PHYS104

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PHYS104

Newton to Einstein: the Trail of Light PHYS104 SP

Next Offered in 9899 SP

The course will follow the trail of light from Newton's corpuscles to Einstein's relativity. The major theoretical landmarks will be the wave-particle duality and the special theory of relativity. Lecture demonstrations will carry the physics into the classroom. The emphasis will be on principles, not problem solving. No previous course in physics is presupposed; of mathematics, nothing beyond high school algebra will be needed. If you have taken a high school physics course and did well in it, then you are over-qualified for this course, risk being bored, and should not enroll.

MAJOR READINGS

Albert Einstein, IDEAS AND OPINIONS
E.N. da C. Andrade, SIR ISAAC NEWTON
R. Baierlein, NEWTON TO EINSTEIN

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Weekly homework assignments, three short papers (two or three pages each), an hour exam, and a final exam.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

The course is intended for non-science students, specifically and enthusiastically. Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. NOTE: Students must still submit a completed Drop/Add form to the Registrar's Office.

COURSE FORMAT: Lecture

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UG Credit: 1.00 Gen Ed Area & Dept: NSM PHYS

Prerequisites: None

Last Updated on MAR-10-1997

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