Physics
10 courses · Rio Hondo College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Classes: Summer 2026 · Fall 2026 · Spring 2027
PHY 120 Physics for Everyday Use
- Units
- 4
- Hours
- 54 Lecture, 54 Lab
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course investigates the basic characteristics of matter and the interactions that govern its behavior, and emphasizes how remarkable everyday phenomena are from this perspective. Examples from popular culture (e.g., movies, TV, and sports) are utilized. Topics include how to describe an object’s motion, how to explain changes in an object’s motion, and the roles of work and energy, among other topics. The course is intended for non-science majors, stresses conceptual understanding, and presents students with an opportunity to see how our world works according to physics.
PHY 150 General Physics I
- Units
- 4
- Hours
- 54 Lecture, 54 Lab
- Prerequisite
- MATH 175
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- PHYS 100S, PHYS 105
This course is the first of a two-semester, trigonometry-based physics sequence and is designed for students transferring to a four-year institution and planning careers in health professional fields such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, pharmacy, and optometry as well as those students in engineering technology and architecture. Topics include kinematics, dynamics, energy, work, momentum, conservation principles, rotational motion, simple harmonic motion, fluids, and thermodynamics. Students majoring in the biological sciences should consult a counselor as to whether this course satisfies the general preparation requirements for their major at their intended transfer university.
PHY 160 General Physics II
- Units
- 4
- Hours
- 54 Lecture, 54 Lab
- Prerequisite
- PHY 150
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- PHYS 100S, PHYS 110
This course is the second of a two-semester, trigonometry-based physics sequence and is designed for students transferring to a four-year institution with majors in health professional fields such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, pharmacy, and optometry as well as those students in engineering technology and architecture. Topics include electricity and magnetism, oscillations, waves, optics, and modern physics. Students majoring in the biological sciences should consult a counselor as to whether this course satisfies the general preparation requirements for their major at their intended transfer university.
PHY 211 Physics for Scientists & Engineers - I
- Units
- 4
- Hours
- 54 Lecture, 54 Lab
- Prerequisite
- MATH 190 or MATH 190H
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- PHYS 200S, PHYS 205
This course is the first of a three-semester sequence designed for students transferring to four-year institutions with majors in the sciences and engineering. Topics covered include kinematics, dynamics, energy, work, momentum, and conservation principles.
PHY 212 Physics for Scientists & Engineers - II
- Units
- 4
- Hours
- 54 Lecture, 54 Lab
- Prerequisite
- PHY 211 and MATH 191
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- PHYS 200S, PHYS 215
This course is the second of a three-semester sequence designed for students transferring to four-year institutions with majors in the sciences and engineering. Topics covered include kinematics, dynamics, energy, work, momentum, and conservation principles.
PHY 213 Physics for Scientists & Engineers - III
- Units
- 4
- Hours
- 54 Lecture, 54 Lab
- Prerequisite
- PHY 211 and MATH 191
- Advisory
- MATH 250
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
- C-ID
- PHYS 200S, PHYS 210
This course is the first of a three-semester sequence designed for students transferring to four-year institutions with majors in the sciences and engineering. Topics covered include electric fields, electric potential, current, circuits, magnetic fields, Gauss' law, Ampere's law, Maxwell's equations, induction, and electromagnetic waves.
PHY 220 Unmanned Rocket Science
- Units
- 3
- Hours
- 36 Lecture, 54 Lab
- Prerequisite
- PHY 211
- Transfers to
- CSU, UC
This course introduces students to the creation and implementation of payloads and unmanned vehicles. The payloads and unmanned vehicles such as rockets, balloons, robotic rovers, and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) collect atmospheric and kinematic data that are later analyzed and presented.
PHY 299A Directed Study: General Studies
- Units
- 1-3
- Hours
- 54-162 Lab
- Advisory
- PHY 211 or PHY 212 or PHY 213
- Transfers to
- CSU
Independent Study/Directed Study is intended for students who have the ability to assume responsibility for independent work and to prepare written or oral reports and/or appropriate projects. To enroll in an independent study/directed study course, students must possess a 2.5 overall grade point average, a 3.0 grade point average in the discipline of study being requested, or receive an exception from the instructor. Independent Studies/Directed Studies may be developed from any topic arising from or related to a course of study that will result in developing depth and breadth in that subject area. Students will be expected to meet on a regular basis with their faculty sponsor and submit a final report or project, and student progress shall be evaluated at regular intervals. Academic standards for Independent Studies/Directed Studies shall be the same as those for other courses. Units are awarded in accordance with Title 5 regulations with 1 unit of credit awarded for 54 hours of Directed Studies, 6 hours of which must be with an instructor. The instructor is responsible for monitoring student progress through the semester. Students may take directed study courses for a maximum of 3 units within a discipline, and may not accumulate more than a total of 9 units college-wide.
PHY 299B Directed Study: Biophysics and Biophysics Research I
- Units
- 1-3
- Hours
- 54-162 Lab
- Advisory
- PHY 211, PHY 212 and PHY 213
- Transfers to
- CSU
Independent Study/Directed Study is intended for students who have the ability to assume responsibility for independent work and to prepare written or oral reports and/or appropriate projects. To enroll in an independent study/directed study course, students must possess a 2.5 overall grade point average, a 3.0 grade point average in the discipline of study being requested, or receive an exception from the instructor. Independent Studies/Directed Studies may be developed from any topic arising from or related to a course of study that will result in developing depth and breadth in that subject area. Students are expected to meet on a regular basis with their faculty sponsor and submit a final report or project, and student progress is evaluated at regular intervals. Academic standards for Independent Studies/Directed Studies shall be the same as those for other courses. Units are awarded in accordance with Title 5 regulations with 1 unit of credit awarded for 54 hours of Directed Studies, 6 hours of which must be with an instructor. The instructor is responsible for monitoring student progress throughout the semester. Students may take directed study courses for a maximum of 3 units within a discipline, and may not accumulate more than a total of 9 units college-wide.
PHY 299C Directed Study: Biophysics and Biophysics Research II
- Units
- 1-3
- Hours
- 54-162 Lab
- Advisory
- PHY 211, PHY 212 and PHY 213
- Transfers to
- CSU
Independent Study/Directed Study is intended for students who have the ability to assume responsibility for independent work and to prepare written or oral reports and/or appropriate projects. To enroll in an independent study/directed study course, students must possess a 2.5 overall grade point average, a 3.0 grade point average in the discipline of study being requested, or receive an exception from the instructor. Independent Studies/Directed Studies may be developed from any topic arising from or related to a course of study that will result in developing depth and breadth in that subject area. Students are expected to meet on a regular basis with their faculty sponsor and submit a final report or project, and student progress is evaluated at regular intervals. Academic standards for Independent Studies/Directed Studies shall be the same as those for other courses. Units are awarded in accordance with Title 5 regulations with 1 unit of credit awarded for 54 hours of Directed Studies, 6 hours of which must be with an instructor. The instructor is responsible for monitoring student progress throughout the semester. Students may take directed study courses for a maximum of 3 units within a discipline, and may not accumulate more than a total of 9 units college-wide.