Mineral Sciences: IB
Physics and Chemistry of Earth and Planetary Materials
About the course:
Natural materials are fundamentally important to our understan
ding of
the Earth and other planets. Whether we are studying the formation of
the solar system, the origin of volcanic eruptions, the meaning of
magnetic anomalies on Mars, or the environmental consequences of the
nuclear power industry, our understanding of the physical and chemical
behaviour of natural materials plays a crucial role.
Part IB Mineral Sciences, which is available for the last time in 2010-11, develops from the Part IA Materials & Mineral Sciences course (now IA Materials Science). It describes the physical and chemical
properties of inorganic crystals, glasses and liquids, with
applications ranging from planetary and environmental sciences through
to modern materials applications in communications and information
technologies. The core science areas covered in Part IB Mineral
Sciences include the physics and chemistry of crystals, glasses,
magnetic materials, phase transitions, lattice dynamics, and materials
properties. The underpinning techniques include diffraction,
spectroscopy and computer simulation. For more details, see the
detailed Course Outline. Students also get the chance to carry out their own Research Project.
Mineral Sciences is a multidisciplinary subject, and this course covers
a wide range of topics and skills development that are extremely useful
for students who are also taking the Chemistry, Physics, Materials
Science and Geological Sciences IB courses. It also leads naturally to
the Mineral Sciences options within Part II and Part III Geological Sciences. See our Course Combinations page for full details of which courses go well with IB Mineral Sciences.
Mineral Sciences is taught within the Department of Earth Sciences. For more information, please e-mail the course coordinators at: JavaScript must be turned on for you to be able to see this address
Last updated on 20-Aug-10 07:48