PHYS104 - Newton to Einstein: The Trail of Light

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Newton to Einstein: The Trail of Light
PHYS104 FA

The course will follow the trail of light from Newton's corpuscles to Einstein's relativity. The major theoretical landmarks are the wave-particle duality and the special theory of relativity. The emphasis will be on principles, not problem solving (although there will be weekly problems). No previous course in physics is presupposed. Of mathematics, only high school algebra and a willingness to apply it are needed. If you have taken a high school physics course and done well in it, then you are overqualified 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 T. Pinch and H. Collins, THE GOLEM R. Baierlein, NEWTON TO EINSTEIN

EXAMINATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Weekly homework assignments, three short papers (three pages each), weekly reading quizzes, an hour exam, and a final exam.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS and/or COMMENTS

The course is intended for humanities and social 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/Discussion

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: NSM PHYS Grading Mode: Graded

Prerequisites: NONE

SECTION 01

Instructor(s): Baierlein,Ralph F.

Times: .M.W.F. 01:10PM-02:00PM; Location: SCIE74

Reserved Seats: (Total Limit: 19)

SR. major: X Jr. major: X

SR. non-major: X Jr. non-major: X SO: X FR: 19

Special Attributes:

Curricular Renewal: Writing, Focused Inquiry Course

FYI: First Year Initiative:Seminar

Last Updated on MAR-24-2000