PHYS 150 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Course Description
Physics for Future Leaders
U of I students go on to become leaders in many fields of endeavor: business, science and technology, law and politics, education, the arts, and more. This course is inspired by a simple question:
What should you, a future leader, know about physics?
This course is intended to teach students about the physics that shapes our daily lives and the broader world around us. Many of the most important issues of our time are as a consequence of our advances in science and technology. We will explain the science of these issues, with the goal of becoming better informed decision makers. While much of what is encountered here will be relevant to public policy issues, this is a science course, not a policy course, so we will focus on the physics behind these topics.
Outline
- Energy and Power
- Atoms and Heat
- Gravity, Force, and Space
- Nuclei and Radioactivity
- Nuclear Reactors and Weapons
- Electricity and Magnetism
- Waves
- Light
- Invisible Light
- Climate Change
- Alternative Energy
- Quantum Physics
- Relativity
- The Universe
Course Staff
Course Instructor
Professor Jeff Filippini
Departments of Physics and Astronomy
E-mail: jpf
Office: 405 Loomis Lab
Office Hours: Monday at 3 p.m. (or by appointment), 405 Loomis Lab
Research interests: experimental astrophysics and cosmology
Teaching Assistant
Brian Wolin
Email: bwolin2
Office: 3011 Seitz Materials Research Lab
Office Hours: Thursday at 11 a.m. (or by appointment), 3011 MRL
Research interests: experimental condensed matter physics
Course Components
Text
Richard Muller, Physics and Technology For Future Presidents, ISBN: 978-0-691-13504-5
(Be warned that the same author also has two similarly-named popular audience books: Physics for Future Presidents and the more targeted Energy for Future Presidents.)
Additional readings from David JC McKay, Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air, available for free online.
Lectures
Tuesday / Thursday 9:30 - 10:50 am in 151 Loomis Lab
Lecture participation, via i>clicker questions and classroom discussion, is a key component of this course.
Assignments
Assignments and quizzes are a crucial component of learning. We will have several types of assignment in this course:
- i>clicker questions: Each lecture will feature in-class i>clicker questions, answered in collaboration with your classmates.
- Homework: Weekly homework assignments for this course will be completed online through ByteShelf. These come in two types: Checkpoint (typically written answer) and Homework (typically multiple-choice).
- Quizzes: Short quizzes covering the reading for the current week will be given in class.
- Exams: We will have two midterm exams (in class) and one final exam (end of term).
Important Information
University Requirements
This course satisifies the general education requirement for Physical Sciences. It also satisfies the Quantitative Reasoning II requirement.
Academic Integrity
All activities in this course are subject to the Academic Integrity rules as described in Article 1, Part 4, Academic Integrity, of the Student Code. Infractions include, but are not limited to:
- cheating
- plagiarism
- fabrication
- academic interference
- computer-related infractions
- unauthorized use of university resources
- sale of class materials or notes
- facilitating infractions of academic integrity.
Violations of any of these rules will be prosecuted and reported to the student's home college. All aspects of the course are covered by these rules, including:
- quizzes
- homework
- i>clickers
- exams
- documentation submitted for petition for an excused absence
Safety resources
Emergencies can happen anywhere and at any time. The campus police have thus asked the faculty to share this handout on emergency preparedness, which I encourage you to read through.