Addressed to majors in non-science disciplines. Topics in classical and modern physics with an emphasis on relativity and quantum mechanics. Concepts are stressed, but some calculational techniques are developed.
Weekly 90-minute section covering advanced and modern topics. Topics may include the theory of relativity; complicated dynamics (air resistance, planetary dynamics, etc.); fallacies in perpetual-motion machines; the Euler disk and unusual tops; elasticity of materials applied to structures.
Weekly 90-minute section covering advanced and modern topics. Topics may include nonlinear oscillators and chaos; waves in deep water and inside the earth; redshift in astronomy; negative refractive index materials; photons and matter waves; holography; viscosity; and turbulence.
Weekly 90-minute section covering advanced and modern topics. Topics may include atmospheric electricity; shielding; tensor polarization; alternative energy sources; semiconductor devices; particle accelerators and relativistic electrodynamics; Thomson scattering; digital and analog communication.
Introduction to scientific cosmology. Examination of cultural roles of creation myths and cosmologies; examples include Zunian, Mayan, and ancient, medieval, and modern Judeo-Christian cosmologies. Possible cultural and religious repercussions of Big Bang, Gaia, and other modern origin stories.
Cross Listed Courses
CRWN 80C
Technology of nuclear weapons systems, and attempts to counteract and control them. How bombs work; physical, biological, and ecological effects; delivery systems and strategic defense; proliferation and nuclear terrorism, arms control and verification. Emphasis on basic underlying science and order-of-magnitude calculations.
Historical view of the development of physics and its relation to philosophy, with examples taken from mechanics, quantum mechanics, and relativity. Study of original sources from Descartes to Einstein is emphasized.
Basic natural science necessary for informed citizenship in the modern world: elementary physics, chemistry, and ecology of the earth; demography, agriculture, energy, resources; evolution of modern technology; technological concepts; frontiers in science and technology with emphasis on associated public issues.
Covers a variety of optical and visual phenomena including the nature of light, optical effects in the atmosphere, the camera and photography, simple optical instruments, the human eye and vision, binocular vision, color and color perception. A course in high school algebra is recommended prior to taking this course.
Introduction to continuum mechanics. Stress and strain tensors. Equations of motion of elastic solids. Linear elasticity. Equations of motion of Newtonian fluids. Perfect and viscous fluids.
Modern geometrical and physical optics: lenses, mirrors, and image formation; interference, coherence, diffraction, polarization, and Fourier optics.
Course covers modern developments such as the concept of a strange attractor, the transitions to chaos and the theory of solitons; along with more traditional subjects, e.g., nonlinear oscillators, nonintegrable hamiltonian systems and bifurcation theory. Analytic and numerical approaches are both emphasized.
An introduction to the dynamics of the ocean. Topics include: introduction to ocean physics and geophysical fluid dynamics, geostrophic flow, general circulation of the ocean, numerical circulation models, surface waves, internal waves, and tides. Students cannot receive credit for this course and Marine Sciences 261.
An introduction to the dynamics of the earth's and planetary atmospheres. Equations of motion for rotating systems. Scale analysis. Thermodynamics. Planetary boundary layer. Waves and instabilities. The general circulation. Numerical modeling. Predictability. Dynamics of atmospheres of other planets. Designed for beginning graduate students in marine sciences and upper-division science majors. Students cannot receive credit for this course and Marine Sciences 270. Students who have completed course 5C instead of course 6C may enroll in this course with permission of the board office.
Offered in winter 2010 in conjunction with the United States Particle Accelerator School (USPAS).
Offered in winter 2010 in conjunction with the United States Particle Accelerator School (USPAS).
A special topics course that includes some of the following: nonlinear dynamics, continuum mechanics, recent developments in the theory of fluids, transition to chaos, turbulence.
ELECTROMAGNET FIELD
Provides an introduction to superstring theory, with the goal of making students familiar with recent developments, particularly string-string and strong-weak coupling quality.