Waves and Optics

PHYS 211 picks up where freshman mechanics left off and treats oscillation as the unifying language of physics — from a mass on a spring to coupled modes, sound, light, and the wave equation itself — before pivoting into geometric and wave optics. Expect weekly problem sets, quizzes, a midterm and final, plus a project, with the usual derivation-heavy workload that Bilkent physics courses are known for. It's a required second-year course that hands you the wave intuition you'll lean on later in electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, and any lab work involving lasers or interferometry, so the time you spend wrestling with normal modes and Fourier-style thinking here pays off across the rest of the curriculum.