Using acoustics to prepare undergraduate physics majors for the fundamentals of quantum physics

As part of curricular changes in our Physics curriculum, I developed an acoustics lecture course as a bridge between General Physics and our modern physics course. The goals of this course were to provide students with new mathematical tools (solving the wave equation, using complex numbers, boundary conditions) while also making physical connections between the mathematics and a system they could work with in a classroom. My aim was to prepare them for the mathematics to solve quantum problems so that they could spend more time wrestling with abstract quantum concepts. I used a textbook for vibrations and waves as a basis for the course and supplemented the text with acoustics specific content. I will present an outline of my approach and feedback from students regarding the utility of using acoustics as a primer for the more abstract content encountered in a Modern Physics course. Surveys and student reflections solicited after completing both courses will be discussed. My presentation will focus on whether the benefits of using acoustics to help students prepare for quantum physics warrants inclusion in the standard curriculum.