measurement and manipulation and their use in applications including spectroscopy. Recommended prerequisites: PHYS 4510 or PHYS 5160.
