Basic Science Complementaries

Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences: An introduction to key physical processes operating in the atmosphere, designed for students in science and engineering. Topics typically include: composition of the atmosphere; vertical structure; heat transfer; solar and terrestrial radiation and Earth's energy balance; seasonal and daily temperature changes; humidity and the formation of clouds and precipitation; stability of tropospheric air layers; applications of adiabatic charts.

Offered by: Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences

• Fall
• 3 hours lecture
• Prerequisite: CEGEP Physics, or the combination of PHYS 131 and PHYS 142, or permission of instructor.

• Terms
  • Fall 2024
• Instructors
  • Evangelia Ioannidou

Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences: An introduction to key physical and dynamical processes in the oceans and atmosphere. Topics typically include air-sea-ice interactions, laws of motion, the geostrophic and thermal wind relations, general circulation of the atmosphere and oceans, weather, radiative balance, climate sensitivity and variability, role of the atmosphere and oceans in climate.

Offered by: Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences

• Winter
• 3 hours lecture
• Prerequisite: MATH 141

• Terms
  • Winter 2025
• Instructors
  • Robert Fajber

Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences: An introduction to the basic topics in atmospheric chemistry. The fundamentals of the chemical composition of the atmosphere and its chemical reactions. Selected topics such as smog chamber, acid rain, and ozone hole will be examined.

Offered by: Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences

• Winter
• 3 hours lecture
• Prerequisites: CHEM 110 and CHEM 120, and one of MATH 139 or MATH 140 or MATH 150, or a CEGEP DEC in Science, or permission of instructor.
• Restriction: Not open to students who have taken CHEM 219, CHEM 419 or ATOC 419
• Offered in odd years. Students should register in CHEM 219 in even years

• Terms
  • Winter 2025
• Instructors
  • Thomas C Preston

Biology (Sci): The physical and chemical properties of the cell and its components in relation to their structure and function. Topics include: protein structure, enzymes and enzyme kinetics; nucleic acid replication, transcription and translation; the genetic code, mutation, recombination, and regulation of gene expression.

Offered by: Biology

• Fall
• 3 hours lecture, 1 hour optional tutorial
• Prerequisite: BIOL 112 or equivalent
• Corequisite: CHEM 212 or equivalent, or CHEM 204

• Terms
  • Fall 2024
• Instructors
  • Kenneth E M Hastings, Paul Lasko, Shaun Turney, Rodrigo Reyes Lamothe, Serge Champetier

Biology (Sci): An introduction to the fundamental processes of ecology and evolution that bear on the nature and diversity of organisms and the processes that govern their assembly into ecological communities and their roles in ecosystem function.

Offered by: Biology

• Fall
• 3 hours lecture
• Prerequisite: BIOL 111
• Restriction: Not open to students who have taken ENVR 202

• Terms
  • Fall 2024
• Instructors
  • Neil Price, Rees Kassen, Gregor F Fussmann

Chemistry: The fundamentals of thermodynamics and chemical kinetics with applications to biomolecular systems. Thermodynamic and kinetic control of biological processes.

Offered by: Chemistry

• Fall
• Prerequisites: CHEM 110 and CHEM 120 or equivalent.
• Restrictions: Intended for students in biological science programs requiring only one course in physical chemistry. Not open to students who have taken or are taking CHEM 204 or CHEM 213 or CHEM 223 and CHEM 243.

• Terms
  • Fall 2024
• Instructors
  • Pallavi Sirjoosingh

Chemistry: A survey of reactions of aliphatic and aromatic compounds including modern concepts of bonding, mechanisms, conformational analysis, and stereochemistry.

Offered by: Chemistry

• Fall, Winter, Summer
• Prerequisite: CHEM 110 or equivalent.
• Corequisite: CHEM 120 or equivalent.
• Restrictions: Not open to students who are taking or have taken CHEM 212 or equivalent. Permission of the Department of Chemistry is required.
• Note: Some CEGEP programs provide equivalency for this course. For more information, please see the Department of Chemistry's Web page (http://www.chemistry.mcgill.ca/advising/outside/equivalent.htm).

• Terms
  • Fall 2024
• Instructors
  • Pallavi Sirjoosingh, Youla S Tsantrizos, Laura Pavelka, Nathan Luedtke

Environment: A systems approach to study the different components of the environment involved in global climate change: the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere. The interactions among these components. Their role in global climate change. The human dimension to global change.

Offered by: Bieler School of Environment

• Fall
• Section 001: Downtown Campus
• Section 051: Macdonald Campus

• Terms
  • Fall 2024
  • Winter 2025
• Instructors
  • Anthony Ricciardi, Christie Lovat
  • Christie Lovat

Earth & Planetary Sciences: Elementary crystallography, chemistry and identification of the principal rock-forming and ore minerals, in hand specimens and using optical microscopy. Demonstrations of other techniques applied to the identification of minerals and to the analysis of their composition and structure. Optional 2-day field trip.

Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences

• Fall
• 2 hours lectures, 3 hours laboratory
• Prerequisite(s): CHEM 110 or equivalent, or permission of the instructor.
• A nominal fee is charged to cover expenses of materials and supplies for identification kits (pen magnet, streak plate, hand lens and acid bottle) used to identify minerals during laboratory exercises.
• Des frais seront prelevés pour couvrir l'usage des collections d'enseignement et les accessoires (loupe, aimant, bouteille d'acide chlorhydrique dilué, plaque de porcelaine) essentiels à l'identification des minéraux pendant les travaux pratiques.

• Terms
  • Fall 2024
• Instructors
  • Jeanne Paquette, Don Baker

Earth System Science: Topics related to climate change, biogeochemical cycles and natural resources are evaluated from an Earth System perspective. Exploration of the scientific literature in targeted areas of Earth system science with a focus on human-Earth interactions. Emphasis is on complex global issues that cross traditional disciplines, and interpreting and communicating academic knowledge derived from Earth system research.

Offered by: Earth & Planetary Sciences

• Winter
• 3 hours lecture
• Prerequisite(s): ENVR 200 or permission of instructor.

• Terms
  • Winter 2025
• Instructors
  • Peter M Douglas, Bernhard L Lehner

Physics: Translational motion under Newton's laws; forces, momentum, work/energy theorem. Special relativity; Lorentz transforms, relativistic mechanics, mass/energy equivalence. Topics in rotational dynamics. Noninertial frames.

Offered by: Physics

• Fall
• 3 hours lectures
• Prerequisite: CEGEP Physics or PHYS 131.
• Corequisite: MATH 222
• Restriction: Not open to students taking or having passed PHYS 251

• Terms
  • Fall 2024
• Instructors
  • Hong Guo

Physics: History of special relativity; Lorentz transformations: kinematics and dynamics; transformation of electric and magnetic forces; introduction to topics in modern physics.

Offered by: Physics

• Fall
• 3 hours lectures
• Prerequisite: CEGEP physics or PHYS 142.
• Corequisite: MATH 222

• Terms
  • Fall 2024
• Instructors
  • Adrian C Liu