Physical Sciences

These courses are designed to transfer as four credit hour entry level lab science courses. Lectures and labs are taught in the new Science and Math Annex building.  Field trips are associated with Geology and Astronomy.  Students majoring in the sciences can expect higher salaries and better working conditions than most other professions.  Several students have gone on to major in Petroleum Geology which is a high demand major and a very lucrative career. These courses stress critical thinking resulting in a more complete appreciation of the world around us.  These courses are taught as descriptive sciences meaning that mathematics are present but not primary to understanding.  Astronomy and Physical Science can be found under Physics whereas Geology and Meteorology can be found under their names.

Physical Science

This course is primarily designed for secondary education majors.  It covers many topics such as forces and motion, sound, electricity, light, atomic structure, nuclear reactions, astronomy, and geology.  Each section has a corresponding lab exercise using data sensors for computer analysis of data.

Meteorology

This is the first college level course that all weather people have to take.  All weather producing events from small to large scale are covered in this course.  Relative humidity, dew point, wind, barometric pressure, cloud formations, ocean currents, weather instrumentation, thunderstorms, formation of rain, snow, and other forms of precipitation are all covered.

Geology

Everything around us is derived from Earth materials: rocks, minerals, and soils which are ground up rocks and minerals.  This course is primarily Physical Geology i.e. how rocks and minerals are formed and changed into other kinds of rocks but, Historical Geology is also included.  Field trips have included Big Basin, Clark State Lake, and local aggregate processing sites.  DC3 has an exceptional rock and mineral collection for students to study.

Astronomy

The study of light from stars reveals their temperature, composition, rotation, approach/recession velocities, turbulence, and magnetic fields.  This course stresses the evolution of a star from birth to their peaceful or catastrophic deaths.  Exotics such as Black holes, neutron stars, stellar explosions (novae and super novae) are covered.  A Meade 12-inch reflector telescope is available to observe the day or night sky.

Course Requirements

Find your plan of study in the 2019-20 Course Catalog.

Instructors