Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE EMP1007

 
TITLE The Physics of Earth Systems

 
UM LEVEL 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL Not Applicable

 
ECTS CREDITS 5

 
DEPARTMENT Environmental Management and Planning

 
DESCRIPTION This study-unit will focus on the physical principles of Earth Systems, and build strongly on the fundamental concepts of the laws of motion, energy, fields and wave phenomena, and basic nuclear physics. These concepts will be applied to an understanding of planetary motion, the Earth's gravitational and magnetic fields, Earth’s internal structure, thermal properties and the age of the Earth.

Study-unit Aims:

The aim of this study unit is to:
- provide the students with the necessary physical/mathematical knowledge and skills they will need in order to evaluate situations and processes they will meet later in the course;
- provide the students with a fundamental understanding of how the physical Earth works.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

a. State the basic laws of physics and recognize the various situations where these laws apply;
b. recognize the scale of various physical phenomena related to Earth;
c. describe quantitatively the motion of the earth as a planet in the solar system;
d. describe and explain the earth’s gravity field and its various levels of approximation and anomalies;
e. give an account of the earth’s internal structure and the mathematical/geophysical tools that are used to study it;
f. give an account of the earth’s magnetic field and its origins;
g. discuss the earth’s age and its thermal properties and the relationship between them.

2. Skills:
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

a. identify the physical laws that apply to a number of situations involving various regions of the earth;
b. solve simple physical problems related to different regions and physical processes of the earth;
c. discuss a variety of properties, processes and dynamic features that are characteristic of the earth;
d. discuss the impacts on, and interaction of such processes with the environment and society, from the point of view of the laws and constraints of physics.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main Texts:
Young, H. D. & Freedman, R. A., 1992. University Physics. Pearson/Addison Wesley. 12th Edition. ISBN: 0-201-526-90-5.
Lowrie, W.,1997. Fundamentals of Geophysics. Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 0-521-46728-4.
Grotzinger,J., Jordan, T. H., Press, F. & Siever, R.,, 1993. Understanding Earth. Freeman. 5th Edition. ISBN: 0-7167-2239-9.

Supplementary Text:
Davidson, J.P. Reed, W. E. & Davis, P. M. 2001. Exploring Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology. Prentice-Hall. 2nd Edition. ISBN: 978-013-0183-729.

 
ADDITIONAL NOTES An Intermediate Level pass at grade C or better is required in at least one of the following subjects: Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Geography or Sociology.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment Yes 20%
Examination (2 Hours) Yes 80%

 
LECTURER/S Daniela Farrugia
Daniel Sultana

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit