The aim of the course is to provide basic knowledge in physics and chemistry in order to understand various phenomena that occur in the environment.

The major subjects of the course are:

1.     Systeme International d’unites, understanding pi (π), earth and the solar system, how to measure distances in space, earth energy balance and the evolution of science – Aristotle, Archimedes, Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler.

2.     Mass and weight, Newton’s three laws of motion, velocity and acceleration, gravity, universal gravitation, escape and orbital velocities.

3.     Density and pressure (in solid, liquid and gaseous mediums) and their vertical trends.

4.     Waves and electromagnetic radiation – scattering, reflection, refraction, interference and absorption.

5.     Refraction index, pseudo depth, dispersion and the Doppler effect.

6.     Elements and atoms, isotopes, Bohr atomic model, Rydberg equation, the atomic orbitals, the periodic table, valence electrons, the Pauli exclusion principle and Hund’s rule.

7.     Ions, Atomic Mass Unit (AMU), molecules, chemical formulas and molecular mass.

8.     Ionization energy, electron affinity, chemical bonds, electronegativity, molecular structures.

9.     Fundamental vibrations and overtones and their effect on the electromagnetic spectrum, Inter-molecular bonds: Van der waals and hydrogen bonds.

10. Properties of water, oxidation-reduction, acidity and basicity.

11. Molar mass, mole and Avogadro constant, molarity.

12. Heat and basic terms in electricity, ocean chemistry, carbonates compensation depth (CCD) and marine sedimentology.