Small adjustments to schedule may be made and additional readings may be suggested as the course progresses.
| In 'readings': | |||
| B |
means |
Bohm | Causality and Chance in Modern Physics |
| C | Cushing | Philosophical Concepts in Physics | |
| E | Einstein | Relativity: The Special and General Theory | |
| F | Feynman | The Character of Physical Law | |
| Ha | Hawking | A Brief History of Time | |
| K | Kuhn | The Copernican Revolution | |
| K2 | Kuhn | The Structure of Scientific Revolutions | |
| R | Rohrlich | From Paradox to Reality | |
| S | Sklar | Philosophy of Physics | |
| Sq | Squires | The Mystery of the Quantum World | |
QUIZ
| Dates | Topics | Readings | Milestones | |
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#1 Jan. 21 |
Overview; a taste of upcoming surprises |
R: ch 1-3 S: pp. 1-18 C: ch 1-3 |
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#2
Jan. 23 |
Ptolemy vs Copernicus; How do you decide basic scientific questions? Simplicity, common sense, hard evidence..... |
K: ch 3, pp. 123-144,181-184 F: ch 2 R: ch 4 C: ch 4 |
Homework 1 due! We know this is short notice, but it's needed to get you started thinking AHEAD of lectures. | |
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#3 Jan. 28 |
Kepler & Galileo; physics & cosmology; the role of mathematics A new world view |
K: pp. 200-237 C: ch 5,6 |
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#4 Jan. 30 |
Kepler to Newton The meaning (and ambiguities) of Newton's laws |
R: ch 5 C: ch 7,8 |
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#5 Feb. 4 |
Newtonian space and time; Symmetries Metaphysical assumptions |
S: pp. 19-25 C: ch 11,12 |
Homework 2 due | |
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#6 Feb. 6 |
Conservation laws and energy
Glance at thermodynamics and arrow of time |
B: pp. 1-10 S: pp. 79-82, 202-204 F: ch 4 |
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#7 Feb. 11 |
Waves, fields, Electromagnetism & the ether. Newtonian cosmology Philosophical pause: The limits of the classical world |
S: pp. 94-117, 121-132, 142-155 B: pp. 10-33 F: ch 5 C: ch 13 |
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#8 Feb. 13 |
Searches for the luminiferous ether; why is it so elusive? |
E: ch 1-8 | Homework 3 due | |
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#9 Feb. 18 |
Einstein's motivation and postulates; spacetime |
E: ch 9-17 R: pp. 54-72 S: pp. 25-40 K2: Ch X C: Ch 16 |
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#10 Feb. 20 |
Unification of electricity & magnetism; E = mc2 and speed limits; Locality & conservation laws |
R: pp. 73-88 C: ch 17 |
QUIZ! | |
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#11 Feb. 25 |
Invariants. What does "mass" mean? Causality and the speed limit. |
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#12 Feb. 27 |
How do you feel gravity? What does the answer tell you about the structure of the universe? |
R: ch 7 S: pp. 40-69 C: ch 18 |
Homework 4 due |
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#13 Mar. 4 |
topology, GR cosmology; |
S: pp. 69-90 Ha: ch 3 |
Term paper consultations | |
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#14 Mar. 6 |
more cosmology, philosophical implications BTW, does the Earth go around the Sun or vice-versa? |
Term paper consultations | ||
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#15 Mar. 11 |
thermodynamics, probability and the arrow of time causality and chance; |
R: pp. 49-54 | Term paper consultations | |
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#16 Mar. 13 |
Experimental basis of QM; lacunae and anomalies of classical physics Light is a particle and electrons are waves (sort of) |
R: ch 9 S: pp. 157-164 C: ch 19 |
Homework 5 due |
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#17 Mar. 18 |
De Broglie's hypothesis; probability & uncertainty interference, Copenhagen interpretation(s) |
R: ch 10 S: pp. 164-172 F: ch 6 Sq: ch 1.3-2.6 |
Term paper topic due | |
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#18 Mar. 20 |
EPR thought experiment; Bell's theorem, local realism is dead? |
R: pp. 169-180 S: pp. 213-225 Sq: ch 5 C: ch 22 |
Term paper consultations
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#19 Apr. 1 |
Intro to QM "measurement" Determinism, chance, & objectivity in QM |
S: pp 172-191 Sq: ch 3 |
Term paper consultations QUIZ! | |
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#20 Apr. 3 |
more possible approaches to measurement, reality, entanglement and decoherence |
S: pp 202-212 Sq: ch 4, 6 C: ch 21 |
Term paper outline/ partial draft due | |
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#21 Apr. 8 |
quantum summary |
R: pp. 180-184 S: pp. 191-202 Sq: ch. 7 C: ch 23,24 |
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| Time, Fields, Cosmology | ||||
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#22 Apr. 10 |
Return to entropic arrow, entropy and entanglement | |||
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#23 Apr. 15 |
QM+SR: field theory; empty space isn't; problems with GR+QM and with QM-GR What happens when forces are unified? | Homework 6 due | ||
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#24 Apr. 17 |
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Ha: ch 8 | ||
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#25 Apr. 22 |
Symmetry breaking, cosmology, Inflation? | Ha: ch 3,9 | First complete draft of term paper due | |
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#26 Apr. 24 |
Why are we here? String landscapes and the anthropic principle | |||
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#27 Apr. 29 |
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#28 May 1 |
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#29 May 6 |
Course summary: we talk about any issues that you want | |||
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