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A physical model has a domain
Geometric optics, wave optics, relativity, and quantum mechanics each work because they model different regimes well. A big part of the course is learning when one description stops being enough.
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01:750:228 · Physics · School 01 — New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences
Analytical Physics IIb is Rutgers's calculus-based continuation of the analytical physics sequence, covering waves and optics, special relativity, early quantum physics, atomic structure, condensed matter, nuclear physics, and elementary particles through lecture plus workshop recitation.
Can I take it?
General Physics · Calculus II For Mathematical And Physical Sciences · Analytical Physics II
How hard?
Students rate teaching
SIRS · 1,404 responses · 2016–2025
Spring 2027
13 open in snapshot · 1 instructor
When it meets
Busch
Checked-in sections · current seat counts are unavailable.
MTh 12:25 PM · Busch · 13 sections · 13 open
AI-generated overview
Higher means more demanding · AI summary
5 units · topic sequence may vary by instructor
The course usually opens with geometric optics and then quickly moves into wave behavior. Official Rutgers topic lists and the Fall 2024 schedule place reflection, refraction, mirrors, lenses, interference, thin films, diffraction, and polarization at the front of the semester so students can switch between ray pictures and wave pictures of light.
After optics, the class pivots into spacetime, Lorentz transformations, and relativistic kinematics. This is where the course starts asking students to reorganize everyday intuition about time, distance, and momentum into a more formal physical model.
The modern-physics section begins with photons and wave-particle duality, then uses those ideas to motivate atomic models. Rutgers's official topic sequence moves from photons to particles and waves, then into atoms and the Bohr model.
Once the course reaches one-dimensional quantum mechanics, students start working with potentials, wavefunctions, and the hydrogen atom. The emphasis is introductory rather than proof-heavy, but the material still asks for careful conceptual reasoning about what a quantum state means.
Late-semester material broadens from atoms to solid-state ideas, semiconductors, nuclear processes, and elementary particles. The official Rutgers teaching site places condensed matter before nuclear physics, then ends with fission, fusion, radioactive decay, and a first look at particle physics and the Standard Model.
Public r/rutgers threads consistently describe 750:228 as interesting but demanding. Students often say IIb feels more engaging than the earlier analytical physics term, but they still treat it as a course where conceptual practice, recitation participation, and lots of problem solving matter more than passive review.
Geometric optics, wave optics, relativity, and quantum mechanics each work because they model different regimes well. A big part of the course is learning when one description stops being enough.
Time, position, momentum, and energy still matter, but relativity and quantum theory change how those quantities relate and how precisely they can be interpreted.
You are not just learning formulas. You are learning how probability, quantization, and wave behavior reshape atomic-scale reasoning.
Atomic spectra, semiconductor behavior, radioactive decay, and particle classifications all depend on the underlying structure of matter and the allowed ways it can change.
Common pitfall
Instead
Before calculating, identify which physical model the problem is using and what assumptions make that model valid.
Common pitfall
Instead
Draw rays, wave fronts, or interference geometry first so the algebra reflects an actual physical setup.
Common pitfall
Instead
Study how the equations are motivated and what each variable means physically, not just the final expression.
Common pitfall
Instead
Use recitation, homework, and outside explanations early; later modules build directly on the optics, relativity, and photon foundations.
13 open · Busch
| Section | Status | Instructor | Meeting | Campus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0116317 | Open | John Chou | Monday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Thursday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Tuesday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at SEC 211PHY 001SEC 211 | Busch |
| 0216318 | Open | John Chou | Monday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Thursday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Wednesday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at SEC 204PHY 001SEC 204 | Busch |
| 0316319 | Open | John Chou | Monday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Thursday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Tuesday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at SEC 220PHY 001SEC 220 | Busch |
| 0416320 | Open | John Chou | Monday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Thursday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Wednesday 3:50 PM-5:10 PM at SEC 218PHY 001SEC 218 | Busch |
| 0516321 | Open | John Chou | Monday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Thursday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Wednesday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at SEC 220PHY 001SEC 220 | Busch |
| 0616322 | Open | John Chou | Monday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Thursday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Wednesday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at SEC 204PHY 001SEC 204 | Busch |
| 0716323 | Open | John Chou | Monday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Thursday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Wednesday 8:30 AM-9:50 AM at SEC 218PHY 001SEC 218 | Busch |
| 0816324 | Open | John Chou | Monday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Thursday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Tuesday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at SEC 204PHY 001SEC 204 | Busch |
| 0916325 | Open | John Chou | Monday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Thursday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Tuesday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at SEC 218PHY 001SEC 218 | Busch |
| 1016326 | Open | John Chou | Monday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Thursday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Wednesday 5:40 PM-7:00 PM at SEC 204PHY 001SEC 204 | Busch |
| 1116327 | Open | John Chou | Monday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Thursday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Wednesday 7:30 PM-8:50 PM at SEC 218PHY 001SEC 218 | Busch |
| 1216328 | Open | John Chou | Monday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Thursday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Wednesday 5:40 PM-7:00 PM at SEC 218PHY 001SEC 218 | Busch |
| 1316329 | Open | John Chou | Monday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Thursday 12:25 PM-1:20 PM at PHY 001; Tuesday 5:40 PM-7:00 PM at SEC 218PHY 001SEC 218 | Busch |
Historical student surveys
Teaching
3.85
Course quality
3.71
Response rate
37.0%
Coverage
31 offerings · 2016–2025
| Instructor | Offerings | Teaching | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roy Montalvo | 5 | 4.20 | 3.86 |
| Wugalter Ari | 3 | 2.90 | 3.20 |
| Andrew Mastbaum | 2 | 4.25 | 4.10 |
| Montalvo Roy | 2 | 4.20 | 3.95 |
| Zimmermann F | 2 | 3.85 | 3.70 |
| Zimmermann Frank | 2 | 3.65 | 3.60 |
Catalog and planning context
Credits
3
Current campuses
Busch
Current availability
13 open of 13
Catalog terms
Fall, Spring, Summer
Core codes
NS
Loaded terms
6
((01:750:204 or 01:750:204) and (01:640:152))<em> OR </em> ((01:750:227 or 01:750:227) and (01:640:152))<em> OR </em> ((01:750:272 or 01:750:272) and (01:640:152))
No direct degree-list membership appears in the checked-in requirement index.